Show Biz Bugs

Fun Bugs and Daffy short directed by Friz Freleng. This one has Bugs and Daffy both performing at a theater, where Daffy is upset to learn that Bugs is getting top billing. When he's told this is because Bugs is the bigger star, Daffy sets out to upstage his rival. A very funny series of gags follows as Daffy tries one thing after another to get over with the crowd. The animation is good, with bright colors and nicely-drawn characters and backgrounds (although the backgrounds are of that slightly sketchy, slightly off-kilter style that was becoming popular in the mid-to-late '50s). Excellent voice work from the great Mel Blanc. The music is bouncy and lively. This is a fun short that any fan of Bugs or especially Daffy will like. The Bugs/Daffy rivalry was rarely funnier than it is here.

As a young adult buff of the Warner cartoons, I felt that this was #5 on my personal list of Freleng's greatest Bugs films….that was a couple of years before I saw more of the greatest pre-1948 cartoons when I re-subscribed to cable. Man. There were biggies like "Stage Door Cartoon," "Bugs Bunny Rides Again," and "Slick Hare"—prompting me to revise somewhat my list of Freleng faves.

I've always been befuddled by cartoon buffs' downgrading a short because it uses gags utilized before. If it's a "cheater" film, that's a different matter. But nearly all the animation here's genuinely new, including Gerry Chiniquy's exemplary execution of Bugs's and Daffy's dances. Also, I for one never penalized, say, Benny Hill for using the same dozen or so gags multiple times: he always makes me feel I'm experiencing it and laughing at it for the first time because he always puts some new wrinkle in.

Similary, then, I don't penalize Freleng for borrowing wholesale several scenes and jokes from his earlier "Curtain Razor" and "Ballot Box Bunny" because, despite the fact he's aware of that, he now is doing all those gags in DEFINITIVE form.

"Show Biz Bugs" also benefits from the work of new backgrounds man Boris Gorelick. He was at Warner's for only a year, and contributed to the success of some of Freleng's finest (this one, and " Birds Anonymous"). The signature part of Gorelick's style was his use of portions of art apparently crayoned or charcoaled over sandpaper (or maybe a miniature pebble garden). Gorelick apparently crumbled early on, over Freleng's frequent and legendary temper tantrums.

I have always adored Looney Tunes, and Show Biz Bugs is a big example of why. While not one of my absolute favourites, I still love it for many reasons. The animation is wonderful, everything is drawn with great smoothness and the colours are gorgeous. The standout sequence in this regard was the Tea for Two sequence, not in a while have I seen animation so elegant. The music is energetic, characterful and full of lush orchestration. The humour is just as effective. You may have seen some of the gags before, but I still find them hilarious. I especially like the gag with the xylophone and the explosive. The dialogue has its usual wit, with Daffy getting the best lines. The dancing is beautifully choreographed, Daffy's tap dance is quite nifty and one does wonder why he didn't garner the applause he ought to have done. I do agree that it is Daffy who steals the show, I just love how overly-competitive he is. Of course there are shorts that are more effective at seeing him at his best, which is mainly in manic mode, but he is still funny here. That is not to say that Bugs isn't good, he still outsmarts his foil, here it is Daffy, as you'd expect, but here is a Bugs who plays it straight rather than the crafty and arrogant Bugs we are more familiar with. For a cartoon with his name in it, he is not as prominent as Daffy which is why the title is somewhat ironic. Mel Blanc's vocals are superb as always. All in all, lots of fun. 9.5/10 Bethany Cox

Daffy Duck has an oversized opinion of himself. He is incensed that Bugs Bunny has the top billing over him. He intends to prove his stardom over Bugs in their performance. The applause says otherwise. Daffy challenges Bugs and he tries so very hard to no avail. He tries attempted murder and finally the ultimate stunt.

The xylophone gag is a classic although it is the second time used against Bugs. Looney Tunes keeps going back to this iconic gag over and over again. Bugs is basically playing this one straight while Daffy is going all out Daffy. That is what sells this. Daffy being so Daffy is so fun.

Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck are a dancing double act in a vaudeville theatre. However Daffy is not content for equal billing and wants to have all the glory for himself. He challenges Bugs that whatever he can do, Daffy can do better. Bugs does his stuff on stage to great acclaim from the audience, but everything Daffy tries is greeted with all the appreciate of a f*rt in a lift. As the stakes continue to rise, Daffy increasingly pulls out all the stops.

I love Daffy Duck a great deal but much prefer him when he is in full-on wacky mode rather than the more greedy duck of his later cartoons. In this short we see Daffy being his greedy self but him being pushed to crazy limits reminds me of whom he once was. The material is not that good when I think about it and some of the gags are a little under whelming but it still manages to be pretty amusing. The ending is OK but it has been done elsewhere to better effect with Porky Pig and a wolf.

What makes this short work past the average material is the characters. Bugs' delivery is pretty fun although he isn't really his usual tricky self - all he's doing is being a good dancer. Daffy is also good and it is his jealous rage that makes the material much better than it should be. His big finish is not as good as he deserved but up till that point he is funny even if he is not the Daffy that I prefer.

Overall this is enjoyable enough but that's it. The material is average enough and is pretty thin but thankfully the two famous characters both do good work to make it better than it really is.