Knights Must Fall is a 1949 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...

 cartoon directed by Friz Freleng

Friz Freleng

Isadore "Friz" Freleng was an animator, cartoonist, director, and producer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros....

 that spoofs King Arthur

King Arthur

King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...

. The title of the cartoon itself is a pun on the 1937 film Night Must Fall

Night Must Fall (1937 film)

Night Must Fall is a 1937 film adaptation of the Emlyn Williams play of the same name. It was directed by Richard Thorpe and adapted by John Van Druten. It stars Robert Montgomery, Rosalind Russell, and Dame May Whitty...

.

Plot

Bugs (as a knave) stands in line with several knights, chewing a carrot. As Bugs finishes eating, he disposes of the carrot in the knight's suit (named Sir Pantsalot of Drop Seat Manor, a pun on Sir Lancelot

Lancelot

Sir Lancelot du Lac is one of the Knights of the Round Table in the Arthurian legend. He is the most trusted of King Arthur's knights and plays a part in many of Arthur's victories...

), angering Pantsalot. The two agree to settle their feud with a joust

Jousting

Jousting is a martial game or hastilude between two knights mounted on horses and using lances, often as part of a tournament.Jousting emerged in the High Middle Ages based on the military use of the lance by heavy cavalry. The first camels tournament was staged in 1066, but jousting itself did not...

. The joust begins with Pantsalot introduced to great fanfare, and Bugs being booed. Pantsalot beats Bugs back twice, and destroys Bugs' lance on his third attempt with his shield, earning Bugs the derision of the crowd. Half-time

Half-time

In some team sports such as association football and rugby, matches are played in two halves. Half-time is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match...

 is signaled with the entertainment consisting of a band playing music (used prior in Porky in Wackyland

Porky in Wackyland

Porky in Wackyland is a 1938 animated short film, directed by Robert Clampett for Leon Schlesinger Productions as part of Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes series....

).

The second half begins with Bugs and Pantsalot trading head blows until Bugs tickles Pantsalot using a pneumatic drill

Jackhammer

A jackhammer is a pneumatic tool that combines a hammer directly with a chisel that was invented by Charles Brady King. Hand-held jackhammers are typically powered by compressed air, but some use electric motors. Larger jackhammers, such as rig mounted hammers used on construction machinery, are...

 on Pantsalot's armor. Pantsalot responds by attempting to swing a cast-iron ball at Bugs, who uses a spring to cause the ball recoil and slam Pantsalot in the head. Bugs then tricks Pantsalot into opening his helmet and peeking out so that he can punch Pantsalot's head back in. Pantsalot chases Bugs into a rabbit hole on the field. Bugs comes up from an adjacent hole while Pantsalot looks for him. Bugs hits Pantsalot on the head again, angering Pantsalot, who smashes what he thinks is Bugs in armor. He finds Bugs hiding in his armor as Bugs evades yet another bat to the head (making Pantsalot strike his own head). Bugs applies a pin to Pantsalot 's posterior, causing him to jump and smash into an arch before smashing back into his armor. Bugs unscrews the helmet and remarks "Look at the new Dick Tracy character, Accordion Head!". Bugs is then chased into a manhole, and before Pantsalot can dive in, Bugs puts the lid on, causing yet another head blow to Pantsalot.

Bugs, thinking he has won, prepares to leave, but the knights, lead by Pantsalot, reappear in formation to joust together against Bugs. Bugs calls timeout and builds a glass and cast-iron steam case resembling a tank

Tank

A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...

 and a bomber

Bomber

A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...

 in a nearby blacksmith

Blacksmith

A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...

shop to house himself, his pony, and lance. After emerging, Bugs and the knights charge to each other and end up (off-screen) crashing into each other, rattling the crowd.

The cartoon ends with Bugs as "The Smiling Rabbit", selling all of the armor and disposing of another carrot in what was Pantsalot's suit.

Censorship

• The ABC version of this cartoon cuts the scene where Bugs hits the Black Knight on the head with a mallet after unscrewing his helmet.