Hare-um Scare-um
Encyclopedia
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 ("harum-scarum", meaning reckless or irresponsible) that has nothing to do with rabbits as such. Apart from this the rabbit's voice and laugh were identical from those of Woody Woodpecker
in his very first appearance. (the Andy Panda
cartoon Knock Knock
, released the following year)
comes across an article stating that meat prices have soared. Angry, he declares that he'll hunt his own meat to get back at the government
for the price inflation
. He takes his dog with him, revealing he is going hunting for rabbits.
In the woods, a rabbit leads the dog into a hollow log and pushes the log down a hill, where it smashes into a tree. Meanwhile, the hunter sees several rabbits hopping over a hill. He fires his gun several times and runs to where the rabbits were. When he gets there, he finds two spinning wheel
s with pictures of rabbits on them, giving the perception of moving rabbits.
The hunter then sees the rabbit sleeping. The hunter starts pouring salt on the rabbit, who quickly gets up and holds a stick of celery
under the stream of salt. The rabbit then runs into a cave
, and the hunter runs after him. Before he reaches the cave, a pair of elevator
doors closes, which the hunter runs into.
The bunny then dresses as a female dog, successfully seducing the hunter's dog. When the dog finally realizes he's with the rabbit rather than another dog, he resumes his chase. The rabbit then pretends he's a policeman, citing the dog for numerous crimes (speeding, running on the wrong side of the street, intoxicated "driving", etc.).
After confusing the dog and running away, the rabbit begins singing a song about how crazy he is. When he finishes his song, he turns to find the hunter with his gun aimed at him. The rabbit, trying to gain sympathy, begs for his life, explaining how poor and sick he is. The hunter begins crying, feeling sorry for the rabbit. Despite this, the rabbit shocks the hunter with a joy buzzer
. The hunter then pronounces that he can whip the rabbit and his whole family. Suddenly, a large group of rabbits surround the hunter, looking for a fight (see "Lost ending" for information on the ending).
Eight years later, the song would be varied somewhat and reprised by the now fully realized character Bugs Bunny
, in Easter Yeggs
:
There had been speculation about the real ending of this cartoon. While the version shown on television ends abruptly after the rabbits appear following the hunter threatening to beat up the wacky rabbit and his entire family, there are actually two endings that were said to exist (but, due to a recent discovery, the two long-standing rumors of how this cartoon ended have been debunked http://satamhangover.wordpress.com/2009/06/12/episode-2-cut-and-drawn-18-10/):
On April 27, 2009, animation historian David Gerstein
posted a report on his blog
that he finally revealed the true ending to this cartoon: the rabbits attack the hunter in a cartoon smoke cloud and then run away. The smoke clears up to show the hunter disheveled (his head is intact). The rabbit returns to give the hunter his busted rifle saying "You oughtta get that fixed. Somebody's liable to get hurt." He then returns to his looney self, bouncing on his head like a pogo stick down the road. The hunter then goes insane, and does the same thing. This scene might have been removed because, as Gerstein theorizes, the ending scene was similar to the ending of Tex Avery's Daffy Duck and Egghead
, which was released a year earlier prior to Hare-um Scare-ums release.
1939 in film
The year 1939 in motion pictures can be justified as being called the most outstanding one ever, when it comes to the high quality and high attendance at the large set of the best films that premiered in the year .- Events :Motion picture historians and film often rate...
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 directed by Ben Hardaway
Ben Hardaway
Joseph Benson "Ben/Bugs" Hardaway was a storyboard artist, animator, voice actor, gagman, writer, and director for several American animation studios during the The Golden Age of Hollywood animation. He was sometimes credited as J.B. Hardaway, Ben Hardaway, Buggsy Hardaway, and B. Hardaway.While...
and Cal Dalton
Cal Dalton
Cal Dalton was a cartoon director at Warner Brothers. Dalton's first commercial animation work was on an animated short version of The Wizard of Oz that was produced by Ted Eshbaugh's independent animation studio in 1933. Afterwards, Dalton left to work at the Warner Brothers animation studio,...
, and first released on August 12, 1939 by Warner Bros.
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,...
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
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
instead of a white one. The title is a homonym with an old nonsense expression ("harum-scarum", meaning reckless or irresponsible) that has nothing to do with rabbits as such. Apart from this the rabbit's voice and laugh were identical from those of Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker is an animated cartoon character, an anthropomorphic acorn woodpecker who appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz animation studio and distributed by Universal Pictures...
in his very first appearance. (the Andy Panda
Andy Panda
Andy Panda is a cartoon character who starred in his own series of animated cartoon short subjects produced by Walter Lantz. These "cartunes" were released by Universal Pictures from 1939 to 1947 and United Artists from 1948 to 1949. The titular character is an anthropomorphic cartoon character, a...
cartoon Knock Knock
Knock Knock (1940 cartoon)
Knock Knock is a 1940 animated short subject, part of the Andy Panda series, produced by Walter Lantz. The cartoon is noted for being the first appearance of Woody Woodpecker, and was released by Universal Pictures on November 25, 1940.-Plot:...
, released the following year)
Plot
A man reading a newspaperNewspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
comes across an article stating that meat prices have soared. Angry, he declares that he'll hunt his own meat to get back at the government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
for the price inflation
Inflation
In economics, inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time.When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services. Consequently, inflation also reflects an erosion in the purchasing power of money – a...
. He takes his dog with him, revealing he is going hunting for rabbits.
In the woods, a rabbit leads the dog into a hollow log and pushes the log down a hill, where it smashes into a tree. Meanwhile, the hunter sees several rabbits hopping over a hill. He fires his gun several times and runs to where the rabbits were. When he gets there, he finds two spinning wheel
Spinning wheel
A spinning wheel is a device for spinning thread or yarn from natural or synthetic fibers. Spinning wheels appeared in Asia, probably in the 11th century, and very gradually replaced hand spinning with spindle and distaff...
s with pictures of rabbits on them, giving the perception of moving rabbits.
The hunter then sees the rabbit sleeping. The hunter starts pouring salt on the rabbit, who quickly gets up and holds a stick of celery
Celery
Apium graveolens is a plant species in the family Apiaceae commonly known as celery or celeriac , depending on whether the petioles or roots are eaten: celery refers to the former and celeriac to the latter. Apium graveolens grows to 1 m tall...
under the stream of salt. The rabbit then runs into a cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
, and the hunter runs after him. Before he reaches the cave, a pair of elevator
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
doors closes, which the hunter runs into.
The bunny then dresses as a female dog, successfully seducing the hunter's dog. When the dog finally realizes he's with the rabbit rather than another dog, he resumes his chase. The rabbit then pretends he's a policeman, citing the dog for numerous crimes (speeding, running on the wrong side of the street, intoxicated "driving", etc.).
After confusing the dog and running away, the rabbit begins singing a song about how crazy he is. When he finishes his song, he turns to find the hunter with his gun aimed at him. The rabbit, trying to gain sympathy, begs for his life, explaining how poor and sick he is. The hunter begins crying, feeling sorry for the rabbit. Despite this, the rabbit shocks the hunter with a joy buzzer
Joy Buzzer
A joy buzzer is a practical joke device that consists of a coiled spring inside a disc worn in the palm of the hand...
. The hunter then pronounces that he can whip the rabbit and his whole family. Suddenly, a large group of rabbits surround the hunter, looking for a fight (see "Lost ending" for information on the ending).
Eight years later, the song would be varied somewhat and reprised by the now fully realized character 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...
, in Easter Yeggs
Easter Yeggs
Easter Yeggs is a 1947 Looney Tunes animated short originally released theatrically on June 28, 1947. The title is a play on "Easter eggs" and on "yegg", a slang term for a burglar or safecracker....
:
Here's the Easter Rabbit, hooray!
The happy Easter Rabbit, hooray!
I am getting Looney Tuney, te'ched in the head
This whole thing is gooney, I should have stayed in bed.
etc.
Lost ending
- One "lost" ending supposedly showed the rabbits attacking the hunter, followed by an iris-out as the cartoon cloud of hostility rages.
- The other "lost" ending supposedly showed the rabbits attacking the hunter and his dog and, once the smoke clears, the viewer sees that the hunter and his dog have been reduced to headsDecapitationDecapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
and the heads roll off into the sunset. http://looney.goldenagecartoons.com/ltcuts/h/
On April 27, 2009, animation historian David Gerstein
David Gerstein
David Gerstein is a comics author and editor as well as an animation historian. Gerstein has five books and countless comic book credits to his name. He has written many Disney comics stories. Past employments include Egmont Creative A/S, a Danish comics studio, and Gemstone Publishing...
posted a report on his blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
that he finally revealed the true ending to this cartoon: the rabbits attack the hunter in a cartoon smoke cloud and then run away. The smoke clears up to show the hunter disheveled (his head is intact). The rabbit returns to give the hunter his busted rifle saying "You oughtta get that fixed. Somebody's liable to get hurt." He then returns to his looney self, bouncing on his head like a pogo stick down the road. The hunter then goes insane, and does the same thing. This scene might have been removed because, as Gerstein theorizes, the ending scene was similar to the ending of Tex Avery's Daffy Duck and Egghead
Daffy Duck and Egghead
Daffy Duck & Egghead is a 1937-produced, 1938-released Warner Bros. cartoon in the Merrie Melodies series. It features the early, zany version of Daffy Duck, who spends the film harassing Egghead , marking the second appearance of Daffy Duck , his first in color, and first...
, which was released a year earlier prior to Hare-um Scare-ums release.