Hare Trigger

"Why, ev'rybody knows ME! I'm Yosemite Sam: the meanest, toughest, rip-rawlin'est, Edward Everett Horton-est hombre what ever packed a six-shoota!"

That's one of my most favorite quotes. Another one is where Sam says really calmly...

"Why did you pour ink on my head?"

This legendary cartoon series had some damn good writers, something that tons of toons these days miss terribly. Hopefully, these kind of cartoons will be revived soon 'cause they was some kinda magic. Michael Maltese was probably my favorite Warner Bros. cartoon writer. His stuff was just so funny it'd make a guy cry! Mel Blanc is hilarious; he can do hundreds and thousands of voices and still remember his real one!

And thus was born the self-proclaimed rip-roaringest, Edward Everett Horton-est hombre what ever packed a six-shooter. Friz Freleng created Yosemite Sam because he didn't consider the dim-witted Elmer Fudd a formidable opponent for Bugs Bunny. So, he created the smallest man possible and gave him the loudest voice possible. "Hare Trigger" stresses Sam's diminutive stature by having the train pass right over him, and then he has to use a staircase to board his horse.

It's worth noting that Sam is sort of a composite of a few previous characters. There was Cottontail Smith in "Super-Rabbit", the southern sheriff in "Stage Door Cartoon" and Red Hot Ryder in "Buckaroo Bugs" (that last one is usually considered Sam's definitive prototype, albeit without the mustache or loud voice). Whatever Sam's origin was, you can't deny that with his loose cannon personality, he is truly one of the funniest of the Warner Bros. animated characters. And it all started with this cartoon three score and three years ago. Thank you Friz Freleng!

Wonderful first film featuring the diminutive Yosemite Sam. He replaced Elmer Fudd as Bugs' adversary. This is a great little feature with lots of action and a masterful performance by our irrepressible bunny. It takes place in the old west on a train and the two of them play off each other so well. Bugs is always in control, but Sam is unyielding at every juncture.

This 10/10 scoring for the first Yosemite sam short I am reviewing is so deserving, its so funny. You'll be laughing again, and again, and again, and I can pretty much know this cartoon by heart. I love it so much. The Animation is so great, and much of the shots look like they're from 40 years later, and the comedy is some of the best of Friz Freleng. Need I say more? This cartoon will be gushed by everyone, and I'm so glad that this is the start to a great character by Friz, and this is the one of the best in the series.

10/10.

Bugs Bunny is riding cross country in the mail car section of a train when it is held up by infamous train robber Yosemite Sam. Keen to continue his journey without disturbance, Bugs uses little tricks to foil Sam's attempts to rob the train.

Although this cartoon has nothing that will set the world alight, it is a pretty funny little cartoon that is very well put together. The plot is full of nice little sketches, be it Bugs hiding from his scab relatives or drawing his gun ultra-fast, it's all pretty funny and well worth seeing.

The animation is quality and feels like it was painstakingly drawn rather than rushed together. This is a big deal, the cartoons where care has been put in are usually better in all other regards as well and don't just look good. The characters here as also good, Bugs is very sharp and Sam is a great foil who helps carry the load of the cartoon.

Overall this looks good and that quality is shown throughout. The plot is good, the jokes are funny and the characters are well scripted and delivered to be more than just animated rabbits or people but actually have characteristics of their own!