''Hyde and Hare'' is a 1955
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
''
Looney Tunes
''Looney Tunes'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series ''Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation. '' cartoon, directed by
Friz Freleng
Isadore "Friz" Freleng (August 21, 1905May 26, 1995), credited as I. Freleng early in his career, was an American animator, cartoonist, director, producer, and composer known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and '' ...
.
The short was released on August 27, 1955, and stars
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character created in the late 1930s by Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his starring roles in the '' Looney Tunes'' and '' ...
.
The short is based on
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...
's 1886 novella ''
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is a 1886 Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old ...
''. The cartoon pits Bugs against
Dr. Jekyll, who continues to turn into
Mr. Hyde
Dr. Henry Jekyll, nicknamed in some copies of the story as Harry Jekyll, and his alternative personality, Mr. Edward Hyde, is the central character of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde''. In the story, ...
. The title is a play on the expression "neither hide nor hair."
Plot
Bugs comes out of his rabbit hole in a city park every morning because a kind gentleman keeps coming to feed him a carrot ("Well, here I go again with the 'timid little rabbit' routine. It's shameful, but - eh, it's a living!"). At first feigning the on-all-fours posture of a real rabbit, Bugs eventually stands up and confides that he would rather simply go home with the gentleman as a "pet", since it would be easier for both of them. As the gentleman brings Bugs home, he remarks that it is strange that Bugs calls him "Doc" because, "I happen to be a doctor." The camera then pans up to show that the name above the apartment is none other than
Dr. Jekyll.
Inside the house, Bugs gets used to his new surroundings. Going into a room with a door marked "laboratory" in search of a carrot for Bugs, Dr. Jekyll walks by and sees the fizzing, red potion that he knows he should not drink, because it's a failing of his concoction, so he walks away, refuses to drink it, and tries to stay away from it, but gives in, and drinks the potion anyway ("Oh, I'm ''so'' ashamed!!"). He then transforms into
Mr. Hyde
Dr. Henry Jekyll, nicknamed in some copies of the story as Harry Jekyll, and his alternative personality, Mr. Edward Hyde, is the central character of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde''. In the story, ...
, with a monstrous green face and glowing red eyes. When Bugs sees him, he initially thinks he is a sick person who needs to see the doctor, he sits Hyde in a chair, but as he goes to get the doctor, stops when Hyde swings an axe at Bugs, chopping a lamp in half. Bugs quickly realizes that this cackling, knuckle-dragging, axe-swinging monster is not someone to be heckled. Bugs runs away, calling out for the doctor. Soon the monster reverts to Dr. Jekyll. Bugs, still thinking that Hyde might benefit from seeing a doctor, tries leading Jekyll to the patient. On the way, the doctor changes into Hyde. After yelling for Jekyll again, then seeing that suddenly Hyde is gone since the doctor is back, Bugs decides they should hide in a storage room by giving Dr. Jekyll a shotgun, much to Jekyll's horror as he knows what will happen upon transformation ("Oh my, I wish he hadn't given me this... Oh dear, here it goes again!") As Dr. Jekyll feared, he transforms into Mr. Hyde yet again and tries to shoot Bugs, who, having reinforced the door, tears it open and escapes. Bugs heads for a closet and, seeing the doctor in the hallway, waves him inside and shuts the door. In the dark, another change occurs, and when seeing this again, Bugs flees, running into the laboratory.
At this point, once he is the doctor again, Jekyll decides that he's going to pour the rest of the formula down the drain since Bugs will never be bothered by that beast if he promises to stay. He goes into his laboratory, but finds the beaker empty. He asks Bugs if he drank the potion; much to his shock, Bugs acts insulted at the idea and leaves ("I am going ''back'' to the park! There is no question of my integrity there.....").
Walking back to his park, Bugs transforms into a monstrous green rabbit, confirming Jekyll's suspicion that Bugs ''did'' drink the potion. The people at the park who are busy feeding the pigeons see the transformed Bugs and run away screaming. Bugs (who, unlike Dr. Jekyll, retained his usual personality and is unaware of the change in his appearance) wonders aloud, "Now what's eating THEM? Hmph! You'd think they never saw a rabbit before!" He chews on his carrot as the cartoon irises out.
Allusions
* In the cartoon, Bugs sits down at a piano, places a candelabra upon it, and utters the phrase, "I wish my brother George was here". The reference was to
Liberace
Władziu Valentino Liberace (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987) was an American pianist, singer, and actor. A child prodigy born in Wisconsin to parents of Italian and Polish origin, he enjoyed a career spanning four decades of concerts, recordi ...
, who had a brother named George that was also his conductor on TV. It also references Liberace's personal appearances during the 1950s. Liberace's feature film debut ''
Sincerely Yours'', also produced by Warner Bros., was released around the same time as this cartoon. You can also hear that quote on ''
Three Little Bops
''Three Little Bops'' is a 1957 American animated comedy short film directed by Friz Freleng and written by Warren Foster. A takeoff on ''The Three Little Pigs'' told as a hip, jazzy musical, the short features the voice of Stan Freberg, with ...
'' by the piano playing pig.
* The piano piece that Bugs plays is the ''
Minute Waltz
The Waltz in D-flat major, Op. 64, No. 1, sometimes known as "" (French for "Waltz of the puppy"), and popularly known in English as the Minute Waltz, is a piano waltz by Polish composer and virtuoso Frédéric Chopin. It is dedicated to the Co ...
'' (Bugs pronounces "minute" as if to mean tiny) by
Chopin, or as Bugs calls him "Choppin'."
* When Bugs first sees Mr. Hyde, he says
Ralph Kramden
''The Honeymooners'' is an American television sitcom which originally aired from 1955 to 1956, created by and starring Jackie Gleason, and based on a recurring comedy sketch of the same name that had been part of Gleason's variety show. It fo ...
's line to him, "You...are a mental case!"
Home media
The cartoon appears on the Looney Tunes: After Dark Laserdisc. In 2004, this cartoon was restored and released on the ''
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2'' DVD box set. The Warner Archive Blu-Ray of ''
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde'' includes an upscaled version of the Golden Collection master. You can play Hyde Bugs in the ''
Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal'' video game.
See also
*
Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography (1950–1959)
This is a listing of all the animated shorts released by Warner Bros. under the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' banners between 1950 and 1959.
A total of 278 shorts were released during the 1950s.
1950
Starting this year, all cartoo ...
*
List of Bugs Bunny cartoons
This is a list of the various animated cartoons featuring Bugs Bunny. He starred in over 160 theatrical animated short films of the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons and distributed by Warner Bros. P ...
References
External links
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hyde And Hare
1955 films
1955 animated films
1955 short films
Short films directed by Friz Freleng
Looney Tunes shorts
Warner Bros. Cartoons animated short films
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde films
Films scored by Carl Stalling
Bugs Bunny films
1950s Warner Bros. animated short films
1950s English-language films