Directed by Bob McKimson, "Wideo Wabbit" is a Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd cartoon that brilliantly pokes fun at the burgeoning television industry. Elmer Fudd needs a wabbit for his "Sportsman's Hour" show on Station QTTV, and who else for the job but Bugs Bunny? Bugs thinks he's going to get his big break as a television star; instead he gets a 10,000-volt battery in his derriere, courtesy of a very sleazy TV executive with a voice similar to that of the famed comedian Ed Wynn. Bugs soon discovers that he is exactly the target Elmer needs for his show, as he plans to demonstrate for his studio audience how to twack down & shoot a wabbit. Bugs refuses to cooperate, showing his disgust with Elmer's "professional jealousy," and the chase is on!
My favorite highlights from "Wideo Wabbit" include the following (don't read any further if you have not yet seen this short). Bugs is absolutely hilarious in his Groucho Marx disguise (reminiscent of "Slick Hare" [1947]) as he hosts "You Beat Your Wife," a parody of Groucho's famous TV show "You Bet Your Life" (although the real Groucho refused to wear his trademark greasepaint moustache & eyebrows on his show, claiming that THAT character was dead). Later on, Bugs dashes into the "Liverace" studio and, reminiscent of both "Rhapsody Rabbit" (1946) and "Hyde and Hare" (1955), adopts the famous pianist's voice as he plays Liszt's Second Hungarian Rhapsody on a grand piano surrounded by candelabra. And at the end of this short, Bugs and Elmer switch roles, so that Bugs is the hunter and Elmer is the wabbit who gets blasted by Bugs' shotgun; the sight of Elmer in his torn-up pink bunny costume, as well as his waggling Groucho eyebrows, moustache, & cigar, is quite hilarious indeed!
"Wideo Wabbit" is a truly great Warner Bros. cartoon for its unique approach to the traditional hunter/rabbit story. Fortunately, this cartoon is available on DVD (Disc 2 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 3), and although it may not be a classic, "Wideo Wabbit" is definitely a hilarious entry in the Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd catalog of films. Don't overlook it!
My favorite highlights from "Wideo Wabbit" include the following (don't read any further if you have not yet seen this short). Bugs is absolutely hilarious in his Groucho Marx disguise (reminiscent of "Slick Hare" [1947]) as he hosts "You Beat Your Wife," a parody of Groucho's famous TV show "You Bet Your Life" (although the real Groucho refused to wear his trademark greasepaint moustache & eyebrows on his show, claiming that THAT character was dead). Later on, Bugs dashes into the "Liverace" studio and, reminiscent of both "Rhapsody Rabbit" (1946) and "Hyde and Hare" (1955), adopts the famous pianist's voice as he plays Liszt's Second Hungarian Rhapsody on a grand piano surrounded by candelabra. And at the end of this short, Bugs and Elmer switch roles, so that Bugs is the hunter and Elmer is the wabbit who gets blasted by Bugs' shotgun; the sight of Elmer in his torn-up pink bunny costume, as well as his waggling Groucho eyebrows, moustache, & cigar, is quite hilarious indeed!
"Wideo Wabbit" is a truly great Warner Bros. cartoon for its unique approach to the traditional hunter/rabbit story. Fortunately, this cartoon is available on DVD (Disc 2 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 3), and although it may not be a classic, "Wideo Wabbit" is definitely a hilarious entry in the Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd catalog of films. Don't overlook it!