Rabbit's Kin

. . . on the Images from the 1900's Channel which features a young boy called "Lumpy." RABBIT'S KIN immediately put me in mind of this individual. The would-be large cat hunter in the spotlight here certainly deserves that sort of sobriquet. "Concussed," "Bumpy" and "Numb-Skulled" are other possible aliases for this totally inept feline. In the wild, members of the cat family seldom are confounded for very long by avians or rodents. Cats generally are so sure of themselves that they like to waste time "playing" with their food, whether it's a baby bird or new-born rabbit. As one species of fliers after another succumbs toward world-wide extinction due to the predations of the soft-pawed set, many viewers will be thrilled to see the stomping shoe on the other foot during RABBIT'S KIN.

Priceless dialog: Bugs: "How many lumps you want?" Pete Puma: "Oh, better give me a lotta lumps. A *WHOLE* lotta lumps... (After realizing his mistake) No thanks, I'll do it myself."

Did you know that the character and voice of "Pete Puma" in the Warner Brothers cartoon "Rabbit's Kin" was based on Frank Fontaine's character of "Crazy Guggenheim." Pete's voice was provided by Stan Freberg. Freberg reprised this voice in another Warners cartoon (as Pete!) and in 1990 as Pete on "Tiny Toon Adventures."

Bugs Bunny rescues an adorable little rabbit named Shorty from the clutches of Pete Puma. Bugs shows Shorty how to deal with the dimwitted feline. The bad: Shorty's super speed chipmunk voice is very annoying and he seems to have no purpose other than looking cute. The story is also pretty thin and relies heavily on a repeated joke (but a funny one). The good: Pete Puma is comedy gold. Stan Freberg provides the voice and does a great job. I was in stitches every time Pete opened his mouth. The gags are pretty funny, too, with Bugs putting the poor puma through the wringer so bad you actually start to root for him to win in the end. The recurring gag of "how many lumps do you want" never got old to me but others may disagree. Not one of the best Bugs shorts but a fun one.

Shorty drops into Bugs Bunny's hole. She is hysterical and describes a monster chasing her. Bugs immediately realizes that it is Pete Puma and takes matters into his hands.

Shorty sounds like one of the chipmunks although I can actually understand the cartoon Chipmunks. It is a weakness in the character rather than a strength. As for Pete Puma, he looks more like a young male lion. It is the mouth. The design should look more catlike. This is Bugs and he is having fun playing tricks on his opponent. The lumps gag is the best and it has a great callback. Despite my issues with the creature designs, this is solid work from Bugs.

"Shorty," a little rabbit, comes racing into Bugs' hole seeking shelter and help. A ferocious monster, according to the fast-talking little hare, is after him. Bugs figures it is "Pete Puma," and goes to investigate. Sure enough, it is, and Pete -with a funny voice - tells Bugs he's after a little rabbit who is going to eat. Bugs asks him, "Wouldn't you rather have a big rabbit?"

Bugs then torments the poor, dumb sap, which is how the orange puma is portrayed. I'll tell ya, this Puma was a funny guy. He dresses up as Shorty's mother, trying the lure the little one, and is hilarious. However, poor Pete isn't smart enough to pull off any ploy...and pays the price each time.

Puma's voice (by Stan Freberg) was probably the highlight of this so-so cartoon. Using English subtitles to translate the super-speed-voice little rabbit helped, too.