For every Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck that becomes a pop culture icon, there are countless cartoon characters that get tested in one or a few shorts before being dropped for lacking versatility and viability. Conrad the Cat, a yellow bipedal feline created by Chuck Jones, is an example of a character that was jettisoned after failing to immediately click on the screen.
Continue reading
Person to Bunny (1960)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Story by Michael Maltese
Animation by Arthur Davis, Gerry Chiniquy, Virgil Ross, Harry Love
Music by Milt Franklyn
Bugs Bunny is being interviewed at his Hollywood home (a luxurious hole in the ground) on live television by Cedric R. Burrows for the “People to People” show (a spoof Edward R. Murrow and his series “Person to Person”). While the interview is in progress, Daffy Duck comes in and tries to make himself the center of attention. Bugs answers a question about Elmer Fudd with an insulting wisecrack – “His IQ is PU” – but Elmer is watching the broadcast and grabs his rifle, showing up at Bugs’ home. The broadcast devolves into chaos as Elmer winds up shooting Daffy, a quickly recovered Daffy does vaudeville-style dancing for the camera, and a rifle-toting Elmer chases Bugs out of his home.
Continue reading
Horse Hare (1960)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Story by Michael Maltese
Animation by Gerry Chiniquy, Virgil Ross, Arthur Davis
Music by Milt Franklyn
In the Old West of 1886, Sergeant Bugs Bunny is tasked with being the sole guard on duty at Fort Lariat while the U.S. Cavalry leaves on a special mission. Once the Cavalry departs, Yosemite Sam – here known as “Renegade Sam” – leads a battalion of considerably incompetent Indian warriors in an attempt to overtake the fort. Needless to say, Bugs easily outwits these intruders while repeatedly humiliating Sam during the battle.
Continue reading
BOOTLEG FILES 929: “Swabbies” (canceled Disney animated short that survives as an animatic video).
LAST SEEN: On YouTube.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: This was never meant to be seen publicly.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Nope.
The history of the Walt Disney Company is littered with projects that were aborted in various stages of concept and execution. Some of these canceled projects could have been truly fascinating, such as a feature-length animated film based on “Don Quixote.” Other pulled-plug endeavors would have been more than a little peculiar, such as an animated version of “The Catcher in the Rye” with an all-canine cast.
Continue reading
People Are Bunny (1959)
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by Tedd Pierce
Animation by Warren Batchelder, Tom Ray, Ted Bonnicksen, George Grandpré, David R. Green
Music by Milt Franklyn
Daffy Duck is watching television and dials into “The QTTV Sportsman Hour” where the host promises $1,000 for the first viewer who brings a rabbit into the station. Daffy tries to lure Bugs with free tickets to a television show, but when Bugs declines Daffy grabs a rifle and forces him to travel to QTTV. Once at the station, Bugs and Daffy have separate experiences with game shows – Bugs enjoys a profitable outcome while Daffy’s excursion ends painfully.
Continue reading
A Witch’s Tangled Hare (1959)
Directed by Abe Levitow
Story by Michael Maltese
Animation by Keith Darling, Ken Harris, Ben Washam, Richard Thompson
Music by Milt Franklyn
“A Witch’s Tangled Hare” incorporates bits and pieces of William Shakespeare’s plays – along with a character who resembles Shakespeare – into a Bugs Bunny romp that brings back the zany Witch Hazel as the predator. It’s a cute idea for a cartoon, but the execution is off and it quickly becomes a bore.
Continue reading
BOOTLEG FILES 927: “Uncle Walt” (1964 student film that was unavailable for many years).
LAST SEEN: On YouTube and Internet Archive.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A student film made without the clearance of the rights owners of the original classic.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Nope.
One of the sad truths of locating films that are either lost or have been otherwise unavailable for decades is that the discovered titles are often far less interesting than the mystique that surrounded them during their absence from view.
Continue reading