{"id":40642,"date":"2023-08-15T00:06:21","date_gmt":"2023-08-15T04:06:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=40642"},"modified":"2023-08-12T10:00:09","modified_gmt":"2023-08-12T14:00:09","slug":"every-bugs-bunny-ever-the-old-grey-hare-1944","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2023\/08\/15\/every-bugs-bunny-ever-the-old-grey-hare-1944\/","title":{"rendered":"Every Bugs Bunny Ever: The Old Grey Hare (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>The Old Grey Hare (1944)
\n<\/u><\/strong>Directed by Bob Clampett
\nWritten by Michael Sasanoff
\nMusic by Lou Lilly
\nAnimation by Bob McKimson<\/p>\n

I\u2019m surprisingly not a fan of \u201cThe Old Grey Hare\u201d as it always came off as so random and bizarre. I\u2019m so used to the Looney Tunes shorts setting up everything so expertly with three act structures in spite of the short run time. So it\u2019s disappointing to see \u201cThe Old Grey Hare\u201d which garners a lackluster first act, and a pretty abrupt third act. Plus the whole idea behind the return of skinny Elmer Fudd is kind of depressing, all things considered. The whole back and forth between Elmer and Bugs was always so much fun and hilarious, that for the writers to paint this dynamic as something of a inescapable circle of insanity kind of defeats the purpose of being labeled a comedy.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The set up involves Elmer Fudd who is sitting in the middle of the woods bawling over the fact that he can\u2019t catch Bugs Bunny. In spite of his best efforts, he just can\u2019t catch him. Suddenly the voice of God appears to him telling him that he\u2019s destined to chase Bugs Bunny forever. He then warps him through time to the futuristic period of the year 2000 (gasp!) where they\u2019re both old. Elmer is still trying to capture Bugs Bunny and he finally manages to nail him with his futuristic rifle. As elderly Bugs lies dying, they flash back now to when Bugs and Elmer were babies. Inexplicably Elmer\u2019s been hunting Bugs since he was a small fry and they give chase to one another but\u2014you know\u2014as babies.<\/p>\n

So it\u2019s different?<\/p>\n

Truth be told, \u201cThe Old Grey Hare\u201d is like the other shorts featuring Bugs and Elmer going back and forth with one another, except Bob Clampett frames the movie with flashbacks and flash forwards. This doesn\u2019t make the ensuing chaos any funnier or more unique, except it\u2019s a bit darker than normal shorts. One scene finds Bugs dying and deciding to dig his own grave. In the midst of the wallowing and bawling, Bugs obviously tricks Elmer in to the freshly dug grave, burying him in the plot. I don\u2019t know it\u2019s just a gag that really never works for me. Elmer then celebrates escaping Bugs forever, and Bugs turns the final screw by handing him a stick of dynamite.<\/p>\n

There isn\u2019t a lot of resolution to \u201cThe Old Grey Hare\u201d nor is there much of a revelation on Elmer\u2019s part. There\u2019s just a wacky scenario of Bugs and Elmer chasing one another until they\u2019re old and grey and still going at it apparently until the end of their days. What ever the intent for the whole short was is lost on me, I have to admit. Also the short segment with Elmer and Bugs as babies is a huge swing and a miss, if only because it\u2019s so brief and hurts the momentum of the short. The animation is great, though. and it\u2019s fun to see Elmer Fudd back and sparring with Bugs Bunny (it\u2019s also great to hear Arthur Q. Bryan reprise the role of Elmer Fudd once more), but the short feels so random and sloppily written.<\/p>\n

Why does God show up to Elmer? What happened to make Elmer garner such an existential crisis? Where was Bugs before he was warped in to the futuristic year 2000? Also despite wanting to show Elmer what he\u2019s doomed to be doing forever, what else was God trying to get across to Elmer? Could Elmer have broken out of this cycle? Aw hell, I know I\u2019m over thinking this, but the whole premise just sets up so many ideas that are never even touched on. There\u2019s not a ton of justification for anything including the flash forward (or the flash back to them being babies) save for I guess just wanting to mess with the formula a bit.<\/p>\n

In any case, it\u2019s good to see \u201cSkinny\u201d Elmer Fudd back and sparring with Bugs Bunny after the last few shorts gave us dog enemies. They were very good shorts in their own right, but Bugs is much more fun when working off of Elmer Fudd and any of his other established foes.<\/p>\n

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