Bugs Bunny Rides Again

Classic Bugs Bunny short, directed by Friz Freleng, with Yosemite Sam having his way in a western town until Bugs steps up to challenge him. Lots of funny gags and lines, many of which I remembered exactly even though I haven't seen this short since I was a kid. This is one of those Bugs cartoons I saw a lot growing up. Beautiful colors and wonderful animation. Lively, fun music from Carl Stalling. Great voice work from the legendary Mel Blanc. It's just a really funny cartoon and a good introduction to Bugs and Sam for any little ones who might not have seen his cartoons yet. Kids are still allowed to watch Yosemite Sam, right?

Friz Freleng's 'Bugs Bunny Rides Again' is a sequel to Bugs' first Western battle with Yosemite Sam in 'Hare Trigger'. Cautiously breaking Sam in as a character by opting for another Wild West setting, Freleng was also risking just retreading old ground. Fortunately, 'Bugs Bunny Rides Again' is a magnificent cartoon in all respects. Extremely handsome to look at, it also benefits enormously from one of the great scripts by Tedd Pierce and Michael Maltese. Shoot-outs, horse chases, dance routines and a hilarious card game are all crammed into this very fast paced short. Notable amongst the many great gags is the scene in which Bugs and Sam persistently one up each other with bigger and bigger guns which may well have inspired Chuck Jones to take this gag to the next step two years later in the famous scene from 'Rabbit of Seville'. For all those people who accuse Friz Freleng of being a boring director, 'Bugs Bunny Rides Again' is ample retort. Packed with incident and perfectly timed jokes, it not only proved that Yosemite Sam worked as a character but also ensured that his rivalry with Bugs would become a constant.

Bugs Bunny gets in a good old-fashion Western showdown with the ornery Yosemita Sam, the roughest toughest he-man stuffest hombre that's ever crossed the Rio Grande - and I don't mean Mahatma Gandhi (that last part is still censored on the DVD version sadly). This town isn't big enough for the both of them naturally and comic hijinks ensue as they try to outwit each other. This is just a classic Bugs/Sam outing any way you slice it and I enjoyed it immensely. This animated short can be seen on Disc 1 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 2. It also features an optional commentary by Greg Ford writer of latter day Tunes (late 1980's-early '90's) and Friz Freleng via vintage recordings.

My Grade: A

Bugs Bunny Rides Again (1948)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

The setting is the roughest town in the West where Yosemite Sam will shoot whoever tries to stand in his way of anything. Then Bugs comes to town and the two start their battle. This is yet another winning short to feature Bugs and Sam and this just gives further proof that the two, when working together, were one of the greatest comedy duos out there. There's one great joke after another but my favorite sequence comes at the very end when the two sit down to play cards to determine who leaves town. How the card game ends and everything that follows is just priceless. Another winning sequence happens early on when the two start walking towards one another getting ready to shoot.

When Yosemite Sam comes into town, his reputation comes before him and the majority of the town run in fear of their lives. However Bugs Bunny stands his ground in a saloon stand off which spills out into the street to decide who stays in the town and who goes.

Another of the Bugs cartoons that sets itself in the old west opposite Sam to good effect – and this is easily one of the best cartoons that I've seen with them. The animation is full and looks great, the characters are detailed and the backgrounds aren't just coloured blotches in the rear of the shot! The plot is a good western spoof (Bugs even says `just like Gary Cooper' at one point') and is pretty funny for most of the time.

Bugs is on top form and Sam is pretty sharp. The two work well together and Sam is a good partner for Bugs. The material is pretty clever but still has good physical slapstick too boot. Overall this is a really good Bugs Bunny cartoon with plenty of laughs and a real sense of quality in everything from the animation, the characters and material.