''Mississippi Hare'' is a 1949 ''

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 short directed by

Chuck Jones Charles Martin Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, director, and painter, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of shorts. He wrote, produ ...

and written by

Michael Maltese Michael Maltese (February 6, 1908 – February 22, 1981) was an American story man for classic animated cartoon shorts. He is best known for working in the 1950s on a series of ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoons with director Chuck Jones, notably "Wha ...

. The short was released on February 26, 1949, and features

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 '' ...

Plot

, asleep in a

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

field, is picked up by his cottony tail (which a worker mistakes for actual cotton) and bundled into a shipment put on a

riverboat A riverboat is a watercraft designed for inland navigation on lakes, rivers, and artificial waterways. They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury un ...

going down the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

(setting sail for

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

Vicksburg Vicksburg most commonly refers to: * Vicksburg, Mississippi, a city in western Mississippi, United States * The Vicksburg Campaign, an American Civil War campaign * The Siege of Vicksburg, an American Civil War battle Vicksburg is also the name of ...

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-sma ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

and Cuc-amonga). After seeing a steward forcibly eject a ticket-less passenger, Bugs acquires some clothes and presents himself to the steward as a top-hatted gentleman. His self-assurance so clearly suggests that he belongs on the boat that the steward hesitates to even ask for a ticket, but rather than browbeat him with his presumed superior station, Bugs gives the man a ticket. At this point Bugs could simply relax and enjoy the unexpected trip, which must eventually take the boat back to its starting point and so allow him to disembark, but he prefers to try seeking out an adversary with whom he can match wits. He finds one in the

Yosemite Sam Yosemite Sam ( /joʊˈsɛmɪti/ ''yoh-SEM-ih-tee'') is a cartoon character in the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of short films produced by Warner Bros. His name is taken from Yosemite National Park. He is an adversary of Bugs ...

-esque

Colonel Shuffle Colonel Shuffle is a fictional character in the ''Looney Tunes'' stable, based in the Southern United States. History He has been shown as fiercely loyal to this region and deeply offended by anything that he feels reminds him of the Northern Uni ...

, a neurotic riverboat gambler. After Shuffle's gunplay clears out the customer base in the casino when another player tops his hand of three Queens with one of four Kings, Bugs remains as his only challenger in a poker game. Beginning with a hundred dollar stake (which amounts to only half a white coin), Bugs soon wins all of Shuffle's money including the original white half coin when he tops the cheating Shuffle's hand of five Aces with six Aces. Literally beaten at his own game, Shuffle challenges Bugs to a pistol duel, with Bugs stepping backwards in lockstep with Shuffle (apparently misinterpreting the "take 5 paces" instruction or because he thinks Shuffle will cheat), resulting in Shuffle getting a kiss and an exploding cigar from Bugs, leaving Shuffle with burn signs and Bugs leads him in a dance to "

De Camptown Races "Gwine to Run All Night, or De Camptown Races" (popularly known simply as "Camptown Races") is a minstrel song by Stephen Foster (1826–1864). () It was published in February 1850 by F. D. Benteen of Baltimore, Maryland, and Benteen published ...

" off the ship into the river. Shuffle is casually lifted back onto the ship by its paddle wheel, and he comes up behind the laughing Bugs (casually asking "''Why for did you splash me in the Mississippi mud?''") and makes a failed attempt to shoot Bugs with a waterlogged pistol (the bullet, sporting a sail, simply falls out along with the water flow). After Shuffle grabs a dry pistol, Bugs then tricks him into buying a ticket to see "

Uncle Tom's Cabin ''Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly'' is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in two volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the U. ...

", only for Shuffle to fall back into the river. After getting lifted back on the ship by its paddle wheel again, Shuffle again tries to shoot Bugs (asking "''Why did you dunk my poor old hide in

Ol' Man River "Ol' Man River" is a show tune from the 1927 musical ''Show Boat'' with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. The song contrasts the struggles and hardships of African Americans with the endless, uncaring flow of the Mississipp ...

, when I bought a loge seat?''"), only to be reminded, "''Ah, ah, doc! It's full of water!''" Shuffle points the pistol at himself, only to get blasted in the face. Shuffle chases Bugs down to the boiler room, only to end up in the boiler himself and get set on fire, and thus having no other option than as to get change from Bugs for a cup to get water, only to shoot at Bugs when he puts out his fire. Bugs dons

southern belle Southern belle () is a colloquialism for a debutante in the planter class of the Antebellum South. Characteristics The image of a Southern belle is often characterized by fashion elements such as a hoop skirt, a corset, pantalettes, a wide-b ...

garb and beats up Shuffle with an umbrella, with Shuffle frantically apologizing until he recognizes Bugs after the rabbit's hat falls off, and the chase resumes. Still in the belle garb, Bugs appeals to another passenger to rescue "her" from Shuffle, whom the passenger throws overboard. However, after realizing that the "lady" he has assisted is a rabbit (the back part of Bugs' dress got ripped off), the dumbfounded man has a nervous breakdown and steps overboard himself. Bugs, unfazed, simply comments "''Ah well, we almost had a romantic ending''" as the cartoon ends.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mississippi Hare 1949 films 1949 short films 1949 animated films 1940s Warner Bros. animated short films Short films directed by Chuck Jones Films set in Mississippi Looney Tunes shorts Films scored by Carl Stalling Animated films about rabbits and hares Bugs Bunny films Films with screenplays by Michael Maltese Films set on boats 1940s English-language films Animated films set on ships Animated films set in the Southern United States