8 Ball Bunny
Encyclopedia
8 Ball Bunny is a Looney Tunes
cartoon directed by Chuck Jones
and written by Michael Maltese
. It was animated in 1949 and released theatrically on July 8, 1950.
, much to Bugs' shock.
To go down south, Bugs and Playboy hitch a ride on a freight train to New Orleans. Just as Bugs laments on making such a "big fat" promise, Playboy begins to cry again, but Bugs quickly apologizes saying he can't stand to see penguins cry. A hungry hobo, sharing their boxcar, states, "Me neither. Penguins is practically chickens" and decides to make a meal out of Playboy. Bugs stands up for Playboy by pointing out he's bigger than Playboy, so the hobo decides to turn Bugs into rabbit stew, but Bugs coyly trips and kicks the hobo. Just as the hobo runs to him, Bugs opens the door so that the hobo falls off the train, much to Playboy's amusement.
Once in New Orleans, Bugs puts Playboy aboard a ship named Admiral Byrd, which he believes is going to the South Pole. Pleased with his good deed, Bugs decides to order a carrot martini at "La Bouche Cafe" and stay for Mardi Gras
, which Bugs pronounces as "Madry Grass". The stay, however, is interrupted when Bugs overhears from a captain and a sailor that the Admiral Byrd is bound for Brooklyn
, New York
— back to where the journey started. Realizing what he's put Playboy into, Bugs swims out to catch up with the ship, rescuing Playboy from the ship's galley
, and swimming ashore to Martinique
.
While Bugs strums a guitar and composes a ballad, Playboy is forced to build the boat. As Bugs is playing, Humphrey Bogart
, straight out of the film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
, appears and says "Pardon me, but could you help out a fellow American who's down on his luck?" Bugs dismisses him and says "Hit the road!"
After ten days at sea, Bugs is beginning to feel hungry, having not taken any food with them. Upon looking at Playboy, Bugs remembers the hobo saying "and penguins is practically chickens" and decides to eat Playboy, but immediately snaps out of his daze and apologizes to Playboy, just as he spots land. The land, however, is the Panama Canal
and when the guard at the first lock demands a quarter for passage through, Bugs decides he and Playboy will continue the journey on foot.
As Bugs' and Playboy's route is traced out on a map of South America, they are soon captured by some natives and put into a huge stew pot, at which Bugs blames Playboy for getting them into that mess ("You and your shortcuts!"). Just as a panicked native comes in screaming "El bwana," the natives immediately run away, panic-stricken. As Bugs wonders if the bwana is as dangerous as the natives made it out to be, the strange creature is actually Humphrey Bogart, who then asks Bugs to help him out again. Rather than berate him again, Bugs just gives him a coin for saving his skin and then he and Playboy resume their journey.
Bugs and Playboy's route continues down through South America, with Bugs having to swing through trees, outswim a hungry crocodile, and scale a mountain in the Andes. Upon reaching Cape Horn, it's a boat ride down to the tip of Antarctica, and then a journey on foot across the ice cap. When they finally reach the South Pole (depicted as a candy striped pole), Bugs angrily tells Playboy that he's done his good deed and so now he's going back home himself. Playboy then begins to cry again, his tears turning into ice cubes from the cold. His conscience nagging at him again, Bugs feels guilty and asks Playboy what's wrong now. Playboy then takes out a flier from his hat, which tells Bugs that he was born in Hoboken
, where the Ice Frolics' main headquarters is, much to Bugs' shock.
Just as Bugs is about to lose his mind over having to take Playboy all the way back, Humphrey Bogart appears again and starts to ask for Bugs' help. Not wanting to go through what he'd been through with Playboy again, Bugs asks Humphrey Bogart to help him instead. With that, he thrusts Playboy into Humphrey Bogart's hands and runs off into the distance while laughing hysterically.
. The Bogart voice was performed by impressionist Dave Barry (no relation, of course, to the humor columnist
).
While the film is introduced by the Looney Tunes music The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down
, the opening card indicates a Merrie Melodies Blue Ribbon release with the 1959–1964 red rings, as does the end card, replacing the original green opening and ending sequences.
(the Humphrey Bogart caricature in this cartoon short is based on Bogart's character in the film) and the documentary film March of the Penguins
, and is featured (uncut, uncensored, and digitally remastered) on the fourth volume
of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVD set.
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
cartoon directed by Chuck Jones
Chuck Jones
Charles Martin "Chuck" Jones was an American animator, cartoon artist, screenwriter, producer, and director of animated films, most memorably of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts for the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio...
and written by Michael Maltese
Michael Maltese
Michael "Mike" Maltese was a long-time storyboard artist and screenwriter for classic animated cartoon shorts.-Career:...
. It was animated in 1949 and released theatrically on July 8, 1950.
Plot
The Brooklyn Ice Palace shuts down after the Ice Frolics packs up to go to another show somewhere else, but during their departure, the Ice Frolics crew forget their star performer, "Playboy" Penguin. As Playboy attempts to catch up with the convoy of trucks, he accidentally falls into Bugs Bunny's hole. At first, Bugs thinks he's having a nightmare, but upon discovering what woke him up, he scolds Playboy for "crashing" into his slumber. Just as Playboy begins to cry, Bugs, now feeling guilty over his actions, apologizes to Playboy and, after finding out he's lost, promises to help him get home. He then looks up Playboy in a book to discover he's a penguin and that his "home" is the South PoleSouth Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
, much to Bugs' shock.
To go down south, Bugs and Playboy hitch a ride on a freight train to New Orleans. Just as Bugs laments on making such a "big fat" promise, Playboy begins to cry again, but Bugs quickly apologizes saying he can't stand to see penguins cry. A hungry hobo, sharing their boxcar, states, "Me neither. Penguins is practically chickens" and decides to make a meal out of Playboy. Bugs stands up for Playboy by pointing out he's bigger than Playboy, so the hobo decides to turn Bugs into rabbit stew, but Bugs coyly trips and kicks the hobo. Just as the hobo runs to him, Bugs opens the door so that the hobo falls off the train, much to Playboy's amusement.
Once in New Orleans, Bugs puts Playboy aboard a ship named Admiral Byrd, which he believes is going to the South Pole. Pleased with his good deed, Bugs decides to order a carrot martini at "La Bouche Cafe" and stay for Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras
The terms "Mardi Gras" , "Mardi Gras season", and "Carnival season", in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after Epiphany and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday...
, which Bugs pronounces as "Madry Grass". The stay, however, is interrupted when Bugs overhears from a captain and a sailor that the Admiral Byrd is bound for Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
— back to where the journey started. Realizing what he's put Playboy into, Bugs swims out to catch up with the ship, rescuing Playboy from the ship's galley
Galley (kitchen)
The galley is the compartment of a ship, train or aircraft where food is cooked and prepared. It can also refer to a land based kitchen on a naval base or a particular formed household kitchen.-Ship's kitchen:...
, and swimming ashore to Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
.
While Bugs strums a guitar and composes a ballad, Playboy is forced to build the boat. As Bugs is playing, Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
, straight out of the film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (film)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is a 1948 American film written and directed by John Huston, a feature film adaptation of B. Traven's 1927 novel of the same name, in which two Americans Fred C. Dobbs and Bob Curtin during the 1920s in Mexico join with an old-timer, Howard , to prospect for gold...
, appears and says "Pardon me, but could you help out a fellow American who's down on his luck?" Bugs dismisses him and says "Hit the road!"
After ten days at sea, Bugs is beginning to feel hungry, having not taken any food with them. Upon looking at Playboy, Bugs remembers the hobo saying "and penguins is practically chickens" and decides to eat Playboy, but immediately snaps out of his daze and apologizes to Playboy, just as he spots land. The land, however, is the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
and when the guard at the first lock demands a quarter for passage through, Bugs decides he and Playboy will continue the journey on foot.
As Bugs' and Playboy's route is traced out on a map of South America, they are soon captured by some natives and put into a huge stew pot, at which Bugs blames Playboy for getting them into that mess ("You and your shortcuts!"). Just as a panicked native comes in screaming "El bwana," the natives immediately run away, panic-stricken. As Bugs wonders if the bwana is as dangerous as the natives made it out to be, the strange creature is actually Humphrey Bogart, who then asks Bugs to help him out again. Rather than berate him again, Bugs just gives him a coin for saving his skin and then he and Playboy resume their journey.
Bugs and Playboy's route continues down through South America, with Bugs having to swing through trees, outswim a hungry crocodile, and scale a mountain in the Andes. Upon reaching Cape Horn, it's a boat ride down to the tip of Antarctica, and then a journey on foot across the ice cap. When they finally reach the South Pole (depicted as a candy striped pole), Bugs angrily tells Playboy that he's done his good deed and so now he's going back home himself. Playboy then begins to cry again, his tears turning into ice cubes from the cold. His conscience nagging at him again, Bugs feels guilty and asks Playboy what's wrong now. Playboy then takes out a flier from his hat, which tells Bugs that he was born in Hoboken
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
, where the Ice Frolics' main headquarters is, much to Bugs' shock.
Just as Bugs is about to lose his mind over having to take Playboy all the way back, Humphrey Bogart appears again and starts to ask for Bugs' help. Not wanting to go through what he'd been through with Playboy again, Bugs asks Humphrey Bogart to help him instead. With that, he thrusts Playboy into Humphrey Bogart's hands and runs off into the distance while laughing hysterically.
Production
8 Ball Bunny is the second appearance of Playboy; his first appearance was in 1949's Frigid HareFrigid Hare
Frigid Hare is a 1948 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies short, released in 1949, and was directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese...
. The Bogart voice was performed by impressionist Dave Barry (no relation, of course, to the humor columnist
Dave Barry
David "Dave" Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American author and columnist, who wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for The Miami Herald from 1983 to 2005. He has also written numerous books of humor and parody, as well as comedic novels.-Biography:Barry was born in Armonk, New York,...
).
While the film is introduced by the Looney Tunes music The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down
The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down
"The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" is a song written in 1937 by Cliff Friend and Dave Franklin. It is best known as the theme tune for the Looney Tunes cartoon series produced by Warner Bros...
, the opening card indicates a Merrie Melodies Blue Ribbon release with the 1959–1964 red rings, as does the end card, replacing the original green opening and ending sequences.
Availability
The short is included in the home video release Looney Tunes Video Show Volume 3, can be seen as a bonus feature on the DVD releases of the movie The Treasure of the Sierra MadreThe Treasure of the Sierra Madre (film)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is a 1948 American film written and directed by John Huston, a feature film adaptation of B. Traven's 1927 novel of the same name, in which two Americans Fred C. Dobbs and Bob Curtin during the 1920s in Mexico join with an old-timer, Howard , to prospect for gold...
(the Humphrey Bogart caricature in this cartoon short is based on Bogart's character in the film) and the documentary film March of the Penguins
March of the Penguins
March of the Penguins is a 2005 French nature documentary film. It was directed and co-written by Luc Jacquet, and co-produced by Bonne Pioche and the National Geographic Society. The film depicts the yearly journey of the emperor penguins of Antarctica...
, and is featured (uncut, uncensored, and digitally remastered) on the fourth volume
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 4
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 4 is a Looney Tunes collection on DVD. Following the pattern of one release each year of the previous volumes, it was released on November 14, 2006...
of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVD set.