Cleverly written by Michael Maltese and directed by Chuck Jones, "Rabbit Seasoning" is a classic Bugs Bunny/Daffy Duck/Elmer Fudd confrontation. In any film in which Daffy tries to compete with Bugs, Daffy ultimately loses out and gets creamed, which only adds to his frustration and jealousy. In this case, Daffy loses by repeatedly getting his bill blasted off by Elmer's shotgun.
The most memorable gag in "Rabbit Seasoning" is the clever pronoun switch that Bugs pulls on Daffy. But there are other memorable bits as well, all of which, of course, center around Daffy getting blasted by Elmer. When Bugs disguises himself as a lady and woos Elmer, the popular song "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" (which Carl Stalling used in quite a number of other Warner Bros. cartoons) can be heard in the background. While in drag, Bugs adapts a feminine voice and asks Elmer for a duck dinner; stupefied with a silly grin, Elmer staggers up to Daffy and - what else? - blasts him! After Daffy peers out of a rabbit hole and gets blasted, his bill is bent out of shape and he resembles a drunkard as he tells Bugs, "No more for me, thanks! I'm drivin'!"
One final point: One particular animator found it difficult to watch Daffy in this cartoon and in his other pairings with Bugs and Elmer ("Rabbit Fire" [1951] and "Duck! Rabbit, Duck!" [1953]). He actually feels sorry for Daffy, being a victim of Chuck Jones' direction and having no choice but to be a loser in these cartoons. Although I see where this animator is coming from, I cannot agree. Daffy is so obnoxious and so jealous of Bugs that he will do anything to throw Bugs off guard so that he can get hurt. Hence, Daffy DESERVES to get his bill shot off by Elmer. As Chuck Jones himself once explained, Daffy feels he deserves the best, not because he actually has EARNED it but because he simply FEELS he deserves the best!
The most memorable gag in "Rabbit Seasoning" is the clever pronoun switch that Bugs pulls on Daffy. But there are other memorable bits as well, all of which, of course, center around Daffy getting blasted by Elmer. When Bugs disguises himself as a lady and woos Elmer, the popular song "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" (which Carl Stalling used in quite a number of other Warner Bros. cartoons) can be heard in the background. While in drag, Bugs adapts a feminine voice and asks Elmer for a duck dinner; stupefied with a silly grin, Elmer staggers up to Daffy and - what else? - blasts him! After Daffy peers out of a rabbit hole and gets blasted, his bill is bent out of shape and he resembles a drunkard as he tells Bugs, "No more for me, thanks! I'm drivin'!"
One final point: One particular animator found it difficult to watch Daffy in this cartoon and in his other pairings with Bugs and Elmer ("Rabbit Fire" [1951] and "Duck! Rabbit, Duck!" [1953]). He actually feels sorry for Daffy, being a victim of Chuck Jones' direction and having no choice but to be a loser in these cartoons. Although I see where this animator is coming from, I cannot agree. Daffy is so obnoxious and so jealous of Bugs that he will do anything to throw Bugs off guard so that he can get hurt. Hence, Daffy DESERVES to get his bill shot off by Elmer. As Chuck Jones himself once explained, Daffy feels he deserves the best, not because he actually has EARNED it but because he simply FEELS he deserves the best!