No Parking Hare

One of my favourite Bugs Bunny cartoons. It has a splendid array of violent scenes in which Bugs battles the construction worker. While this makes for a delightful cartoon, it has enticed film editors to cut it to pieces in the name of animated violence.

As for those of us who grew up in the 70's and got to watch it uncut can revel at the joyful memory.

Who can forget the worker dropping a bomb from a helicopter, which bounces off Bugs' bed as he stands up to turn a page of music, and returns to its original drop height in time to explode.

And what about when he tried to saw down Bugs' home while Bugs was reading The Raven, and puts a little detour sign on the wall which the saw follows into the fuse box.

Can you remember when that worker says, "Oh no!"

Okay Mac, start pounding.

Through Robert McKimson's revision of Chuck Jones's "Homeless Hare(1950)" Bugs is disturbed from his sleep again to save his home from constructors. Even though the theme is same, we have a different story, and different jokes.

In Homeless Hare, background was a construction site; and our construction worker Mac was building an apartment block. The plot had been processed very well. Its peak was that it had one joke taken from the original Chip'n Dale series of Donald Duck from Disney. This joke had combined with the Bugs Bunny's classic seesaw joke.

Herein No Parking Hare, the background is out of the city: Mac is building a freeway, and he has to wipe out Bugs Bunny's home to keep the freeway going straight ahead. Yet, when Bugs challenges him; he splices a road curve as a last resort. In No Parking Hare, Mac is very evil and smart. He tries to explode Bugs's home with dynamites. But of course, Bugs is smarter than him. Whereas in Homeless Hare, Mac is so stupid that sometimes we want Bugs to have mercy on him. Mac was more funnier there.

In No Parking Hare, what is most likable is the scenes from Bugs Bunny's home. Bugs lays a trap for Mac, and returns to his room to continue reading his newspaper. Bugs is introduced more heroic than himself in Homeless Hare. However, Homeless Hare is more funny; and it's more appropriate for younger children. A little kid wouldn't get the clue why Bugs Bunny is appearing in the front page title of a newspaper at No Parking Hare's end. Both episodes are available to watch in Youtube.

Bugs Bunny had previously had a run-in with a big galoot of a construction worker in "Homeless Hare", and much of the same happens in "No Parking Hare". Though it's got the same sort of plot line as the former, this one is impossible not to like, as Bugs hilariously messes with every one of the builder's schemes.

One other thing that I noticed about the cartoon was the opening scene. Obviously, this was around the time when freeways were becoming a part of America's landscape. It of course got to the point where Dionne Warwick in her song "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?" described LA as "...one big freeway...". While some may view it all as progress, the freeway system turned us into a totally car-dependent society.

But I digress. This is a really funny cartoon. I almost never stopped laughing.

Hilarious Bugs Bunny short, directed by Robert McKimson, serves as a follow-up of sorts to Homeless Hare. Bugs fights "progress" as a construction crew works to build a freeway that would go right through Bugs' home. So it's Bugs versus a burly arrogant construction worker or, looking at the big picture, the individual versus the state. In reality we all know how these situations usually work out but, since this is a cartoon, we get to see the little guy win. Which is just awesome, if you ask me. It's a very funny and smart cartoon with many great gags and lines. The construction goon makes a fine villain for crafty Bugs. The animation is beautiful with nicely-drawn characters and backgrounds. I really love the colors in this. Great voice work from Mel Blanc and John T. Smith. Carl Stalling's lively music is always appreciated. It's a fun cartoon that I have always enjoyed. I think it's one of McKimson's best Bugs shorts.

I have always loved Looney Tunes, ever since I was a little girl. No Parking Hare is no exception to the rule. Like Homeless Hare, it is enormously enjoyable. What I did prefer though over Homeless Hare was the construction worker, he was great fun in that too, but here instead of dim-witted he is arrogant and quite calculating and this was a side I kind of preferred. Other than that, comparing the two, the cartoons are about equal.

The animation is lovely and lush, the colours and backgrounds do look great and the characters are drawn convincingly. The music is rousing and energetic, the story doesn't fall into the trap of being predictable, the gags are plentiful and delivered at great speed(Bugs' seesaw joke is a classic) the writing is hilarious and the interplay between the two characters is a delight to watch. Both Bugs and the Construction worker are a joy to watch, and Mel Blanc once again does some terrific vocal work.

Overall, enormously enjoyable. 10/10 Bethany Cox