One of the most polarizing films ever made was the 1952 Three Stooges short “Cuckoo on a Choo Choo.” You cannot be indifferent to this work – either you love it as an avant-garde excursion into daffiness or you loathe it as a misguided work of cinematic excrement.
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Bugs Bunny Rides Again (1948)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Written by Tedd Pierce
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Gerry Chiniquy
This is the second, count ‘em, second short in a row where we get Yosemite Sam crossing our friendly neighborhood rabbit! There was a long period there where we didn’t see Sam at all and now he’s back after a failed stint as a pirate. Yosemite Sam is so hilarious because of his clear cut lack of self awareness. He is about as deadpan serious as it can get, and he’s so much funnier than a lot of the one and done Bugs Bunny villains. Heck, in his introduction to the short as the other cowboys shudder in fear announcing him, Sam appears at the Saloon doors and because he’s so short he walks under them, rather than smashes them open.
Buccaneer Bunny (1948)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Written by Michael Maltese
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Manuel Perez
Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of–Ma’s old fa-shioned ci-der! Ma’s old fa-shioned ci-der!
I have great sentimental value for “Buccaneer Bunny” as it’s one of the array of Bugs Bunny shorts that were often played during the Bugs and Daffy Show every Saturday morning when I was a kid. “Buccaneer Bunny” is edgy enough to still be hilarious but never crosses any lines. And we also get Yosemite Sam once again! That’s always a plus. Watching this short takes me back to when I was a child winding down from Saturday morning cartoons and greeting the early afternoon with the hour block on ABC Network. “Buccaneer Bunny” is still utterly hilarious and stands as one of the shorts from Bugs that hasn’t aged a bit.
Even with its stripped-down premise, the short is a masterclass in the excellent dynamic that Bugs and Yosemite Sam have together.
Rabbit Punch (1948)
Directed by Chuck Jones
Written by Ted Pierce
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Phil Monroe
The bad new is that Chuck Jones re-uses a lot of the material from “Baseball Bugs” for “Rabbit Punch.” The good news is that “Rabbit Punch” ends up being very funny and memorable just the same. If you watch this and “Baseball Bugs” back to back you’ll see the obvious cut and paste, but this short is helped by the hysterical animation which really helps punctuate the hilarious physical gags and sight gags. There are some subtle bits of comedy that I still chuckle over. The frame as Bugs is hit by The Champ’s brick fist is absolutely priceless, and the POV of The Champ getting hit with a boulder by Bugs’ slingshot is just genius.
A Feather in His Hare (1948)
Directed by Chuck Jones
Written by Michael Maltese
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Ken Harris
We’re so late in the game and we’re still doling out these hideous racial stereotypes for these Looney Tunes shorts. “A Feather in his Hare” reminded me a lot of “All This and Rabbit Stew” except this short elicits a ton of hideous Native American stereotypes without ever actually building an interesting villain. By now we’ve had Elmer, Yosemite Sam, and many more foils, and we’re still being fed this kind of muck. And it’s not just that “A Feather in His Hare” is awfully racist, but it’s awfully unfunny as well. It’s just a lot of exploring how many Native American stereotypes can be squeezed in to eight minutes, and none of it ever amounts to even a mild chuckle.
Now Streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
An obvious but loving ode to “Assault on Precinct 13,” Jamie Nash’s horror survival comedy is probably one of the more entertaining indie films I’ve seen in a while. It’s a movie that is obviously small in budget, but makes the most out of a single setting horror film through the end. I was surprised by how much director Jamie Nash was able to pull out of this premise as they’re able to really justify why the film is confined to one place and is set during one night rather than multiple days. “Last Night at Terrace Lanes” is that classic siege horror film but with a dose of familial drama and coming of age.
It’s Black History Month once again and in honor of the occasion I continue the series of “Great Minority Movie Heroes” which we have been running over and over for years, now. What better occasion than Black History Month than to continue listing movie heroes that are people of color? Be sure to check out the past editions of the series and let us know what some of your favorite minority movie heroes are.