Rabbitson Crusoe (1956)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Story by Warren Foster
Animation by Gerry Chiniquy, Art Davis. Virgil Ross
Music by Milt Franklyn
This riff on “Robinson Crusoe” is the rare Bugs Bunny cartoon where Bugs is mostly a supporting character, with the bulk of the comedy handled by Yosemite Sam and a one-off shark character named Dopey Dick.
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Broom-Stick Bunny (1956)
Directed by Chuck Jones
Story by Tedd Pierce
Animation by Richard Thompson, Ken Harris, Ben Washam, Abe Levitow
Music by Milt Franklyn
The character of Witch Hazel only co-starred as a Bugs Bunny adversary in three Golden Age cartoons: “Bewitched Bunny” (1954), which was strictly okay; “A Witch’s Tangled Hare” (1959), which was among the weakest of the series; and in today’s cartoon, “Broom-Stick Bunny,” which is not only the best of the trio but, IMHO, is among the very best of the Bugs Bunny canon.
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Bugs’ Bonnets (1956)
Directed by Chuck Jones
Story by Tedd Pierce
Animation by Ken Harris, Abe Levitow, Ben Washam, Richard Thompson
Music by Milt Franklyn
The impact of clothing – specifically, headgear – on one’s personality is the focus of this Chuck Jones offering, which involves the contents of a truck carrying theatrical hats falling from the vehicle and on the unsuspecting noggins of Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. With each new hat that lands on their head, Bugs and Elmer take on a variety of aggressive and passive personalities.
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Roman Legion-Hare (1955)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Story by Warren Foster
Animation by Virgil Ross, Art Davis, Gerry Chiniquy
Music by Milt Franklyn
It’s 54 AD in Rome and the crowd at the Coliseum is filing in to see the Detroit Lions – not the football team, of course, but the bungle-in-the-jungle bunch who devour any poor soul thrown into the path. Emperor Nero calls for a victim to be tossed to the lions, but the Coliseum is curiously bereft of victims to sacrifice. The captain of the guards (Yosemite Sam) is dispatched to locate a victim for Nero to sacrifice, but the only one around in Rome that afternoon is Bugs Bunny. Needless to say, Sam’s attempt to capture Bugs becomes an exercise in violent futility.
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Knight-Mare Hare (1955)
Directed by Chuck Jones
Story by Tedd Pierce
Animation by Ken Harris, Ben Washam, Abe Levitow, Richard Thompson
Music by Milt Franklyn
Bugs Bunny is sitting outside of his hole-in-the-ground residence under a hair drying bonnet – as he explains to the viewer, “I just washed my ears and can’t do thing with them.” He is reading a book on medieval times when an apple falls from a tree and bangs on the hair drying bonnet, which falls over Bugs’ head. He suddenly finds himself back in the medieval era where he is assaulted by a knight, a fire-breathing dragon and an aged sorcerer wearing a propeller beanie.
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Hyde and Hare (1955)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Story by Warren Foster
Animation by Gerry Chiniquy, Arthur Davis, Virgil Ross, Ted Bonnicksen
Music by Carl Stalling
Bugs Bunny talks his way into being adopted by a kindly elderly man who feeds him carrots daily in a park. The man is Dr. Jekyll, who has created a potion that turns him into a hulking, green-skinned, red-eyed brute – the alter ego is never called Mr. Hyde in the film, but we all know who it is supposed to be. Bugs is pursued by this violent monster, who keeps turning back into Dr. Jekyll every few seconds before becoming Hyde again. Of course, Bugs never figures out the two very different figures are the same person.
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This is a Life? (1955)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Story by Warren Foster
Animation by Ted Bonnicksen, Arthur Davis
Music by Milt Franklyn
This offering is a hilarious riff on “This is Your Life,” a very 1950s popular program hosted by Ralph Edwards that surprised people with retrospectives of their life. The show was staged in front of a studio audience, and sometimes unsuspecting people would be taken from the audience and led to the stage. The concept of “This is Your Life” had already been brilliantly spoofed on “Your Show of Shows” in 1954, but screenwriter Warren Foster and director Friz Freleng opted to put their spin on the subject using the Looney Tunes characters.