The Windblown Hare (1949)
Directed by Bob McKimson
Written by Warren Foster
Animation by John Carey
Music by Carl Stalling

I am one that was never much of a fan of cartoons like “Rocky and Bullwinkle” or “George of the Jungle.” I always found those series to feel cheap and kind of dull so I was never a fan of their fractured fairy tales. Besides, Warner bros. always set the bar high when it came to taking fairy tales and distorting them for their own twisted purposes. “The Windblown Hare” is a hilarious take on the Three Pigs and Red Riding Hood, the first confrontation with the three pigs for Bugs and his second confrontation of Red Riding Hood’s universe. While not as funny as “Red Riding Rabbit,” this visitation to the latter’s world is small but hysterical as the writers take this whole dynamic and twist it up for some prime comedic material.

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The Grey Hounded Hare (1949)
Directed by Bob McKimson
Written by Warren Foster
Animation by John Carey
Music by Carl Stalling

“The Grey Hounded Hare” is one of those shorts that always played in the very middle of marathons on cable TV and it almost always made great background noise. That’s mainly because “The Grey Hounded Hare” isn’t really anything to write home about. When it comes to Bugs Bunny he’s done better, and the writers have found better ways to utilize his ongoing feud with dogs. The short by Bob McKimson is pretty much the repetition that these shorts are known for but without not too many laughs. Sure it’s clever and it’s high energy, which is always a plus. But the whole concept just kind of feels stale and forced. That’s punctuated by the fact that the short has no real foil for Bugs Bunny.

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Knights Must Fall (1949)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Written by Tedd Pierce
Animation by Ken Champin
Music by Carl Stalling

There’s a lot of really good material here in “Knight’s Must Fall,” probably one of the two times Bugs Bunny comes face to face with a knight. I personally prefer “Knights Must Fall” over “Knighty Knight Bugs” but not because of Yosemite Sam. While the latter is very good in its own right, I just found the former to be so much funnier and more creative gag wise. Sure, the writers recycle Bugs’ classic “That’s the ol’ Pepper, boy!” gag but this time while jousting the black knight, but the creative and hilarious gags outweigh the small caveats, in the end.

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Bowery Bugs (1949)
Directed by Arthur Davis
Written by Lloyd Turner
Animation by Emery Hawkins
Music by Peter Burness

Steve Brody is one of the more forgettable of Bugs Bunny’s foils as he feels a lot like a carry over from Tex Avery and his MGM stint. In fact, the majority of “Bowery Bugs” feels a lot like it brings the formula over, relying on a short that is so much less about the chase, and more about various skits involving Steve Brody in search of good luck. He’s constantly set off his path by the prankster Bugs, who makes it his mission to drive him crazy. The set up is pretty bizarre, as Bugs seeks to sell the Brooklyn Bridge to a potential buyer, and tells the story of Steve Brody and why he jumped off the bridge in 1886.

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High Diving Hare (1949)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Written by Tedd Pierce
Animation by Gerry Chiniqiuy
Music by Peter Burness

You wouldn’t think you could do much with a short that centered on almost nothing but gags of Yosemite Sam falling off a high dive, but you’d be wrong. While short on variety, “High Diving Hare” is a blast because it feels like a return to form. Like previous shorts, there’s a three act structure, a perfectly funny set up, and a lot of really funny gags between Yosemite Sam and Bugs Bunny. I remember watching this short a lot during the “Bugs Bunny and Tweey Show” back on Saturday mornings but with a lot of the opening set up cut out to fit commercials. While the opening set up to the ensuing mayhem isn’t detrimental to enjoying the entire short, it does give the whole concept a lot of context,

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Rebel Rabbit (1949)
Directed by Chuck Jones
Written by Michael Maltese
Animation by Ben Washam
Music by Carl W. Stalling

This is probably the most unhinged I’ve ever seen Bugs Bunny and probably the closest that he’s ever come to transforming in to a super villain of a sorts.

Like previous exploits Bugs Bunny tends to be a victim of his own ego, which is something that’s often overlooked in future shorts. In “Rebel Rabbit,” he’s not so much battling a predator as he is, well, having a virtual mental breakdown on screen. Sadly none of it is really all that funny. Save for some sharp animation, “Rebel Rabbit” has no structure or much of a three act narrative to begin with. It’s basically just a string of skits with Bugs Bunny wreaking untold havoc on various states and ecolosystems all for the simple fact that he’s not deemed too worthy by the US Government.

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