The Bootleg Files: A Special Valentine with the Family Circus

Posted on February 14, 2025 by Phil Hall

BOOTLEG FILES 897: “A Special Valentine with the Family Circus” (1978 animated television special).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On VHS video.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It fell through the cracks.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Oh, God, I hope not.

If you ever want to encounter the most passionate vitriol to stain the Internet, type in the words “Family Circus Hate” into your search engine and then set aside several hours to read the blog posts and forum messages from people who have an aggressive loathing to that long-running newspaper comic strip “The Family Circus” about a wholesome family and their treacly-thick approach to life’s minor inanities. But if you really love to hate “The Family Circus” – or if you really hate yourself and you feel that you need to be punished for genuine or perceived character flaws – then please set aside about a half-hour to endure the 1978 animated TV special “A Special Valentine with the Family Circus.”
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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Forward March Hare (1953)

Posted on February 12, 2025 by Phil Hall

Forward March Hare (1953)
Directed by Charles M. Jones
Story by Michael Maltese
Animation by Ken Harris, Lloyd Vaughan, Ben Washam
Music by Carl Stalling

A draft notice meant for Bertram Bonny – the envelope is addressed to “B. Bonny” – accidentally winds up down Bugs Bunny’s hole. Bugs opens the envelope and mistakenly believes he’s being drafted into the Army. He arrives at the induction processing center, creating confusion by his presence – but no one has the temerity to question why a rabbit is being inducted. But Bugs creates endless trouble for his drill sergeant, who is repeatedly demoted by the army base’s colonel after Bugs’ incompetence results in embarrassing assaults on the commanding officer’s authority.
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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Hare Lift (1952)

Posted on February 5, 2025 by Phil Hall

Hare Lift (1952)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Story by Warren Foster
Animation by Ken Champin, Arthur Davis, Manuel Perez, Virgil Ross
Music by Carl W. Stalling

Bank robber Yosemite Sam makes a gun-toting withdrawal from the Last National Bank, warning those inside the bank to “keep a-reachin’ for the ceilin’ till ya’ reach it!” But the sound of approaching police sirens forces him to flee and drives to the airport where the world’s largest airplane has arrived for public exhibition. Bugs Bunny is alone in the airplane, sitting in the cockpit while pretending he’s a pilot. Sam mistakes him for the real pilot and forces Bugs to take off – even though Bugs knows nothing about flying. Nonetheless, Bugs starts the airplane and begins to drive it down a main street before abruptly taking it on a wild ride up to the moon and then back in a dizzying plummet to Earth.
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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Rabbit’s Kin (1952)

Posted on January 29, 2025 by Phil Hall

Rabbit’s Kin (1952)
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by Tedd Pierce
Animation by Charles McKimson, Herman Cohen, Rod Scribner, Phil DeLara, Keith Darling
Music by Carl Stalling

Of all the predators who pursued Bugs Bunny, Pete Puma was arguably the stupidest of the bunch. But at the same time, he might have been the most endearing – if only because his cheerful imbecility made him oblivious to the fact that he was his own worst enemy rather than Bugs’ greatest foe.
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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Rabbit Seasoning (1952)

Posted on January 22, 2025 by Phil Hall

Rabbit Seasoning (1952)
Directed by Charles M. Jones
Story by Michael Maltese
Animation by Ken Harris, Lloyd Vaughan, Ben Washam, Richard Thompson, Abe Levitow, Harry Love
Music by Carl W. Stalling

The second of the “Hunting Trilogy” featuring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd in a triangular adversarial relationship, “Rabbit Seasoning” has been viewed by some prominent animation scholars as the best film of the trio. I respectfully disagree and view “Rabbit Seasoning” as a verbose retread of the more effective first entry in the series, “Rabbit Fire” from 1951.
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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Oily Hare (1952)

Posted on January 15, 2025 by Phil Hall

Oily Hare (1952)
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by Tedd Pierce
Animation by Charles McKimson, Phil De Lara, Rod Scribner, Herman Cohen, Keith Darling
Music by Carl Stalling (uncredited)

“Oily Hare” takes place amid the Texas oil boom, along a stretch of road identified by a sign as “Hi-Way $101.00” just outside of “DOLLAR$ (FORMERLY DALLA$”) TEXA$.” A stretch limousine is cruising down the road, and it is quite a stretch – the vehicle is so long that its midsection is occupied by a switchboard operator connecting a long-distance call from the passenger to the driver.
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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: The Hasty Hare (1952)

Posted on January 8, 2025 by Phil Hall

The Hasty Hare (1952)

Directed by Charles M. Jones
Story by Michael Maltese
Animation by Ken Harris, Lloyd Vaughan, Ben Washam
Music by Carl W. Stalling

In the early 1950s, flying saucers could be found in newspaper headlines and movie screens. The Termite Terrace gang tapped into that environment by bringing back the extra-terrestrial characters of 1948’s “Haredevil Hare” – but whereas Bugs Bunny went into the space to encounter those otherworldly characters for that film, the 1952 short “The Hasty Hare” has the beings from out there land their flying saucer on Earth to meet the rascally rabbit.
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