''The Grey Hounded 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. '' short film made by
Warner Bros. Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment (both ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The studio is the flagship producer of liv ...
and starring the voice talent of
Mel Blanc
Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for comedy ra ...
. The film 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 '' ...
.
It was directed by
Robert McKimson
Robert Porter McKimson Sr. (October 13, 1910 – September 29, 1977) was an American animator and illustrator, best known for his work on the ''Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons from Warner Bros. Cartoons and later DePa ...
, and animated by
John Carey,
Phil DeLara
Philip DeLara (1914–1973) was a Warner Bros. Cartoons animator and Disney comics, MGM and Hanna-Barbera artist.
As an animator, he worked on Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig and Daffy Duck and later on Speedy Gonzales, and The Tasmanian Devil, among oth ...
,
Manny Gould
Emanuel Gould (May 30, 1904 – July 19, 1975) was an American animated cartoonist from the 1920s to the 1970s, best known for his contributions as a director, writer and animator for Screen Gems, and solely an animator for Warner Bros. Cartoon ...
and
Charles McKimson, with music scored by
Carl Stalling
Carl William Stalling (November 10, 1891 – November 29, 1972) was an American composer, voice actor and arranger for music in animated films. He is most closely associated with the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' shorts produced by War ...
.
The title refers to the
greyhound
The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurge ...
s of the plot as well as "hounded" meaning pestered or pursued relentlessly.
Plot
After a race at a greyhound track comes to a conclusion,
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 '' ...
pops out of a hole, wondering what all the 'racket' is. He quickly finds out where he is when the announcer says that the patrons have time to make their selections for the next dog race. Bugs, after picking up a programme, decides to check out the competing dogs in the kennels, commenting positively on dog #7, a large grey
greyhound
The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurge ...
named Gnawbone, whom Bugs inadvertently angers.
Upon hearing the starting bugle, Bugs goes outside to watch the race from trackside. Before the race begins, the announcer announces some of the dogs that are racing, including "Bill's Bunion", "Pneumatic Tire", "Father's Moustache", "Motorman's Glove", "Bride's Biscuit" and "Grandpa's Folly" (the latter of which has been "scratched" from the race, as in uncontrollable itching), in an homage to
Spike Jones
Lindley Armstrong "Spike" Jones (December 14, 1911 – May 1, 1965) was an American musician and bandleader specializing in spoof arrangements of popular songs and classical music. Ballads receiving the Jones treatment were punctuated with gun ...
' "
William Tell Overture
The ''William Tell'' Overture is the overture to the opera ''William Tell'' (original French title ''Guillaume Tell''), whose music was composed by Gioachino Rossini. ''William Tell'' premiered in 1829 and was the last of Rossini's 39 operas, af ...
."
Bugs watches as a rabbit lure is led out. Not realizing the rabbit is a mechanical fake, Bugs instantly falls in love with it ("Wow! What a hunk of feminine pulchritoodee!"). Upon seeing the dogs being released from their starting boxes, declaring that "chivalry is ''not'' dead", Bugs decides to "rescue" the lure and jumps into the track, taking down some of the dogs one at a time. During this sequence, the announcer, shocked at what he sees, kills himself off-screen. Bugs eventually teases the dogs enough that they start chasing him out of the track and into a taxi, which speeds off towards the Dog Pound. However, Gnawbone was not fooled and is waiting for Bugs.
Bugs then faces off with Gnawbone through trickery, first using a balloon decoy, then using a dynamite stick. Finally, Gnawbone has had it and starts to charge at Bugs "like a bull" in attempt to kill the rabbit once and for all, but Bugs plays matador and causes Gnawbone to charge into a fire hydrant, putting the dog out of commission, with a white flag of surrender on his tail.
After defeating Gnawbone, now free to pursue "Dreamboat" unhindered, Bugs gives the lure a kiss, getting a large electric shock, just before the lure goes back into its starting box. He goes for another kiss and gets electrocuted again.
Home media
This cartoon is available, uncensored and uncut, on Disc 1 of the
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 4 DVD set.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Grey Hounded Hare, The
1949 films
1949 short films
1949 animated films
1940s Warner Bros. animated short films
Films directed by Robert McKimson
Looney Tunes shorts
Animated films about dogs
Films scored by Carl Stalling
Bugs Bunny films
Greyhound racing films
1940s English-language films