Fresh Hare

Infobox Hollywood cartoon
cartoon_name = Fresh Hare
series = Merrie Melodies


caption =
director = I. Freleng
story_artist = Michael Maltese
animator = Manuel Perez
Gerry Chiniquy
Richard Bickenbach
Phil Monroe
Ken Champin
voice_actor = Mel Blanc
Arthur Q. Bryan (uncredited)
musician = Carl Stalling
producer = Leon Schlesinger
distributor = Warner Bros. Pictures
release_date = August 22, 1942
color_process = Technicolor
runtime = 8 min. (one reel)
movie_language = English
imdb_id = 0034756

"Fresh Hare" is a Warner Bros. "Merrie Melodies" cartoon. It was directed by Isadore "Friz" Freleng, written by Michael Maltese, and produced by Leon Schlesinger. It was released to theatres on August 22, 1942.

The title is a typical WB pun (as in "fresh air") that has little or nothing to do with the plot, other than being set in the crisp, frigid air of a Canadian winter.

ummary

In this short, the rotund early-1940s version of Elmer Fudd is portrayed as a Mountie, in pursuit of Bugs Bunny, who is wanted for being a "screwy wabbit", across the snow-packed tundra (presumably in Canada). Elmer elaborates on the charges: "Wesisting awwest, distuwbing the peace, being a pubwic nuisance, jaywawking, conduct unbecoming a wabbit." Bugs soon teaches Elmer that these are far from the only tricks he can pull. It ends with a blackface gag set down south. This was the fifth and final appearance of the "fat" Elmer Fudd.

Censorship

The end of this cartoon where Bugs proclaims his last wish in a chorus of "I Wish I Were in Dixie", which is followed by Bugs, Elmer Fudd and the Mounties all in blackface singing "Camptown Races" against a cotton field backdrop has been targeted for censorship because of its stereotypical depictions of African Americans. Here is a list of channels that have cut the ending and how the ending was edited:
*Cartoon Network's and TNT's version does a quick "dubbed" iris out to the "Dubbed Version" end card after Bugs sings, "I wish I was in Dixie/Hurray! Hurray!"
*TBS aired a version where the footage of Bugs dancing as he's singing "Dixie" is looped while the audio of the ending plays as normal.
*A public domain video called "Cartoon Explosion" has this cartoon's ending completely cut.
*Some local station versions edit the ending so severely that the cartoon's new ending is when Bugs (now handcuffed to Elmer) says, "Okay, doc, let's go!" after he's arrested.
*Others fade out during the initial "Ooohh..."

In Other Media

A scene of "Fresh Hare" can be seen in the title sequence gag of the "Futurama" episode I Second That Emotion.

Cast

*Mel Blanc as Bugs Bunny
*Arthur Q. Bryan as Elmer Fudd (uncredited)

External links

*
* [http://www.bcdb.com/bcdb/cartoon.cgi?film=605&cartoon=Fresh%20Hare "Fresh Hare" in the Big Cartoon Database]