Bunker Hill Bunny

It's 1776 and the Revolutionary War is on. No, it's not "Bunker Hill," as the graphic first shows. It's not "Yorktown," it's the "Battle of Bagle Heights." (Okaaay.)

Anyway, the "battle" is strictly between two contestants, the only ones at each fort. Yosemite Sam, known in this picture as "Sam Von Schmamm, the Hussion," battles Bugs Bunny.

Most of the cartoon features the two adversaries firing cannons at one another or charging each other with bayonets. Needless to say, ole Sam takes the worst of it on each occasion. Although it's strictly a one-joke cartoon, I enjoyed it. I laughed at some of the old-time clichés and expressions Sam used while yelling at Bugs, such as: "You ornery, fur-bearing rebel! You'll pay for this! You better say your prayers, you flea-bitten varmit!"

Bugs has only one reply: "Ah, your mother blows bubble gum!"

Set in the Revolutionary War, this short pits minuteman Bugs Bunny against Hessian Sam von Schamm (Yosemite Sam). The two charge at each other a lot, exchanging cannon fire and even swapping forts. It's all fast-paced and funny. You know what you're getting from a Bugs vs Sam short and this one doesn't disappoint. The jokes and gags are all funny. Even the baseball gags, which are hardly fresh, are fun to watch. At one point Sam tells Bugs he has him "outnumbered one to one." I'm not sure if that was the first time Sam used this line but it wouldn't be the last. My favorite bit was when Sam was carrying the barrel of gunpowder from his fort to Bugs' and not realizing it was leaking into his pants. You can predict what will happen next but it's still hilarious to watch.

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

And that's all this cartoon has really got for it. It's highly amusing, Probably some of Sam and Bugs's Best jokes take place in this cartoon, but it's just a little plain and simple with that discarded, and to be honest Is really just bugs and sam fighting over and over again. Maybe I should have watched this in History class!!

There's really not much to expand on this cartoon, just watch the Cartoon for yourself if you haven't seen it.

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.