The Wacky Wabbit

This time, Elmer Fudd - looking mighty chubby (so as to resemble Arthur Q. Bryan, who did his voice) - is looking for gold out in the desert, but Bugs Bunny keeps playing tricks on him. The gags with the dynamite were probably the best (the crowd behind these cartoons sure had a way with dynamite, as much of their work showed). One can always see how various characters try to undermine Bugs's integrity, but poetic justice prevails. It just goes to show why these cartoons will never get old, no matter what happens. You'd better believe that Arthur Q. Bryan and Mel Blanc are the voices for all time! So seriously Susanna, don't cry for me.

The Wacky Wabbit (1942)

**** (out of 4)

Classic animated short has Elmer Fudd going to look for gold but he runs into Bugs Bunny who is of course going to drive him crazy.

THE WACKY WABBIT is without question one of the classic Looney Tunes short from this era. As you'd expect there's the terrific animation, which just jumps off the screen with the use of the beautiful colors and there's just so much detail that you feel as if you're right there with the characters. Of course the greatest thing is the constant back and forth banter between Elmer and Bugs.

The two of them were legends in animation and whenever the two did a battle then it was pure joy for the viewer. This here is certainly one of their best as we get some great songs but also plenty of action.

A typical Bugs Bunny cartoon. An early version of Elmer Fudd is prospecting in the desert. He brings enough junk to fill a small house. While his intentions are good, he doesn't count on the fact that our erstwhile rabbit is out there. Bugs has no real agenda other than being a thorn in the side of anyone he encounters.

To those of you who haven't seen an early Elmer Fudd, this might be a bit a shock to see. In his first year or two, Elmer - who began as "Egghead" - is a bigger, taller man in his early cartoons. He looks a bit older, too, at least to me. You almost wouldn't recognize him if you didn't hear him unable to pronounce his "r's" and hear the voice of Arthur Q. Bryan.

Actually, most of the Looney Tunes stars all looked different than they started: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, even little Tweety. In this cartoon as with about all of them with Elmer, you get Bugs. With the famous rabbit, you'll notice his longer ears and chubbier cheeks.

As "cartoon historians" have pointed out, many of the Looney Tunes efforts didn't have the cutting-edge, wild and wacky humor until around 1945 when The War was over. You especially see that in these early '40s Looney Tunes. This is an example: it's okay, but there aren't many laugh-out-loud antics, and a third of this cartoon turns out to be almost a musical with three songs: two by Elmer and one by Bugs.

Overall, recommended only to die-hard Looney Tunes fans who are happy to see Bugs and Elmer no matter what.

Starting with a cactus encouraging us to buy war bonds, we follow "Elmer" twamping and twudging through the desert ready for his own personal gold rush. Meantime, "Bugs" is carefully camouflaged inside a sheep's skull and after a rousing duet of "Oh Susannah" watches his patsy set about beginning his mining operation. Well, it's really just him, a pick axe and some dynamite! Might "Elmer" have been based on Walter Brennan, I wonder? Anyway, what ensues here is a bit repetitive and after a few minutes I was a little too settled into the obvious dynamic. It's not that cartoons didn't usually follow a formula, it's maybe just that the two characters here don't really engage for me. I always found "Bugs" a bit smug! It's watchable, though - just not very memorable and there's far too much dialogue, too.