{"id":40132,"date":"2023-07-04T00:11:44","date_gmt":"2023-07-04T04:11:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=40132"},"modified":"2023-07-02T18:17:29","modified_gmt":"2023-07-02T22:17:29","slug":"every-bugs-bunny-ever-whats-cookin-doc-1944","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2023\/07\/04\/every-bugs-bunny-ever-whats-cookin-doc-1944\/","title":{"rendered":"Every Bugs Bunny Ever: What\u2019s Cookin\u2019 Doc? (1944)"},"content":{"rendered":"

2023 marks the 85th<\/sup> Anniversary of Bug Bunny\u2019s first animated appearance in 1938’s \u201cPorky\u2019s Hare Hunt.\u201d Debuting originally as Happy Rabbit, Bugs eventually became one of the most iconic animated characters of all time. In honor of the landmark anniversary, we\u2019re discussing every animated appearance by Bugs Bunny. We\u2019re big fans of Bugsy and we hope that you are, too. <\/em><\/p>\n

Follow us on this massive journey where we discover and re-discover Every Bugs Bunny Ever.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>What\u2019s Cookin\u2019 Doc? (1944)
\n<\/strong>Directed by Bob Clampett
\nWritten by Michael Sasanoff
\nMusic by Carl W. Stalling
\nAnimation by Bob McKimson<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s Cookin Doc?\u201d is one of the few times where Warner tried to mimic Tex Avery, as where Avery had a knack for creating shorts that featured various facets of society and satirizing them, Bob Clampett and Bob McKimson go for that same method. With the narration, cuts to various sight gags, clever subversions of jokes, and implementation of live action footage to help land a joke, it\u2019s hard not to compare this to a Tex Avery\/MGM creation. That\u2019s not a criticism per se, but more an observation, as it\u2019s obvious what they\u2019re aiming for here. Their primary goal is to satirize Hollywood and the Hollywood climate of the time. They also inject their big star Bugs Bunny in to the proceedings, which adds an extra spice that makes it all the better.<\/p>\n

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Titled \u201cWhat\u2019s Cookin\u2019, Doc?\u201d is more intended as an in-joke from the animators at Warner, reportedly. They were apparently frustrated by being overlooked at the Oscars. So they created what is basically intended to be a nudge, nudge, wink, wink, while also arguing for the quality of Bugs Bunny. They\u2019re not at all wrong that Bugs is Oscar quality, but \u201cWhat\u2019s Cookin, Doc?\u201d is a joke that you really had to be there for. This one is set up in the bosom of Hollywood where the primary setting is a Hollywood Academy Awards banquet where all the brightest and most talented appear for dinner and hob knobbing. They\u2019re there to announce the Oscar nominations, and who should be there, but Bugs Bunny.<\/p>\n

He is there, of course, chomping on carrots and preparing to leave with his own gold statuette. Here Mel Blanc is able to have a good time with some improv, acing impressions of Katharine Hepburn, Jerry Colonna, Bing Crosby, Cecil B. DeMille, and Edward G. Robinson, respectively. It\u2019s a fun bit allowing the animators to really pay homage to their subjects. Despite Bugs\u2019 best efforts, much to his surprise he loses the acting award to James Cagney, but protests claiming \u201cSa-bo-tah-gee\u201d and from here the short takes a weird turn. I mean if you\u2019re going to prove your worth for an award, why show a clip to \u201cLittle Hiawatha,\u201d arguably one of the weaker Bugs entries? Nevertheless, there\u2019s a very funny albeit risqu\u00e9 gag where when Bugs goes to show off his film reel.<\/p>\n

The title for it reads \u201cStag Reel\u201d prompting Bugs to screech in horror, urging them to change the reel. It\u2019s a hilarious gag that gets better the more you catch on to what a \u201cStag Reel\u201d is. There\u2019s also a scene with a newspaper headline where the sub-headlines read “Jap Cruiser Blown Up,” and “Adolph Hitler commits suicide.” As an in joke with Warner pleading to the Oscars committee it works, but as a short it doesn\u2019t quite click with Bugs Bunny, as it revels too much in self awareness and never really feature a premise of any kind. It\u2019s mainly Bugs and only Bugs promoting himself, and throwing a tantrum for eight minutes. Granted, it has its charms.<\/p>\n

The animation from Bob McKimson is top drawer, and I love so many instances of Bugs just hamming it up. His demonstration of his skills as a dramatic, comedic, and horror actor is an especially fun gag. It\u2019s just what ruins \u201cWhat\u2019s Cookin, Doc?\u201d for me is that this would be the template for future shorts where Bugs would less and less be the underdog punching up, and become more of the fourth wall breaking, larger than life character with an obsession with the Oscars. The animators and writers would expound on this short later on with absolutely diminishing returns. Yes, Bugs Bunny was a larger than life icon in the forties but he represented more than just the Hollywood elite.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s sad they kind of took it and ran with it, rather than make it a one shot deal. It seems like I dislike \u201cWhat\u2019s Cookin, Doc?\u201d but I actually really enjoy it, even as an in-joke. It\u2019s consistently entertaining, despite its lack of substance. It\u2019s just that Warner and Looney Tunes always worked better when they\u2019re thumbing their nose down at Hollywood, rather than trying to cozy up to them.<\/p>\n

Find out what we think are the BEST<\/a> and WORST<\/a> Bugs Bunny shorts of all time!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n