Fresh Hare
Encyclopedia
Fresh Hare is a Warner Bros.
theatrical 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, and is a play on the term "fresh air".
is portrayed as a Mountie, in pursuit of Bugs Bunny
, who is wanted for a litany of crimes, as stated by Elmer Fudd. The crimes, here corrected for Elmer's rounded-l-and-r speech
, are listed below:
"Resisting an officer, assault
and battery
, trespassing, disturbing the peace
, miscellaneous misdemeanor
s, public nuisance
, traffic violations, going through a boulevard stop, jaywalking
, triple parking
, conduct unbecoming to a rabbit", and "violating traffic regulations".
As a result of these accusations, Bugs is a wanted rabbit, chased across the snow-packed tundra
of Canada by Elmer. Elmer tries to get Bugs out of his burrow
, but instead of getting Bugs in the handcuffs, he gets a bomb and frantically searches for his keys. Bugs then looks for the handcuff key while going through keys to "the garage, the car, the front door, Bugs then whistles to the audience "woo woo!", and the back door", and finally has the key, but Elmer blows up off-screen, and as Bugs tells the audience "Oh, well", Elmer finally catches him but Bugs distracts Elmer by wearing his hat and impersonating a Mountie and telling Elmer, "Attention! Why, look at you! You call yourself a Mountie? You're a disgrace to the regiment! I'm gonna drop you out of the service!" as he inspects Elmer and before he tears Elmer's uniform off. When Elmer realizes he's been tricked, he gives chase. A chase scene involves a path completely under the snow that ends when Elmer crashes into a pine tree. The impact causes all the snow to fall off the tree, which reveals Christmas
decorations, and Elmer emerges from underneath with snow on his face that gives him a Santa Claus
appearance. The song Jingle Bells
plays in the background, and Bugs says to the astonished Elmer: "Merry Christmas, Santy!". When Elmer finds Bugs, Bugs is seen taunting a snowman that looks exactly like him by saying, "So you call yourself a Mountie! Heh heh heh heh! You can't catch me. Why, you couldn't even catch a cold! You know what I'm going to do to you? I'm gonna punch ya right square in the nose!" and punches Elmer right in the nose when Elmer stands right behind Bugs, causing Elmer to crash into a tree behind him and reveal a heart with arrow stuck in it. After some more hijinks, Bugs offers to be turned in after a weeping Elmer Fudd labels himself as a "disgwace to the wegiment" for failing to catch the resourceful rabbit. It ends with a Minstrel show
/blackface
gag set down south
; however, most TV and video versions of this cartoon cut the minstrel show scene because of the blackface, with different variations.
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,...
theatrical Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies is the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures between 1931 and 1969.Originally produced by Harman-Ising Pictures, Merrie Melodies were produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions from 1933 to 1944. Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. in 1944,...
cartoon. It was directed by Isadore "Friz" Freleng, written by Michael Maltese
Michael Maltese
Michael "Mike" Maltese was a long-time storyboard artist and screenwriter for classic animated cartoon shorts.-Career:...
, and produced by Leon Schlesinger
Leon Schlesinger
Leon Schlesinger was an American film producer, most noted for founding Leon Schlesinger Productions, which later became the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio, during the golden age of Hollywood animation.-Early life and career:...
. It was released to theatres on August 22, 1942, and is a play on the term "fresh air".
Plot
In this short, the rotund early-1940s version of Elmer FuddElmer Fudd
Elmer J. Fudd/Egghead is a fictional cartoon character and one of the most famous Looney Tunes characters, and the de facto archenemy of Bugs Bunny. He has one of the more disputed origins in the Warner Bros. cartoon pantheon . His aim is to hunt Bugs, but he usually ends up seriously injuring...
is portrayed as a Mountie, in pursuit of 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...
, who is wanted for a litany of crimes, as stated by Elmer Fudd. The crimes, here corrected for Elmer's rounded-l-and-r speech
Rhotacism
Rhotacism refers to several phenomena related to the usage of the consonant r :*the excessive or idiosyncratic use of the r;...
, are listed below:
"Resisting an officer, assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
and battery
Battery (crime)
Battery is a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct from assault which is the fear of such contact.In the United States, criminal battery, or simply battery, is the use of force against another, resulting in harmful or offensive contact...
, trespassing, disturbing the peace
Disturbing the Peace
Disturbing the Peace is the second studio album by Alcatrazz, and is the only one featuring Steve Vai on guitar. One of the singles, God Blessed Video, can be found on the fictional radio station, V-Rock, on Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Weeks on Chart: 7, Peak: #133...
, miscellaneous misdemeanor
Misdemeanor
A misdemeanor is a "lesser" criminal act in many common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished much less severely than felonies, but theoretically more so than administrative infractions and regulatory offences...
s, public nuisance
Public nuisance
In English criminal law, public nuisance is a class of common law offence in which the injury, loss or damage is suffered by the local community as a whole rather than by individual victims.-Discussion:...
, traffic violations, going through a boulevard stop, jaywalking
Jaywalking
Jaywalking is an informal term commonly used in North America to refer to illegal or reckless pedestrian crossing of a roadway. Examples include a pedestrian crossing between intersections without yielding to drivers and starting to cross a crosswalk at a signalized intersection without waiting...
, triple parking
Double parking
-Parking parallel to a car already parked at the curb:"Double parking" can refer to the usually illegal practice of parking a vehicle to the side of a row of vehicles that is already parked next to the curb...
, conduct unbecoming to a rabbit", and "violating traffic regulations".
As a result of these accusations, Bugs is a wanted rabbit, chased across the snow-packed tundra
Tundra
In physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...
of Canada by Elmer. Elmer tries to get Bugs out of his burrow
Burrow
A burrow is a hole or tunnel dug into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of shelter against predation and exposure to the elements, so the burrowing way of life is quite popular among the...
, but instead of getting Bugs in the handcuffs, he gets a bomb and frantically searches for his keys. Bugs then looks for the handcuff key while going through keys to "the garage, the car, the front door, Bugs then whistles to the audience "woo woo!", and the back door", and finally has the key, but Elmer blows up off-screen, and as Bugs tells the audience "Oh, well", Elmer finally catches him but Bugs distracts Elmer by wearing his hat and impersonating a Mountie and telling Elmer, "Attention! Why, look at you! You call yourself a Mountie? You're a disgrace to the regiment! I'm gonna drop you out of the service!" as he inspects Elmer and before he tears Elmer's uniform off. When Elmer realizes he's been tricked, he gives chase. A chase scene involves a path completely under the snow that ends when Elmer crashes into a pine tree. The impact causes all the snow to fall off the tree, which reveals Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
decorations, and Elmer emerges from underneath with snow on his face that gives him a Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
appearance. The song Jingle Bells
Jingle Bells
"Jingle Bells" is one of the best-known and commonly sung winter songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont and published under the title "One Horse Open Sleigh" in the autumn of 1857...
plays in the background, and Bugs says to the astonished Elmer: "Merry Christmas, Santy!". When Elmer finds Bugs, Bugs is seen taunting a snowman that looks exactly like him by saying, "So you call yourself a Mountie! Heh heh heh heh! You can't catch me. Why, you couldn't even catch a cold! You know what I'm going to do to you? I'm gonna punch ya right square in the nose!" and punches Elmer right in the nose when Elmer stands right behind Bugs, causing Elmer to crash into a tree behind him and reveal a heart with arrow stuck in it. After some more hijinks, Bugs offers to be turned in after a weeping Elmer Fudd labels himself as a "disgwace to the wegiment" for failing to catch the resourceful rabbit. It ends with a Minstrel show
Minstrel show
The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the Civil War, black people in blackface....
/blackface
Blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...
gag set down south
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
; however, most TV and video versions of this cartoon cut the minstrel show scene because of the blackface, with different variations.