Bomben, Hasen und Granaten

Not Bugs Bunny or Yosemite Sam at their best, but anybody who loves the two characters whether individually or together will find much to like here in 'Bunker Hill Bunny'.

A couple of the gags do drag on a little longer than they should do, and as 'Bunker Hill Bunny' is pretty one-joke it's a tad repetitive (inevitable for one-joke cartoons). However even when Bugs and Sam were not at their best, they still were always watchable and even their weaker cartoons (not saying this is) are better than those of most other Looney Tunes partnerships.

The animation is as ever excellent, made during a period when Looney Tunes were at their peak in quality (which was a long time until they went into decline around the mid-60s). As said in my review for 'Hare Lift' from two years later, the animation is drawn absolutely beautifully, the colours are vibrant but never garish and there is a lot of meticulous detail here. Both Bugs and Yosemite Sam are well drawn and their movements move easily, Sam here being more kinetic in movement is a touch more expressive.

Carl Stalling is my favourite of the regular Looney Tunes composers and one of few cartoon composers to never put a foot wrong. His music score for 'Bunker Hill Bunny' is no exception. As always with Stalling, the music is supremely characterful and energetic, the orchestration is lush and clever and most importantly aside from that it's very memorable it fits with to the action and adds to it, Stalling also showing his perhaps unmatched ability at that time to enhance the action, especially when scenes get more energised and desperate.

If anybody is looking for good dialogue and gags in a Bugs Bunny/Yosemite Sam cartoon, they won't be disappointed. There are some very witty and hilarious lines here, both from Bugs and Sam that show off their character traits brilliantly. Despite 'Bunker Hill Bunny' being a one-joke cartoon there is enough variation in most of the gags to make them funny and most are timed very well, with Sam getting the worst of it. The part with the gunpowder in Sam's pants is just priceless.

Both Bugs and Sam demonstrate what makes them such great characters in the first place, and their chemistry is gleefully enjoyable. Mel Blanc provides some bravura voice work for both characters, especially as abrasive Sam.

Overall, very solid, well-made and fun but not among the best Bugs and Yosemite Sam outings. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Bunker Hill Bunny (1950)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Set during the Revolutionary War, Bugs Bunny must protect his fort from the mean-spirited Sam Von Schamm The Hessian (Yosemite Sam). The two are constantly at battle but poor old Sam always finds a way to be out smarted. This is yet another winning film that takes the Bugs and Sam characters and does wonders with them. The movie contains action from the opening to closing scenes and there are plenty of laughs sprinkled in as well. I'm not sure what it is but there's just something special about seeing poor Sam constantly getting blown up. The toughness that his character talks just seems all the more funny because he's never tough enough to win. The scene with the gunpowder in Sam's pants is a classic.

Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam are at it again! This time, it's the Revolutionary War at the Battle of Bagel Heights. The rabbit and the ornery short guy are the only people at their respective forts and neither wants to give up their base of operations. As they keep charging into each other's forts, flags saying "We" with a carrot (Bugs', of course) and "They" (Sam's) change places inside each. They also charge cannon balls at each other with the rabbit always catching his inside the cannon and Sam doing the same until Bugs plugs a cork on Sam's cannon. Wanna guess what happens when Sam pulls the cork from his? I'll stop here and say this was another funny cartoon short from Friz Freling. And remember, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

"Bunker Hill Bunny" has quite an old-fashioned appeal about it. It is one of the slightly older Looney Tunes cartoons and it is vaguely set in 1776. The jokes are usual for a YS and BB short, but there is the occasional witty speaking or slapstick joke.

Basically, Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam are two separate sides of the "Bagel" battle and they have their own forts and their own cannons and guns within their forts. Bugs Bunny, of course, fights against Yosemite Sam and the consequences are not overly surprising, but nevertheless pretty amusing to watch.

This cartoon moved along a little slowly, which may put off certain viewers. Bugs Bunny was particularly good in this episode (usually he is anyway when paired with Yosemite Sam - sometimes he is not). Also, the balance between the slapstick and speaking jokes is surprisingly similar. I might not watch it again, but it was good for a single viewing.

I recommend this to people who like traditional Yosemite Sam and Bugs Bunny Looney Tunes and to people who like a good balance of slapstick and speaking jokes. Enjoy "Bunker Hill Bunny"! :-)

More of Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam facing off, this time set during the Revolutionary War (in the Battle of Bagle Heights; go figure!). As always, Sam - in this case his name is Sam Von Schamm the Hessian - tries to get Bugs but Bugs always outsmarts him. Much of the humor involves explosives (well duh, they're at war). I will say that some of the scenes drug on a little too long, but the whole end gag pretty much makes up for any shortcomings.

So, "Bunker Hill Bunny" may not be the best Looney Tunes cartoon ever, but it certainly has its moments. It's not cannon fodder (pun intended) in any way.

"If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." Well, there are certain groups whom I would never join.