platonism's Full Review: Elmer Fudd's Comedy Capers
After having dedicated reviews to collections of Wile E. Coyote/Road Runner and Tasmanian Devil cartoons, it's now time to turn to a less spectacular but still very well-known Warner Bros. character: Elmer Fudd. Elmer Fudd's Comedy Capers was part of the Golden Jubilee: 24 Karat Collection released in the late 1980s on video. It features a total of eight short films, lasting around 57 minutes. As we will see, the line-up is very strong, sometimes reaching impressive heights.
Friz Freleng and Robert McKimson
The collection includes only one Friz Freleng (1905-1995) film, but it's a fine work indeed. Hare Brush (1955) is one of his several remarkable 1955 Bugs Bunny shorts, the best of which was possibly Hyde and Hare. It and Hare Brush share a key element: they both play with character roles and throw the usually overconfident Bugs in difficult situations. In Hare Brush, Elmer stands as the president of a big corporation; mysteriously acting like a rabbit, he's sent to a sanatorium. There, he encounters Bugs, and both characters trade identities for a while... and we eventually discover what lies behind Elmer's strange actions. The best scene in the cartoon is probably the one with Bugs and an understandably bemused psychiatrist...
Two of the eight films were directed by Robert McKimson (1910-1977), who created Foghorn Leghorn and the Tasmanian Devil, among other characters. Design for Leaving (1954) is a typically energetic McKimson cartoon starring Daffy Duck as a salesman, and Elmer as his unwitting client/victim. Daffy quickly transforms Elmer's house into a “push-button home”, filling it with a slew of odd gadgets - ineffective knife sharpeners, automated fire extinguishers and more. The house gradually crumbles under Daffy's vain explanations, and the pratfalls don't let up. There's a “red button” in there, as well...
What's Up, Doc? (1950) is one of the best films here, and one more proof that McKimson really had a knack for Hollywood-themed cartoons. Bugs tells his life's story, from his childhood (I'd have appreciated more insights in that regard!) to his big break at Warner Bros. His career is highlighted by his troubled relationship with impresario/co-star Elmer Fudd; Bugs apparently began his stint as a foil to Elmer, but soon got his revenge and turned the tables on his colleague... This cartoon features some nice gags that really benefit from making a second, and even third appearance throughout Bugs' self-centered recollection. Superb pace, with no filler moments.
Chuck Jones
The five remaining films are directed by Chuck Jones (1912-2002).
Bugs' Bonnets (1956) is an interesting experiment, using as its premise the title of a 1920 Max Ernst collage: “The Hat Makes the Man”. Bugs and Elmer stumble across multiple hats, their behavior changing according to the one their wear; hence, we witness Bugs becoming an army general, a judge, a sheriff and a gangster (among other roles), while Elmer, besides being the hunter he usually is, also takes the guise of a shy lady and a bride. The film culminates in one of Jones' favorite narrative devices - an impromptu wedding. Truly bizarre, and well done.
The Rabbit of Seville (1950) is the first of two Jones-directed, opera-related short films on this video. While solid in its own right, it is the lesser of the two: the cartoon begins and ends with very strong segments, but somewhat meanders while getting from A to B, with repetitive gags and uneven inspiration on the part of Jones. In some ways, this could be said to be the least effective film on the video, despite a great Chaplin homage. What's Opera, Doc? (1956), fares much better, and might be the best-known of all Warner Bros. cartoons. It stars Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd in an opera pastiche that directly acknowledges several of Wagner's operatic works. It's grand and elaborate, but for some reason I haven't been able to connect with it emotionally as much as I have with such other Jones masterpieces as Duck Amuck (1953) or One Froggy Evening (1955). Technically speaking, however, Jones' achievement is obvious and must be commended; the cartoon is a pleasure to look at, with many impressive compositions and strikingly animated courtship between Elmer Fudd and Bugs (as expected, the latter resorts to some cross-dressing antics...).
Cat Feud (1957) is an anomaly in the collection, insofar as Elmer Fudd is nowhere to be found in it. But anomalies don't get much better than this. This film is one in a series of Chuck Jones-directed shorts in which a burly dog, Marc Anthony, has to deal with a minuscule cat; two markedly different creatures that develop a very tight bond. In this film, the dog has to protect his new friend from the assaults of another feline in a construction site. While Cat Feud is not quite as powerful as the earlier Feed the Kitty (1952), it remains a strong example of what Jones achieved in the series, and underlines the way he appropriated Disney's sentimental tone to his own ends. Like the other films in that vein, Cat Feud is a must for cat and dog enthusiasts alike...
Rabbit Seasoning (1953) is the second in a memorable trilogy of films that starred Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd. The big question in these films is: is it Rabbit, or Duck season? Both potential victims do their best to escape the wrath of hunter Elmer. Bugs seems to be in danger in Rabbit Seasoning, but he gains the upper hand by fooling Daffy with his very sort of warped logic (“Would you like to shoot me now or wait 'til you get home?”). Like the first film of the series, this cartoon could also be titled The Remodelling of Daffy's Face, since the poor duck gets his beak all messed up every time he gets shot by Elmer. A quintessential Jones cartoon.
* * *
In short, this very good collection should definitely be sought out by fans of classic Warner Bros. cartoons.
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