Greatest Film Scenes
and Moments



A Wild Hare (1940)

 



Written by Tim Dirks

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Movie Title/Year and Scene Descriptions
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A Wild Hare (1940) (cartoon animation)

In director Tex Avery's Merrie Melodies and WB's cartoon short - the first "official" or "true" appearance of the mischievous Bugs Bunny (although unnamed until his next cartoon, Elmer's Pet Rabbit (1941)), with his signature ears and tail, and tricky, devilish personality:

  • the plot: while stalking his prey, inept rabbit hunter Elmer Fudd - wielding a double-barreled shotgun, shussed the audience: "Be vewy, vewy quiet. I'm hunting wabbits"
  • Bugs Bunny's first utterance of his most classic line when he was on his knees, pointing down into a rabbit hole, and asking: "What's up, Doc?"
  • Elmer's description of what a rabbit looked like, as Bugs acted out each characteristic: "big long ears," "a little white fluffy tail," "hops around and around" - and Elmer's first inkling that Bugs was a hopping rabbit: "You know, I believe this fella is a R-A-B-B-I-T"; Elmer then asked if Bugs was a rabbit, and received Bugs' whispered and then yelled-secret in his ear: "Listen, Doc. Now, don't spread this around, but uh, confidentially, I AM A RABBIT!"
  • the clueless Elmer's game of "Guess-who?" as he made guesses of various contemporary female screen stars, while Bugs covered his eyes from behind: "Hedy Lamarr?", "Carole Lombard?", "Rosemary Lane?", "Olivia de Havilland?" - and then Elmer's final guess: "Say, you wouldn't be that screwy wabbit, would ya?"
  • while faking death after Bugs offered to be a target, Bugs' take-off of many classic death scenes: ("Oh, ya got me, pal!...This looks like the end. Oh, I can't hold out much longer, I'm all washed up. Oh, everything's gettin' dark. I can't see! Don't leave me. It's gettin' dark. Dark! Goodbye, pal. Goodbye")
  • in the conclusion, Bugs kicked Elmer (who was suffering remorse) in the behind, stuffed a cigar in his mouth, then exited the screen himself on tip-toe like a ballerina; Elmer was frustrated and stomped on his hat: "Aw, wabbits, wabbits, guns, wabbits traps, carrots, wabbits, wabbits...", while Bugs was noting: "I think the poor guy's screwy"; as Bugs took his leave, he played his carrot like a flute (the Irish folk tune The Girl I Left Behind) and marched into his rabbit hole behind him






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