Rabbitson Crusoe
Encyclopedia
Rabbitson Crusoe is a 1955
Warner Bros.
Looney Tunes
short released in 1956
and directed by Friz Freleng
. The name and part of the story is a direct parody of Robinson Crusoe
.
narrates that a low tide and high rocks caused his shipwreck on a small island. After the ship's remaining food stores have been used up, the only source of food is from a coconut
tree on an adjacent island. Crossing between the islands, however, is always difficult because of a man-eating shark called Dopey Dick (another parody, this time based on Moby-Dick
). Sam manages to get rid of the shark, who jumps after him on land, only by having a mallet ready on the tree with which to whack the shark back. On his way back to his island, he's chased again by the shark, but this time has a baseball bat ready to whack the shark. Sam mutters that the shark has tried getting him for 20 years, but misses every time. As a result, one can infer that since the shipwreck, Sam has been marooned on the island for the amount of time described above.
Sam then uses a cookbook
, 1000 Ways To Prepare Coconuts, to make a series of coconut dishes (specifically, a meal of "tossed coconut salad
", "fresh coconut milk
", and "New England
boiled coconut"), but then grows sick of coconuts, banging his head against a tree in frustration—considering that Sam has lived on nothing but coconuts
for 2 decades, his distaste for coconuts is understandable. Suddenly he hears Bugs Bunny
in the distance, singing the song "Trade Winds" (a song Bugs apparently likes to sing while lost at sea - see also Gorilla My Dreams
). Sam calls out to Bugs, who starts paddling towards the island. A high tide causes Bugs to fall into Sam's arms. Just as Bugs celebrates being on dry land, Sam tosses him in a stewing pot to cook. However, Bugs douses the flame with water from the pot. Sam then has to go back to his ship to get another match.
The shark nearly gets Sam on his way to the ship, but Sam distracts the shark with a bone (as if the shark was a dog), goes back to the ship (retrieving one match) and gets back to land. However, Bugs is not in the pot. When he checks the pot, the shark jumps out and starts eating Sam, but Sam manages to whack the shark with a mallet - soon whacking himself, when the shark jumps off. Bugs is then shown to be on the ship itself (calling out to Sam as "Mister Robinson", making direct reference to the story). "I'll get ya', ya' long-eared galoot!", Sam bellows. "Shark or no shark!!".
First, Sam tries riding a surfboard to the ship, but is almost swallowed by the shark. Next, Sam decides to outsmart both Bugs and the shark by tying a balloon around his waist and floating to the ship. However, Bugs (passing the time by singing a chorus of "Secret Love") is ready for this as well - when Sam floats down to the ship, Bugs opens a hatch that Sam floats into, with the shark waiting for him. Sam then manages to beat the shark back again.
Sam catches Bugs again and throws him into the pot, lighting the fire again. However, Bugs tries to point out that a tidal wave is heading for the island {"Shuddup, and start simmerin!!!", Sam yells}. Before Sam can do anything, the tidal wave sweeps across the island, leaving Bugs safe in his pot, but the island gone. Sam, now being chased by Dopey Dick, swims to the pot, yelling for Bugs to pull him in. Bugs uses a pike pole
to start pulling Sam in, but then tells Sam that he'll only keep him up if they make a deal. After a quick "No deal!", Sam eventually relents. The deal is that Bugs will keep Sam on the end of the pole to keep Sam above water, while Sam paddles. Sam looks back and sees the shark behind them and starts paddling faster, eventually going in the direction of San Francisco - which, according to a floating marker, is only 2,736 miles away, with "California, Here I Come
" playing in the underscore. Iris out.
1955 in film
The year 1955 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* November 3 - The musical Guys and Dolls, starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, debuts.* June 27 - The last ever Republic serial, King of the Carnival, is released....
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,...
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...
short released in 1956
1956 in film
The year 1956 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 5 - The Ten Commandments opens in cinemas and becomes one of the most successful and popular movies of all time, currently ranking 5th on the list of all time moneymakers * February 5 - First showing of documentary films by...
and 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....
. The name and part of the story is a direct parody of Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe is a novel by Daniel Defoe that was first published in 1719. Epistolary, confessional, and didactic in form, the book is a fictional autobiography of the title character—a castaway who spends 28 years on a remote tropical island near Trinidad, encountering cannibals, captives, and...
.
Plot
Yosemite SamYosemite Sam
Yosemite Sam is an American animated cartoon character in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons produced by Warner Bros. Animation. The name is somewhat alliterative and is inspired by Yosemite National Park...
narrates that a low tide and high rocks caused his shipwreck on a small island. After the ship's remaining food stores have been used up, the only source of food is from a coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
tree on an adjacent island. Crossing between the islands, however, is always difficult because of a man-eating shark called Dopey Dick (another parody, this time based on Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, was written by American author Herman Melville and first published in 1851. It is considered by some to be a Great American Novel and a treasure of world literature. The story tells the adventures of wandering sailor Ishmael, and his voyage on the whaleship Pequod,...
). Sam manages to get rid of the shark, who jumps after him on land, only by having a mallet ready on the tree with which to whack the shark back. On his way back to his island, he's chased again by the shark, but this time has a baseball bat ready to whack the shark. Sam mutters that the shark has tried getting him for 20 years, but misses every time. As a result, one can infer that since the shipwreck, Sam has been marooned on the island for the amount of time described above.
Sam then uses a cookbook
Cookbook
A cookbook is a kitchen reference that typically contains a collection of recipes. Modern versions may also include colorful illustrations and advice on purchasing quality ingredients or making substitutions...
, 1000 Ways To Prepare Coconuts, to make a series of coconut dishes (specifically, a meal of "tossed coconut salad
Salad
Salad is any of a wide variety of dishes, including vegetable salads; salads of pasta, legumes, eggs, or grains; mixed salads incorporating meat, poultry, or seafood; and fruit salads. They may include a mixture of cold and hot, often including raw vegetables or fruits.Green salads include leaf...
", "fresh coconut milk
Coconut milk
Coconut milk is the water that comes from the grated meat of a coconut. The colour and rich taste of the milk can be attributed to the high oil content. In many parts of the world, the term coconut milk is also used to refer to coconut water, the naturally occurring liquid found inside the hollow...
", and "New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
boiled coconut"), but then grows sick of coconuts, banging his head against a tree in frustration—considering that Sam has lived on nothing but coconuts
COcOnuts
COcOnuts is the second album released by Jane, comprising Animal Collective member Panda Bear, and Scott Mou. It was originally self-released on CD-R's, but later became the first album released by Psych-o-path Records in 2005. The Psych-o-path version was remastered by Rusty Santos and Edik Kleyner....
for 2 decades, his distaste for coconuts is understandable. Suddenly he hears 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 the distance, singing the song "Trade Winds" (a song Bugs apparently likes to sing while lost at sea - see also Gorilla My Dreams
Gorilla My Dreams
Gorilla My Dreams is a 1947 Warner Brothers Looney Tunes theatrical animated short, released in 1948, starring Bugs Bunny. The story is a parody of the many 'jungle' movies that were prominent in the 1930s and 40s, including the Tarzan movies. The title is a play on the expression "Girl o' My...
). Sam calls out to Bugs, who starts paddling towards the island. A high tide causes Bugs to fall into Sam's arms. Just as Bugs celebrates being on dry land, Sam tosses him in a stewing pot to cook. However, Bugs douses the flame with water from the pot. Sam then has to go back to his ship to get another match.
The shark nearly gets Sam on his way to the ship, but Sam distracts the shark with a bone (as if the shark was a dog), goes back to the ship (retrieving one match) and gets back to land. However, Bugs is not in the pot. When he checks the pot, the shark jumps out and starts eating Sam, but Sam manages to whack the shark with a mallet - soon whacking himself, when the shark jumps off. Bugs is then shown to be on the ship itself (calling out to Sam as "Mister Robinson", making direct reference to the story). "I'll get ya', ya' long-eared galoot!", Sam bellows. "Shark or no shark!!".
First, Sam tries riding a surfboard to the ship, but is almost swallowed by the shark. Next, Sam decides to outsmart both Bugs and the shark by tying a balloon around his waist and floating to the ship. However, Bugs (passing the time by singing a chorus of "Secret Love") is ready for this as well - when Sam floats down to the ship, Bugs opens a hatch that Sam floats into, with the shark waiting for him. Sam then manages to beat the shark back again.
Sam catches Bugs again and throws him into the pot, lighting the fire again. However, Bugs tries to point out that a tidal wave is heading for the island {"Shuddup, and start simmerin!!!", Sam yells}. Before Sam can do anything, the tidal wave sweeps across the island, leaving Bugs safe in his pot, but the island gone. Sam, now being chased by Dopey Dick, swims to the pot, yelling for Bugs to pull him in. Bugs uses a pike pole
Pike pole
Pike poles are long poles usually 4-12 feet in length used by firefighters to search for fires hidden behind the sheetrock in the walls and ceiling. These days they are made out of fiberglass with metal hooks on the end, and are used to pull items from an area of intense heat and flame, and...
to start pulling Sam in, but then tells Sam that he'll only keep him up if they make a deal. After a quick "No deal!", Sam eventually relents. The deal is that Bugs will keep Sam on the end of the pole to keep Sam above water, while Sam paddles. Sam looks back and sees the shark behind them and starts paddling faster, eventually going in the direction of San Francisco - which, according to a floating marker, is only 2,736 miles away, with "California, Here I Come
California, Here I Come
"California, Here I Come" is a song written for the 1921 Broadway musical Bombo, starring Al Jolson. The song was written by Buddy DeSylva and Joseph Meyer, with Jolson often listed as a co-author. Jolson recorded the song in 1924...
" playing in the underscore. Iris out.