False Hare
Encyclopedia
False Hare is a 1964 Warner Bros.
Looney Tunes
animated short starring Bugs Bunny
and the Big Bad Wolf
who had previously appeared in Now Hare This
(with a special cameo appearance by Foghorn Leghorn). Released on July 28, 1964, the cartoon was written by John W. Dunn
and directed by Robert McKimson
.
The title is a play on words, taken from the name of a type of German
meatloaf, Falscher Hase (in English, "false hare").
This cartoon was the last production completed by the original Warner Bros. Cartoons
studio, and is also the last to feature the "target" opening and closing title cards, and the long-familiar version of the "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down
" theme. This marked the final appearance of Bugs Bunny during the Golden Age of American Animation; Bugs Bunny would not appear in a new cartoon again until 1980. It also was the last Bugs Bunny short to be released in theaters until 1990. False Hare was the second-to-last short from the original studio to be released; its follow-up, Señorella and the Glass Huarache
, used the modernized Warner Bros. opening and closing credits sequence (introduced in the film Now Hear This
) which would introduce the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies produced for Warner by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises
between 1964 and 1967.
Big Bad admits Bugs in, and tricks him into signing an insurance form. Bugs' first initiation test is to ring a bell, rigged to cut a rope and let a safe fall on him. Bugs ticks off Big Bad by ringing the bell with a nail and a nickel. When Big Bad tells Bugs to hit the bell, Bugs merely flicks it, causing Big Bad to come up and demonstrate himself. Big Bad, however, gets flattened in the process.
Big Bad then tests out his next plan, which involves shouting "now!" to his nephew, so Big Bad's nephew will fling open a closet door, rigged to close an iron maiden
on Bugs. Big Bad then tells Bugs they're ready for his club picture, with the iron maiden as a backdrop. Bugs pulls all sorts of poses, making Big Bad come up and demonstrate by showing him it's "straight and arms down." Bugs immediately says "I get it now," which makes the nephew close the iron maiden on his uncle. Bugs then asks the nephew to let him know "what develops" when Big Bad comes "out of the darkroom". The nephew then peeks into the casket, and then closes it again, cringing.
Later, Big Bad tells Bugs to crawl through a hole (actually, a fake wall, with a cannon in the hole) and await further instructions. While Big Bad tells his nephew to pull the cord when he gives him the signal, Bugs paints another hole in the wall. When Big Bad sees there are two holes, Bugs tricks him into going into the booby-trapped one, so Big Bad gets blasted through the wall. Bugs then flips the wall so that when Big Bad demands they try again, he prevents Bugs from going into the booby-trapped one and gets blasted through the wall again.
Finally, Big Bad directs Bugs to climb inside a hollowed-out tree and "await further instructions." Bugs climbs out when he sees the wolf pack it with explosives. The dynamite detonates and causes the tree to crash onto the Club Del Conejo. The little wolf asks what to do next, and a clobbered Big Bad suggests opening a chicken club, and Foghorn Leghorn immediately appears (He somehow escaped the cluthes of the beatnik rooster from Banty Raids) saying "Someone--I say, did someone mention my name?". The last classic theatrical Bugs Bunny cartoon ends with Bugs and Big Bad's nephew wondering whether Big Bad or Foghorn will "chicken out first."
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
Looney Tunes
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...
animated short starring Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is a animated character created in 1938 at Leon Schlesinger Productions, later Warner Bros. Cartoons. Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray rabbit and is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality and his portrayal as a trickster. He has primarily appeared in animated cartoons, most...
and the Big Bad Wolf
Big Bad Wolf
The Big Bad Wolf is a term used to describe a fictional wolf who appears in several precautionary folkloric stories, including some of Aesop's Fables and Grimm's Fairy Tales.-Interpretations:...
who had previously appeared in Now Hare This
Now Hare This
Not to be confused with "Now Hear This"Now, Hare This is a 1958 Looney Tunes cartoon starring Bugs Bunny.- Plot :The story involves Bugs Bunny eluding the Big Bad Wolf and his nephew. After the elder wolf is unable to catch Bugs through traditional means, he gets inspiration from his nephew who...
(with a special cameo appearance by Foghorn Leghorn). Released on July 28, 1964, the cartoon was written by John W. Dunn
John W. Dunn
John W. Dunn was a Scottish writer and animator for animated cartoons from 1955 to 1983.Dunn began his career at the Walt Disney cartoon studio, where his first story credit—Man in Space—received an Oscar nomination...
and directed by Robert McKimson
Robert McKimson
Robert "Bob" Porter McKimson, Sr. was an American animator, illustrator, and director best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros., and later DePatie-Freleng Enterprises...
.
The title is a play on words, taken from the name of a type of German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
meatloaf, Falscher Hase (in English, "false hare").
This cartoon was the last production completed by the original Warner Bros. Cartoons
Warner Bros. Cartoons
Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. was the in-house division of Warner Bros. Pictures during the Golden Age of American animation. One of the most successful animation studios in American media history, Warner Bros. Cartoons was primarily responsible for the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical...
studio, and is also the last to feature the "target" opening and closing title cards, and the long-familiar version of the "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...
" theme. This marked the final appearance of Bugs Bunny during the Golden Age of American Animation; Bugs Bunny would not appear in a new cartoon again until 1980. It also was the last Bugs Bunny short to be released in theaters until 1990. False Hare was the second-to-last short from the original studio to be released; its follow-up, Señorella and the Glass Huarache
Señorella and the Glass Huarache
Señorella and the Glass Huarache is a 1964 Looney Tunes Cartoon directed by Hawley Pratt and written by John W. Dunn. The plotline is a typical Cinderella story, but set in Mexico. This was the last Looney Tunes short released before the Warner Bros. Cartoons division was shut down. It was the...
, used the modernized Warner Bros. opening and closing credits sequence (introduced in the film Now Hear This
Now Hear This (film)
Now Hear This is a 1963 animated short film in the Looney Tunes series produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. It was directed by Chuck Jones and Maurice Noble, and written by Jones and John Dunn. The title comes from a phrase used aboard American naval ships as an instruction to cease activity and...
) which would introduce the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies produced for Warner by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises
DePatie-Freleng Enterprises
DePatie-Freleng Enterprises was a Hollywood-based animation production company, active from 1963 to 1981. They produced theatrical cartoons, animated series, commercials, title sequences and television specials. Notable among these is The Pink Panther film titles and cartoon shorts and the Dr....
between 1964 and 1967.
Plot
The Big Bad Wolf—worshiped throughout the cartoon by his nephew, who calls him "Uncle Big Bad" (who previously appeared in The Turn Tale Wolf and Now Hare This)—invites Bugs Bunny to join the Club Del Conejo, a club for rabbits. Bugs knows that is a trap but plays along, the rabbit pointing out -- in breaking the fourth wall -- that "things had been getting kind of dull lately."Big Bad admits Bugs in, and tricks him into signing an insurance form. Bugs' first initiation test is to ring a bell, rigged to cut a rope and let a safe fall on him. Bugs ticks off Big Bad by ringing the bell with a nail and a nickel. When Big Bad tells Bugs to hit the bell, Bugs merely flicks it, causing Big Bad to come up and demonstrate himself. Big Bad, however, gets flattened in the process.
Big Bad then tests out his next plan, which involves shouting "now!" to his nephew, so Big Bad's nephew will fling open a closet door, rigged to close an iron maiden
Iron maiden
Iron maiden or Iron Maiden may refer to:* Iron maiden , a historical torture device- Music :* Iron Maiden, a British heavy metal band** Iron Maiden , the band's self-titled debut album...
on Bugs. Big Bad then tells Bugs they're ready for his club picture, with the iron maiden as a backdrop. Bugs pulls all sorts of poses, making Big Bad come up and demonstrate by showing him it's "straight and arms down." Bugs immediately says "I get it now," which makes the nephew close the iron maiden on his uncle. Bugs then asks the nephew to let him know "what develops" when Big Bad comes "out of the darkroom". The nephew then peeks into the casket, and then closes it again, cringing.
Later, Big Bad tells Bugs to crawl through a hole (actually, a fake wall, with a cannon in the hole) and await further instructions. While Big Bad tells his nephew to pull the cord when he gives him the signal, Bugs paints another hole in the wall. When Big Bad sees there are two holes, Bugs tricks him into going into the booby-trapped one, so Big Bad gets blasted through the wall. Bugs then flips the wall so that when Big Bad demands they try again, he prevents Bugs from going into the booby-trapped one and gets blasted through the wall again.
Finally, Big Bad directs Bugs to climb inside a hollowed-out tree and "await further instructions." Bugs climbs out when he sees the wolf pack it with explosives. The dynamite detonates and causes the tree to crash onto the Club Del Conejo. The little wolf asks what to do next, and a clobbered Big Bad suggests opening a chicken club, and Foghorn Leghorn immediately appears (He somehow escaped the cluthes of the beatnik rooster from Banty Raids) saying "Someone--I say, did someone mention my name?". The last classic theatrical Bugs Bunny cartoon ends with Bugs and Big Bad's nephew wondering whether Big Bad or Foghorn will "chicken out first."
Availability
"False Hare" is available, uncensored and uncut, on the Looney Tunes Superstars DVD. However, it was cropped to widescreen.Censorship
- When this cartoon aired on CBS, the part where The Big Bad Wolf tries to trick Bugs into having his membership photo taken inside an iron maidenIron maiden (torture device)An iron maiden is a torture device, consisting of an iron cabinet, with a hinged front, sufficiently tall to enclose a human being. It usually has a small closeable opening so that the torturer can interrogate the victim and torture or kill a person by piercing the body with sharp objects , while...
and gets nailed himself after Bugs tricks the wolf's nephew into slamming the iron maiden shut was cut to remove the wolf getting impaled (though the scenes of Bugs failing to stay still for his "picture" were left intact).
External links
- False Hare at Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- False Hare at the Big Cartoon DataBaseBig Cartoon DataBaseThe Big Cartoon DataBase is an online database of information about animated cartoons, animated feature films, animated television shows and cartoon shorts....
- Falscher Hase (false hare) recipe