Bugs Bunny’s first theatrical film since “False Hare” in 1964 was “A Political Cartoon,” an independently produced short released in 1974. Filmmakers James K. Morrow and Joe Adamson licensed Bugs Bunny from Warner Bros., while Mark Kausler animated the character to resemble his mid-1940s appearances and Mel Blanc provided his inimitable voice.
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When Warner Bros. partnered with ABC in 1960 for the production of “The Bugs Bunny Show,” General Foods Corporation was signed as the sponsor of the show. It was the proverbial match made in Heaven, as the company offered a line of breakfast cereals and flavored drink mixes aimed at the kiddie consumer while the Warner Bros. cartoon characters were the ideal sales tools to entice the show’s juvenile viewers and their grocery shopping parents.
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“Overture, curtains, lights. This is it, the night of nights.
No more rehearsing and nursing a part – we know every part by heart!
Overture, curtains, lights. This is it, you’ll hit the heights.
And, oh, what heights we’ll hit – on with the show, this is it!”
If you recognize those lyrics, you were blessed to have a childhood that included “The Bugs Bunny Show,” either in its original version or in the various iterations that were broadcast over the decades.
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In 1956, nearly 72% of all American homes had televisions. In that year, the nation’s living rooms had Jackie Gleason, Ed Sullivan, and Liberace as regular visitors through the television screen. And also joining the home-based entertainment line-up was Bugs Bunny.
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False Hare (1964)
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by John Dunn
Animation by Warren Batchelder, George Grandpré, Ted Bonnicksen
Music by Bill Lava
B.B. Wolf and his giggly nephew conspire to trap Bugs Bunny by creating Club Del Conejo, a phony social club designed exclusively for rabbits. Bugs, of course, is wise to the antics of these lupine predators but plays along, inevitably causes B.B. to fall victims to his extravagant booby-traps.
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The Iceman Ducketh (1964)
Directed by Phil Monroe and Maurice Noble
Story by John Dunn
Animation by Bob Bransford, Tom Ray, Ken Harris, Richard Thompson, Bob Matz, Alex Ignatiev, Harry Love
Music by Bill Lava
Daffy Duck is a would-be hunter in the Klondike who is eager to cash in on the trade for animal furs. However, he begins his quest just as the snowy winter sets in. He hopes to snag Bugs Bunny’s soft furry coat for profit, but the rascally rabbit constantly outwits the neurotic and increasingly agitated duck.
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Dr. Devil and Mr. Hare (1964)
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by John Dunn
Animation by Ted Bonnicksen, Warren Batchelder, George Grandpré
Music by Bill Lava
The denizens of the forest are in a panic with the approach of the Tasmanian Devil, but Bugs Bunny is unaware of the peril because he is taking a soapy bath in a pond. Taz tastes the soap covering Bugs’ body, but dislikes it and washes it off with a bucket of water – and then the bucket gets dumped on Bugs’ head. When Taz pours ketchup on Bugs’ head in preparation of eating him, Bugs becomes melodramatic and insists he’s bleeding. He sends Taz off for medical assistance, not realizing that he is soon dealing with Bugs in multiple disguises as a general practitioner, a psychiatrist, a maternity ward nurse, and a surgeon.
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