''Bugs Bunny Rides Again'' is a 1948

Merrie Melodies ''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animated series of comedy short films produced by Warner Bros. starting in 1931, during the golden age of American animation, and ending in 1969. Then some new cartoons were produced from the late 1970s to the ...

animated short 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 June 12, 1948, 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 ''Merr ...

and

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 ...

. The animated short is both a

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

and a

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its sub ...

of the genre's conventions. Voice characterizations are performed by

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 r ...

. It is the third cartoon to pair Bugs and Yosemite Sam, after ''

Hare Trigger ''Hare Trigger'' is a 1945 ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The cartoon was released on May 5, 1945, and features Bugs Bunny. The short featured the first appearance of Yosemite Sam, as well as the first short to credit (alm ...

'' (1945) and '' Buccaneer Bunny'' (1948). The title is a typical

reference, as in "

The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in ...

rides again", and also suggests a reference to the

Jack Benny Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success playing violin on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century wit ...

comedy, '' Buck Benny Rides Again'' (1940).

Plot

Underscored by a high-energy version of "

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enr ...

", a constant hail of bullets flies around the Western town of Rising Gorge. A stream of them sail one way along the main street; a

traffic light Traffic lights, traffic signals, or stoplights – known also as robots in South Africa are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations in order to control flows of traffic. Traffic light ...

(an Acme Regulator, in keeping with

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American 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. ...

tradition) turns red and those bullets hover in mid-air while another torrent of them shoot by on the cross street, though they hesitate to resume when they get the green light when one last bullet zips past on the cross street, running the red light. Inside the Gunshot Saloon ('Come in and get a slug') at the bar a cowboy shoots another, apparently only for his drink. Outside there is a commotion and women screaming, then Yosemite Sam, guns smoking in his hands, walks in (being so short, he passes beneath the saloon doors). The patrons react with fear, yelling his name as the score quotes from ''

Erlkönig "Erlkönig" is a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It depicts the death of a child assailed by a supernatural being, the Erlking, a king of the fairies. It was originally written by Goethe as part of a 1782 Singspiel, . "Erlkönig" has been ...

'' (as is often the case for villains in Looney Tunes). Sam orders everyone ("all you skunks") out of the place, firing his guns for emphasis. All comply (including an actual skunk), except one cowboy Sam catches trying to sneak out the back and turns into a shooting gallery target. He demands to know if there is anyone there who dares to think they might tame him. Bugs Bunny, lazily leaning against a wall and rolling a cigarette declares, "I aims to." The two approach each other in exaggerated gunfighter fashion. When they are literally nose-to-nose, Bugs unholsters a carrot and delivers his classic, "What's up, Doc?" Sam says, "This town ain't big enough for the two of us." Bugs tries to accommodate him by instantly building an entire city skyline, but Sam is not appeased. They then draw on each other with increasingly larger guns until Sam makes it to a 'ten shooter'. Bugs pulls out a pea shooter; Sam reacts to the pea-shot bounced off his nose by opening fire. Bugs runs outside, right into Sam who, in typical Western parlance, demands the rabbit "Dance!" as he fires bullets at his feet. Bugs performs a soft shoe routine; entertainment-style, he turns the 'floor' over to Sam who does a routine of his own. As he dances 'off stage', Bugs opens the door to a mine shaft which Sam then falls into. ("Tsk tsk tsk. Poor little maroon. So trusting. So naïve.") When Sam returns to the surface and is immediately confrontational, Bugs draws lines in the sand, each time daring Sam to step over them. Sam does so, for quite a distance, until he falls off a cliff. The two end up on horseback, Sam giving chase, through a series of gags until Bugs suggests they play cards, as is common in "the Western pictures" to determine who leaves town. The two play gin rummy, and Bugs wins the game (by cheating); he rushes Sam onto the stagecoach to the train station. As he is shoving Sam onto the train, they discover that the passenger car is the ''

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

Special'', full of swimsuit-clad women heading for a beauty contest. Accompanied by a rendition of ''

Oh You Beautiful Doll "Oh, You Beautiful Doll" is a ragtime love song published in 1911 with words by Seymour Brown and music by Nat D. Ayer. The song was one of the first with a twelve-bar opening. The tune has been recorded hundreds of times by many artists from ...

'' fit for a

striptease A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner. The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a "stripper" or an "exo ...

number, the plot twist completely changes the tone.Wells (2002), p. 45-47 Bugs fights with Sam to be the one boarding the train, and prevails as usual, with lipstick-kisses on his face shouting, "So long, Sammy! See ya in Miami!"

Production Note

Yosemite Sam's statement when he first enters the saloon - "the roughest, toughest he-man stuffest hombre that's ever crossed the

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio G ...

, and I don't mean

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

" is changed in some versions of the film to "And I ain't no namby pamby" instead of "Mahatma Gandhi." This modification was probably due to Gandhi's assassination between the cartoon's production and its release.Bugs Bunny Rides Again
. ''www.bcdb.com'', August 31, 2013

Voice cast

, Skunk *

Robert C. Bruce Robert Cameron Bruce Jr. (October 6, 1914 – August 24, 2003) was an American voice actor and the son of Robert Cameron Bruce (1887–1948) who was a cinematographer and documentary producer. He was the narrator for a number of Warner Bros. ca ...

as Cowboy *

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 " ...

and

Tedd Pierce Edward Stacey "Tedd" Pierce III (August 12, 1906 – February 19, 1972) was an American screenwriter and voice actor of animated cartoons, principally from the mid-1930s to the late 1950s. Biography Pierce was the son of a stockbroker, Samue ...

as crowd ad-lids

Music

Because the film is organized as "one gag after the next", rather than clearly defined narrative segments of

exposition Exposition (also the French for exhibition) may refer to: *Universal exposition or World's Fair * Expository writing ** Exposition (narrative) * Exposition (music) *Trade fair A trade fair, also known as trade show, trade exhibition, or trade e ...

climax Climax may refer to: Language arts * Climax (narrative), the point of highest tension in a narrative work * Climax (rhetoric), a figure of speech that lists items in order of importance Biology * Climax community, a biological community t ...

, and conclusion,

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 ...

created a series of short musical cues accompanying and fitting each scene or gag. A total of 18 such cues appear in this short. The title music is a short sample of the "

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, a ...

" (1829) by

Gioachino Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards ...

. The

establishing shot An establishing shot in filmmaking and television production sets up, or establishes, the context for a scene by showing the relationship between its important figures and objects. It is generally a long or extreme-long shot at the beginning of ...

for the unnamed western town of the film is accompanied with a sample of "

" (1906) by Egbert Van Alstyne and Harry Williams. The establishing shot for the saloon and its customers is accompanied with a sample of ''Navajo'' (1903), also by Van Alstyne and Williams. The entry of

is accompanied by a sample of ''

'' (1821) by

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wo ...

. When

emerges as the only one willing to stand against Sam, the music is a sample of ''Yosemite Sam'', a song created by Stalling himself. When Sam and Bugs start their duel, the music is a sample of ''Inflamatus'', a section of the '' Stabat Mater'' (1841) by Rossini. When Sam states that the town is not big enough for the two of them, the music is a sample of '' Sonata Pathétique'' (1799) by

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

. The dancing scene is set to the tune of ''Bugs Bunny Rides Again'', which was also heard with a similar dance in ''

Stage Door Cartoon ''Stage Door Cartoon'' is a 1944 '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on December 30, 1944, and features Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. Plot Elmer Fudd attempts to catch Bugs Bunny with a carrot on a fish h ...

'', and the fall of Sam down the mine shaft to the tune of ''Wise Guy''. Both were compositions by Stalling himself. When Sam rages following his fall, the music is a sample of the act 3 prelude to '' Siegfried'' (premiered 1876) by

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

. (Goldmark attributes the ''Siegfried'' reference to a later appearance in Wagner's ''

Götterdämmerung ' (; ''Twilight of the Gods''), WWV 86D, is the last in Richard Wagner's cycle of four music dramas titled (''The Ring of the Nibelung'', or ''The Ring Cycle'' or ''The Ring'' for short). It received its premiere at the on 17 August 1876, as ...

''.) When the two rivals exit the town, the music is a sample of ''Fighting Words'' by Stalling, while the horse chase is set to another sample of the ''William Tell Overture''. When the two rivals agree to play cards, the music is ''The Loser'' by Stalling. Part of the card playing is set to a sample of ''My Little Buckaroo'' by M.K. Jerome and Jack Scholl. The victory of Bugs and the rush towards the train station is set to another sample of "Cheyenne". The scene with the bathing beauties is set to the tune of '' Oh, You Beautiful Doll'' (1911) by Nat Ayer and Seymour Brown. When Bugs subdues Sam, the music is ''Miami Special'' by Stalling. Finally, the train leaves to the tune of ''

Aloha ʻOe "Aloha ʻOe" ("Farewell to Thee") is a Hawaiian folk song written circa 1878 by Liliʻuokalani, who was then Princess of the Hawaiian Kingdom. It is her most famous song and is a common cultural symbol for Hawaii. Background The story of th ...

'' (1878) by Liliuokalani. In part, Stalling relied on the musical codes of the Western genre. "Cheyenne", ''My Little Buckaroo'', ''Navajo'', and the ''William Tell Overture'' were already associated with the

Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaqu ...

s, and

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ...

, and were familiar to audiences. ''Der Erlkönig'', the ''Inflamatus'', and the ''Sonata Pathétique'' fit the function of generic dramatic or agitated music used in genre films. In contrast, the titular tune of ''Bugs Bunny Rides Again'' is styled after the music of

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

shows.* The full version of Finale part of "

" would be used in 2008 rhythm game '' Looney Tunes: Cartoon Conductor''.

Critical reception

The animated short received favourable reviews. Animation historian

Greg Ford Greg Ford is an animator, director, historian and consultant to Warner Bros. Animation. He is perhaps best known for directing the films ''Daffy Duck's Quackbusters'', ''Weezer Slander: The Movie'', and '' (Blooper) Bunny''. Biography During ...

praised the musical accompaniment to the horse chase, and author Piotr Borowiec describes it as "Probably the funniest cartoon starring Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam". In ''Cartoon Carnival: A Critical Guide to Best Cartoons'', writer Michael Samerdyke considers it as "one of Friz Freleng's best."

Home media

*VHS- Bugs Bunny Classics: Special Collectors Edition *VHS- Bugs Bunny's Zaniest Toons *VHS- The Golden Age Of Looney Tunes Volume 10: The Art Of Bugs *Laserdisc- Bugs Bunny Classics: Special Collectors Edition *Laserdisc- The Golden Age Of Looney Tunes Volume 1 *DVD- Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2

References

External links

IMDB listing
*
AllMovie profile
{{Friz Freleng 1948 films 1948 short films 1948 animated films Merrie Melodies short films 1940s Western (genre) comedy films Short films directed by Friz Freleng American Western (genre) comedy films Films scored by Carl Stalling Western (genre) animated films Animated action films Bugs Bunny films Films about skunks 1948 comedy films 1940s Warner Bros. animated short films Films with screenplays by Michael Maltese Yosemite Sam films