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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Bedevilled Rabbit (1957)

Bedevilled Rabbit (1957)
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by Tedd Pierce
Animation by Ted Bonnicksen, Keith Darling, George Grandpré
Music by Milt Franklyn

When the Tasmanian Devil – or Taz, as his friends know him – debuted in the 1954 “Devil May Hare,” producer Edward Selzer took a dislike to the character and ordered director Robert McKimson not to use him again. However, studio chief Jack L. Warner later intervened by pointing to the surplus number of fan letters asking when Taz would be in another cartoon. Three years passed after “Devil May Hare” before he returned in “Bedevilled Rabbit,” which was the best of the Bugs-Taz pairings.
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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: A Star is Bored (1956)

A Star is Bored (1956)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Story by Warren Foster
Animation by Art Davis, Virgil Ross, Gerry Chiniquy
Music by Milt Franklyn

Daffy Duck is the malcontented janitor at a movie studio where Bugs Bunny is the reigning screen star. Annoyed at the attention Bugs is receiving, Daffy marches into the office of the casting director to demand a crack at stardom. Daffy is cast as Bugs’ stunt double in an ongoing production and is dressed in a rabbit suit but soon discovers to his frustration he is being assigned the most dangerous stunts.
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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Bugs’ Bonnets (1956)

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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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Rabbit Rampage (1955)

Rabbit Rampage (1955)
Directed by Chuck Jones
Story by Michael Maltese
Animation by Ben Washam
Music by Milt Franklyn

In my opinion, “Rabbit Rampage” is the worst of the Bugs Bunny cartoons – which is curious since it is a sequel to “Duck Amuck,” which is my choice as being the best of all the Warner Bros. cartoons.
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The Bootleg Files: Rabbit Stew and Rabbits Too!

BOOTLEG FILES 909: “Rabbit Stew and Rabbits Too!” (1969 animated short).

LAST SEEN: On DailyMotion.com and several other sites.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A one-shot outing that came at the end of Warner Bros.’ animated theatrical run.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Maybe in a Warner Bros. anthology collection.

The last iteration of this column featured “Rabbit Habit,” an underground parody film that imagined a drug-hazed post-script for the Warner Bros. animated characters. In retrospect, “Rabbit Habit” would have been a better sign-off than “Rabbit Stew and Rabbits Too!”, a 1969 short that was completed just before the celebrated animation studio finally ended its theatrical output.
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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Devil May Hare (1954)

Devil May Hare (1954)
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by Sid Marcus
Animation by Herman Cohen, Phil DeLara, Charles McKimson, Rod Scribner
Music by Milt Franklyn

Jack L. Warner rarely interfered with his studio’s animation unit, but on one notable occasion he pressured producer Edward Selzer to make cartoons with a character that Selzer disliked – the Tasmanian Devil, which debuted in the 1954 “Devil May Hare” but was shelved from future appearances at Selzer’s command. Warner had the character brought back after the studio received significant mail from moviegoers that loved the Tasmanian Devil and wanted to see it in more cartoons.
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