Hare-um Scare-um

"Hare-um Scare-um" is a 1939 "Merrie Melodies" cartoon directed by Ben Hardaway and Cal Dalton, and first released on August 12, 1939 by Warner Bros.. It marks the third appearance of the Bugs Bunny prototype and the first time he, thanks to a redesign by Charlie Thorson, appears as a grey rabbit instead of a white one. The title is a homonym with an old nonsense expression that has nothing to do with rabbits as such.

Plot

The story opens to a man reading a newspaper article stating that meat prices have soared (and that customers are sore). Angry, he declares that he'll hunt his own meat to get back at the government for the price inflation. He then tells his dog he is going hunting for rabbits. A rabbit lays a trap for the dog, the dog gets scared of the sound. The bunny then plays "Guess Who" with the dog, all that comes out is a bark. The hunter then sees rabbits, aims his gun, then runs over to where it was. When he gets there, there is a spinning wheel with rabbit signs. The hunter then sees the hare sleeping. The hunter starts pouring salt on the rabbit, who quickly gets up and the hunter is putting salt on a celery instead. The rabbit starts eating it and says, "Celery, mighty fine nerve tonic. Boy, have I got nerve." The hare runs in a cave, and the hunter runs after him. Before he reaches the cave, an elevator forms and the hunter smacks it. The rabbit then opens it and says, "Main floor, leather goods, pottery, washing machines and aspirin, going up!" and closes it as the elevator goes up. The elevator floor goes back down, the hare opens it and says, "You don't have to be crazy to do this … but it sure helps," closes it and the elevator goes down. The bunny then dresses in girl-dog drag. The dog then sees the rabbit in drag. He thinks it's a dog, then he notices it's the rabbit. The hare then pretends he's a policeman, only silly. He then sings the same song as below. The hunter then finds the rabbit. He explains to the hunter how poor he is. He then shocks the hunter and he falls to the ground. The hunter then tells the hare he can whip him and his whole family then sees a lot of rabbits that are the first one's family. Then they attack the hunter and his dog then sees backgrounded two heads, the hunter and the dog rolling down (see Censorship note below). Iris out.

ongs

The goofy song the Bugs Bunny "prototype" sings includes these lines:

Ohhhhhh, I'm going cuckoo, woo-woo! Here comes the choo-choo, woo-woo! I'm so gooney, Looney Tuney, touched in the head Please pass the ketchup, I think I'll go to bed! etc.

Eight years later, the song would be varied somewhat and reprised by the now fully-realized character Bugs Bunny, in "Easter Yeggs":

Here's the Easter Rabbit, hooray! The happy Easter Rabbit, hooray! I am getting Looney Tuney, touched in the head This whole thing is gooney, I should have stayed in bed.
etc.

Censorship

* When the hunter says he can whip the rabbit and his whole family, a bunch of rabbits that look like him pop up. The picture then fades to black rather abruptly. The following is said to have been deleted: all of the rabbits attack the hunter and his dog, raising a cloud of smoke. The smoke of the hostilities clears, and the viewer sees two heads, the hunter's and the dog's, rolling down a roadway into the sunset as the iris closes to end the cartoon. There is some question as to whether the cartoon in its original form ends here or immediately before the fighting that causes the cloud of smoke.

External links

* [http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3pord_merrie-meleodies-hareum-scareum-193_fun Watch Hare-um Scare-um]