Stage Door Cartoon

Just rewatched this Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd cartoon on the Hollywood Canteen DVD 25 years after first seeing this on cable station WTBS back in the early '80s. In this one, the wabbit keeps trying to escape from Elmer's shotgun by going to a theater backstage and performing skits with the hunter an unwilling assistant. This was a highly amusing, if not completely hilarious, cartoon that brought a constant smile on my face especially when the familiar gags and music were being played. Also later on, Bugs disguises himself in costume and a voice that would later be used on another nemesis named Yosemite Sam. The title above might be a bit misleading for anyone expecting soldiers dancing with pretty women but otherwise, I heartily recommend Stage Door Cartoon.

Elmer Fudd has his fishing gear, but he is fishing for Bugs Bunny. Of course, Bugs turns the table around on him. He chases Bugs into a theater where they are soon involved in the performance. Bugs takes advantage of Elmer's lack of skills.

This is the classic pairing of Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny. Despite that, this is not one of their classics. It doesn't have a standout gag. The premise is leading to a familiar place which could be a launching pad for something great. I don't think it ever truly takes off. That are some amusing gags like Elmer getting trapped in the piano. Ultimately, this is not their best.

Elmer Fudd is out hunting rabbits - Bugs Bunny in particular. When Bugs runs for cover, the two of them end up going in the stage door of a local theatre. With Fudd training the shotgun on him at all times, Bugs is forced to perform to avoid being shot.

With a title that sounds like it was a working title rather than a title meant to be used as the real title; certainly it isn't anywhere near the usual puns and such - and if you are able to remember the film Stagedoor Canteen, then you likely won't be watching this! The film starts out appearing to be an early Bugs in the way that he is quite slimly drawn and smart mouthed without too much of the later stuff. As an early Bugs (I assume!) this is OK but it is hardly the best example of Bugs' talents.

The material is a little weak and isn't really as funny as it should have been - certainly we have seen much better cartoons that involve Bugs and Elmer on a stage of some sort. The conclusion to the film is daft and not very funny - although the sheriff appears to be a first draft of Yosemite Sam.

Overall, this has the basic elements of Bugs that we all love but there are plenty of shorts of his that use the basic premise much better than this one.

Friz Freleng's 'Stage Door Cartoon' is awkward, clunky and often a little bit ugly (watching Elmer Fudd change colour again and again is especially grotesque). Opening like a normal Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd hunting picture, the cartoon very abruptly segues into a theatre where the chase leads onto a stage in front of an audience. From here, Bugs manipulates Elmer into performing a number of humiliating and painful acts as part of an improvised show. The set up has promise but the problem with 'Stage Door Cartoon' is it simply isn't funny. It's made up of lots of overlong, feebly executed and unfunny gags which are either completely predictable or utterly anticlimactic. Unlike the Warner studio at its usual best and most beautiful, 'Stage Door Cartoon' looks like a rush job written and knocked out in double quick time. Having just watched it prior to writing this review, I can genuinely say I only laughed once (when Bugs slams the piano lid on Elmer). The rest of the time I was just looking forward to it being over, the rarest of rare feelings for me to encounter when watching Warner Bros. shorts

As a Looney Tunes cartoon, Stage Door Cartoon is a very enjoyable if not entirely exceptional one. The title I did find somewhat misleading, and the transition from the traditional hunting-season opening to the stage antics with Bugs humiliating Elmer was a little rushed. However, the animation is colourful and lively enough, and there is a nice music score as well. The dialogue is sharp and witty, but even better were the often hilarious sight gags. Not to mention the surprise ending, which was so clever and unexpected. Bugs is still his cool, arrogant and witty self, while Elmer shows a sense of naivety and I kind of felt sorry for him as he was humiliated. Watching him change colour was not a pretty sight really. The voice work from Mel Blanc and Arthur Q.Bryan is superb as per usual, and I see I am not the only person who thought the Southern Sheriff sounded a lot like Yosemite Sam. Overall, unexceptional but amusing. 8/10 Bethany Cox