On this day in 1940, cartoon icon Bugs Bunny appeared for the first time in the Warner Bros. animated short “A Wild Hare.”
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This Day in History Class is a production of I
Heart Radio, Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class,
a show that raises the curtain on everyday history and
lets it take a bow. I'm Gay Bluesier and today
(00:22):
we're celebrating the birth of Cartoon Royalty by taking a
closer look at the official big screen debut of the
One and Only Bugs Bunny. The day was July Cartoon
(00:43):
Icon Bugs Bunny appeared for the first time in the
Warner Brothers animated short a Wild Hair. Although he later
became the face of the Loony Tunes series, Bugs debut
short was actually part of the Merry Melodies line, though
there's really not much differ prints between the two series
besides the name and theme music. The theatrical short featured
(01:06):
a now classic setup that most cartoon fans will find
quite familiar. A gun toting hunter, Elmer Fudd sneaks through
a forest in search of rabbits or wabbits. As he
cost them be very fully quiet, I'm hunting wabbitsh Boy
(01:31):
wabbit twigs. He manages to lure one out of hiding
with a carrot, but quickly gets more than he bargained for.
As the clever rabbit proceeds to outsmart him at every turn,
while also planting a few sloppy kisses on him for
good measure. Say you wouldn't be that schooy wabbit? Would
you could be gone? You all mean rabbit. No one
(02:05):
knew it at the time, but the short marked the
beginning of a long and hilarious partnership. The idea of
a bumbling hunter being outwitted by an animal, usually a rabbit,
was a common theme and animation at the time. In fact,
the artists at Warner Brothers had already used that basic
premise four times before A Wild Hair hit theaters. The
(02:28):
first occasion was in a night short called Porky's Hair Hunt,
directed by Ben Hardaway. As the title suggests, Porky Pig
was the hapless hunter in that short, but the hair
in question wasn't bugs bunny. Instead, he was a kind
of prototype known around the studio simply as the happy Rabbit.
(02:50):
That character made three further appearances in nineteen thirty nine
and nineteen forty, including in hare Um scare Um, also
directed by Ben Hardaway, as ell Is, in Presto Chango,
and in Elmer's Candid Camera, both directed by Chuck Jones.
The character's appearance was refined little by little along the way,
(03:10):
but those early incarnations still look, sound, and behave differently
than the rabbit who would become Bugs Bunny. One major
distinction was that Happy Rabbit was wacky and chaotic, similar
to Daffy Duck, a far cry from the suave, cool
headed Bugs. Happy was more unhinged and even how to
manic laugh that sounded a lot like Woody Woodpecker, a
(03:33):
character that Hardaway would later co create with Walter Lance.
Those early shorts were key to the formation of Bugs Bunny,
and in a roundabout way, they even provided his name
to one of the character model sheets for Harum. Scarum
identified the rabbit as Bugs Bunny. However, that wasn't intended
(03:53):
as the character's name and was instead a reference to
the shorts director Ben Hardaway. His nickname happened to be Bugs,
and since the rabbit was being used in his shorts,
the drawing was labeled as Bugs Bunny. That's Bugs with
an apostrophe after the s. Even though a Wild Hair
is now considered the character's first official appearance, his name
(04:17):
isn't spoken in that short, nor does it appear on screen.
That milestone came the following year with the release of
the Chuck Jones short Elmer's Pet Rabbit. The character was
a proven hit by that point, so the studio decided
retroactively that he deserved a name. Tex Avery proposed calling
the new star Jack e Rabbit, but that was passed
(04:39):
over in favor of the more alliterative name from the
earlier model sheet. Bugs Bunny was given his very own
title card starting with that short, and it was a
way to formally introduce the character to the public. That said,
even though he goes unnamed in a wild hair, it
was that short the turn to non a script gray
(05:00):
Rabbit into the Bugs Bunny we all know and love.
Director Tex Savery and animator Virgil Ross were largely responsible
for the character's makeover. Instead of being a wacky bundle
of nervous energy, they made Bugs a smart, alec sarcastic,
self assured, and utterly unafraid even with a gun in
his face. His personality was informed by several Hollywood stars
(05:25):
of the day, including comedian and actor Groucho Marx, who snappy,
wise cracks and trickster persona provided the perfect basis for
the quick witted rabbit. Even bugs trademark carrot munching was
reportedly inspired by Hollywood leading man Clark Gable had nibbled
on a carrot while leaning against a fence in a
(05:45):
scene from N four's It Happened One Night, and animators
thought that laid back behavior would be even better suited
for an actual rabbit. Of course, the image of Bugs
Bunny nonchalantly chewing a carrot instantly brings to mind his
famous catchphrase, watch up Doctor. The line was added to
(06:06):
a Wild Hair by tex Avery, who later explained that
it was a common expression in his home state of Texas.
The director didn't think much of the line at the time,
but when the short screened in theaters, audiences went wild
for it. The idea of a rabbit having such a
calm response to a hunter struck a chord, with viewers
subverting their expectations and signaling that Bugs Bunny was not
(06:30):
your garden variety rabbit. That said, the line might not
have played so well if it weren't delivered by the
incomparable Mel Blank. He had voiced happy Rabbit in the
earlier shorts, but the direction had been to make the
voice similar to Daffy Duck, a popular established character who
was also voiced by Mel Blank. However, the actor decided
(06:52):
to put a fresh spin on Bugs after reading a
note on the revised drawings of the character. It described
him as quote a tough little stinker, which led Mel
to try out a new Brooklyn accent to capture the
right attitude. The character and his voice certainly have plenty
of attitude, but the artists who brought Bugs to life
(07:13):
always made sure he never came across as mean spirited.
In interview, director Chuck Jones reflected on this critical distinction, saying, quote,
it was very important that he'd be provoked, because otherwise
he'd be a bully. We didn't want that. We wanted
him to be a nice person. In other words, Bugs
(07:34):
would never go looking for a fight, and he would
never humiliate someone just for fun. But he wasn't a
pushover either. His wits and tricks would only be deployed
against those who had it coming, and we're always in
service of teaching them a lesson. That formula was a
hit from the start with both audiences and critics. A
(07:55):
Wild Hair received an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Short
at ninety one, along with another short starring Bugs called
Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt. Neither of those shorts won the award.
That honor went to MGM's Milky Way, but the attention
did encourage other cartoon directors to use Bugs Bunny in
(08:15):
their own films. So for the better part of the
next forty years, Bugs starred and just under a hundred
and seventy theatrical shorts, many from legendary directors like Bob Clampett,
Friz Freeling, Robert Tashlyn, and of course, Chuck Jones. Bugs
eventually got his Oscar Too, winning Best Animated Short for
(08:37):
ninety Night Bugs in nineteen fifty nine. In the decades
that followed, Bugs made the jump to the small screen,
where he and his looney pouse became a mainstay of
Saturday morning children's programming. He got plenty of attention from
adults to including his own star on the Hollywood Walk
of Fame, the first postage stamp to feature an animated character,
(09:00):
in the first animated short to be inducted into the
Library of Congress's National Film Registry, And in case you're wondering,
that short was What's Opera doc The nineteen fifty seven
parody of Wagner's operas that's widely considered the pinnacle of
Bug's career. All these years later, Bugs Bunny remains almost
(09:20):
as relevant as ever. New cartoon shorts and even full
length films featuring the character continue to be made, and
every one of them owes a huge debt to a
wild Hair. It may not be bugs best work, but
it's the short that gave him the personality, voice and
mannerisms that later made him one of the greatest cartoon
(09:41):
characters of all time. Mickey Mouse, eat your heart out.
I'm Gay Blusier and hopefully you now know a little
more about cartoon history today than you did yesterday. If
you enjoyed today's show, consider following us on Twitter, Facebook,
an Instagram at t d i HC Show, and if
(10:04):
you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to send
them my way at this day at I heeart media
dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing the show,
and thank you for listening. I'll see you back here
again tomorrow for another day in History class. What's up done?
(10:31):
What's cooking? What's up done? Oh you're looking for Bunch Bunny.
Bunch Think dot is gonna hunt, think just to get
a rabbitskin. Without a rabbits gonna get what's up done,
what's cooking? Hey, look out, sap, someone que
This Day in History Class is a production of I
Heart Radio, Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class,
a show that raises the curtain on everyday history and
lets it take a bow. I'm Gay Bluesier and today
(00:22):
we're celebrating the birth of Cartoon Royalty by taking a
closer look at the official big screen debut of the
One and Only Bugs Bunny. The day was July Cartoon
(00:43):
Icon Bugs Bunny appeared for the first time in the
Warner Brothers animated short a Wild Hair. Although he later
became the face of the Loony Tunes series, Bugs debut
short was actually part of the Merry Melodies line, though
there's really not much differ prints between the two series
besides the name and theme music. The theatrical short featured
(01:06):
a now classic setup that most cartoon fans will find
quite familiar. A gun toting hunter, Elmer Fudd sneaks through
a forest in search of rabbits or wabbits. As he
cost them be very fully quiet, I'm hunting wabbitsh Boy
(01:31):
wabbit twigs. He manages to lure one out of hiding
with a carrot, but quickly gets more than he bargained for.
As the clever rabbit proceeds to outsmart him at every turn,
while also planting a few sloppy kisses on him for
good measure. Say you wouldn't be that schooy wabbit? Would
you could be gone? You all mean rabbit. No one
(02:05):
knew it at the time, but the short marked the
beginning of a long and hilarious partnership. The idea of
a bumbling hunter being outwitted by an animal, usually a rabbit,
was a common theme and animation at the time. In fact,
the artists at Warner Brothers had already used that basic
premise four times before A Wild Hair hit theaters. The
(02:28):
first occasion was in a night short called Porky's Hair Hunt,
directed by Ben Hardaway. As the title suggests, Porky Pig
was the hapless hunter in that short, but the hair
in question wasn't bugs bunny. Instead, he was a kind
of prototype known around the studio simply as the happy Rabbit.
(02:50):
That character made three further appearances in nineteen thirty nine
and nineteen forty, including in hare Um scare Um, also
directed by Ben Hardaway, as ell Is, in Presto Chango,
and in Elmer's Candid Camera, both directed by Chuck Jones.
The character's appearance was refined little by little along the way,
(03:10):
but those early incarnations still look, sound, and behave differently
than the rabbit who would become Bugs Bunny. One major
distinction was that Happy Rabbit was wacky and chaotic, similar
to Daffy Duck, a far cry from the suave, cool
headed Bugs. Happy was more unhinged and even how to
manic laugh that sounded a lot like Woody Woodpecker, a
(03:33):
character that Hardaway would later co create with Walter Lance.
Those early shorts were key to the formation of Bugs Bunny,
and in a roundabout way, they even provided his name
to one of the character model sheets for Harum. Scarum
identified the rabbit as Bugs Bunny. However, that wasn't intended
(03:53):
as the character's name and was instead a reference to
the shorts director Ben Hardaway. His nickname happened to be Bugs,
and since the rabbit was being used in his shorts,
the drawing was labeled as Bugs Bunny. That's Bugs with
an apostrophe after the s. Even though a Wild Hair
is now considered the character's first official appearance, his name
(04:17):
isn't spoken in that short, nor does it appear on screen.
That milestone came the following year with the release of
the Chuck Jones short Elmer's Pet Rabbit. The character was
a proven hit by that point, so the studio decided
retroactively that he deserved a name. Tex Avery proposed calling
the new star Jack e Rabbit, but that was passed
(04:39):
over in favor of the more alliterative name from the
earlier model sheet. Bugs Bunny was given his very own
title card starting with that short, and it was a
way to formally introduce the character to the public. That said,
even though he goes unnamed in a wild hair, it
was that short the turn to non a script gray
(05:00):
Rabbit into the Bugs Bunny we all know and love.
Director Tex Savery and animator Virgil Ross were largely responsible
for the character's makeover. Instead of being a wacky bundle
of nervous energy, they made Bugs a smart, alec sarcastic,
self assured, and utterly unafraid even with a gun in
his face. His personality was informed by several Hollywood stars
(05:25):
of the day, including comedian and actor Groucho Marx, who snappy,
wise cracks and trickster persona provided the perfect basis for
the quick witted rabbit. Even bugs trademark carrot munching was
reportedly inspired by Hollywood leading man Clark Gable had nibbled
on a carrot while leaning against a fence in a
(05:45):
scene from N four's It Happened One Night, and animators
thought that laid back behavior would be even better suited
for an actual rabbit. Of course, the image of Bugs
Bunny nonchalantly chewing a carrot instantly brings to mind his
famous catchphrase, watch up Doctor. The line was added to
(06:06):
a Wild Hair by tex Avery, who later explained that
it was a common expression in his home state of Texas.
The director didn't think much of the line at the time,
but when the short screened in theaters, audiences went wild
for it. The idea of a rabbit having such a
calm response to a hunter struck a chord, with viewers
subverting their expectations and signaling that Bugs Bunny was not
(06:30):
your garden variety rabbit. That said, the line might not
have played so well if it weren't delivered by the
incomparable Mel Blank. He had voiced happy Rabbit in the
earlier shorts, but the direction had been to make the
voice similar to Daffy Duck, a popular established character who
was also voiced by Mel Blank. However, the actor decided
(06:52):
to put a fresh spin on Bugs after reading a
note on the revised drawings of the character. It described
him as quote a tough little stinker, which led Mel
to try out a new Brooklyn accent to capture the
right attitude. The character and his voice certainly have plenty
of attitude, but the artists who brought Bugs to life
(07:13):
always made sure he never came across as mean spirited.
In interview, director Chuck Jones reflected on this critical distinction, saying, quote,
it was very important that he'd be provoked, because otherwise
he'd be a bully. We didn't want that. We wanted
him to be a nice person. In other words, Bugs
(07:34):
would never go looking for a fight, and he would
never humiliate someone just for fun. But he wasn't a
pushover either. His wits and tricks would only be deployed
against those who had it coming, and we're always in
service of teaching them a lesson. That formula was a
hit from the start with both audiences and critics. A
(07:55):
Wild Hair received an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Short
at ninety one, along with another short starring Bugs called
Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt. Neither of those shorts won the award.
That honor went to MGM's Milky Way, but the attention
did encourage other cartoon directors to use Bugs Bunny in
(08:15):
their own films. So for the better part of the
next forty years, Bugs starred and just under a hundred
and seventy theatrical shorts, many from legendary directors like Bob Clampett,
Friz Freeling, Robert Tashlyn, and of course, Chuck Jones. Bugs
eventually got his Oscar Too, winning Best Animated Short for
(08:37):
ninety Night Bugs in nineteen fifty nine. In the decades
that followed, Bugs made the jump to the small screen,
where he and his looney pouse became a mainstay of
Saturday morning children's programming. He got plenty of attention from
adults to including his own star on the Hollywood Walk
of Fame, the first postage stamp to feature an animated character,
(09:00):
in the first animated short to be inducted into the
Library of Congress's National Film Registry, And in case you're wondering,
that short was What's Opera doc The nineteen fifty seven
parody of Wagner's operas that's widely considered the pinnacle of
Bug's career. All these years later, Bugs Bunny remains almost
(09:20):
as relevant as ever. New cartoon shorts and even full
length films featuring the character continue to be made, and
every one of them owes a huge debt to a
wild Hair. It may not be bugs best work, but
it's the short that gave him the personality, voice and
mannerisms that later made him one of the greatest cartoon
(09:41):
characters of all time. Mickey Mouse, eat your heart out.
I'm Gay Blusier and hopefully you now know a little
more about cartoon history today than you did yesterday. If
you enjoyed today's show, consider following us on Twitter, Facebook,
an Instagram at t d i HC Show, and if
(10:04):
you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to send
them my way at this day at I heeart media
dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing the show,
and thank you for listening. I'll see you back here
again tomorrow for another day in History class. What's up done?
(10:31):
What's cooking? What's up done? Oh you're looking for Bunch Bunny.
Bunch Think dot is gonna hunt, think just to get
a rabbitskin. Without a rabbits gonna get what's up done,
what's cooking? Hey, look out, sap, someone que
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