Baby Buggy Bunny

Last updated
Baby Buggy Bunny
Baby Buggy Bunny title card.png
Directed by Charles M. Jones
Story by Michael Maltese
Produced by Edward Selzer
Starring Mel Blanc
Music by Milt Franklyn
Animation by Ken Harris
Abe Levitow
Lloyd Vaughan
Ben Washam
Layouts by Ernie Nordli
Backgrounds by Philip DeGuard
Color process Technicolor
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release dates
December 18, 1954
(USA premiere)
Running time
7:05
LanguageEnglish

Baby Buggy Bunny is a 1954 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated short directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. [1] The cartoon was released on December 18, 1954, and stars Bugs Bunny. [2] The story is about a short gangster named "Babyface" Finster (based on gangster Baby Face Nelson) who, after a clever bank robbery, loses his ill-gotten gains down Bugs' rabbit hole, forcing him to don the disguise of an orphan baby to get it back.

Contents

Plot

Baby-Face Finster (a.k.a. Ant Hill Harry), a 35-year-old man who resembles a baby, makes a successful robbery of the Last National Bank by the swift use of stilts, dark clothes, a pram and baby clothing. Dressed in baby attire, he easily evades the arriving police.

Unfortunately for Finster, the pram in which he initially hides rolls down a hill until it hits a rock, causing the bag of money inside to eject and end up in Bugs' rabbit hole. Bugs is thrilled with the windfall.

Finster, still in the baby attire, sets himself up as an abandoned child left on Bugs' "doorstep". Bugs takes him in and so begins the bank robber's attempts to retrieve the money, which the brand-new "parent" interprets as a baby's typical mischief.

When Bugs turns off the light after putting Finster to bed, the "baby" whacks him with a baseball bat. This happens a second time. Bugs, thinking perhaps Finster is having a nightmare that is causing this behaviour, prevents it occurring again. A supposedly remorseful Finster hugs him and utters, "Da-Da!"

"Have you seen this man? He is Ant Hill Harry, alias Baby-Face Finster. Notorious bank robber believed to have perpetrated the daring Last National Bank holdup this morning. He is 35 years old, stands --" Ant Hill Harry alias Baby-Face Finster.PNG
"Have you seen this man? He is Ant Hill Harry, alias Baby-Face Finster. Notorious bank robber believed to have perpetrated the daring Last National Bank holdup this morning. He is 35 years old, stands --"

Later, Bugs is trying to watch TV, but gets static interference on the screen. Hearing a buzzing noise in the bathroom. Bugs peeks in there and finds Finster is shaving, smoking a cigar, and sporting a tattoo reading: Maisie, Singapore, 1932. Bugs is suspicious. All of a sudden, the TV comes back on and a brief news clip about the bank robbery and an APB for the robber is shown on screen; all this finally makes Bugs realize what is really going on. Sneakily, Bugs turns off the TV and begins looking around for Finster, who is climbing a book shelf in the living room to retrieve the bag of money.

He starts to play rough with Finster, exaggerating his "baby care". He puts the robber in a washing machine to clean him up after he supposedly has played with "the dirty money". Upon removing Finster, still soaped up, from the machine, Bugs tosses him to the ceiling. When he hits the floor and Bugs picks him up, Finster tries to stab him with a butcher knife, but misses and stabs himself in the rear. Rather than crying over his pain, Finster instead murmurs inaudible obscenities, causing Bugs to spank him; each hand-to-posterior connection knocks a weapon from the robber's person. Bugs trusses Finster up with ropes in a basket and leaves him and the money at the police station with a note, similar to what Finster did with him. Finster does not take it well, throwing a wild temper tantrum while being locked up in a baby-sized playpen in the State Prison, angrily claiming his innocence and that he has been framed. Bugs ends the cartoon, telling the angry bank robber, "Don't be such a crybaby. After all, 99 years isn't forever."

Voice cast

Production

Reception

Legacy

Baby-Face Finister's mugshot appears as a background cameo in Space Jam , along with other Bugs Bunny villains Rocky and Mugsy, in addition to The Looney Tunes Show episode "It's a Handbag".

The plot of the critically panned 2006 comedy film Little Man was similar enough to Baby Buggy Bunny to earn a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Remake or Rip-off. [3] Animation blog Cartoon Brew noted at least three jokes from Baby Buggy Bunny used in Little Man. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daffy Duck</span> Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon character

Daffy Duck is a fictional character created by animators Tex Avery and Bob Clampett for Leon Schlesinger Productions. Styled as an anthropomorphic black duck, he has appeared in cartoon series such as Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, in which he is usually depicted as a foil for either Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig or Speedy Gonzales. He was one of the first of the new "screwball" characters that emerged in the late 1930s to replace traditional everyman characters who were more popular earlier in the decade, such as Mickey Mouse, Porky Pig, and Popeye.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yosemite Sam</span> Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon character

Yosemite Sam is a cartoon character in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of short films produced by Warner Bros. His name is taken from Yosemite National Park in California. He is an adversary of Bugs Bunny and his archenemy alongside Elmer Fudd. He is commonly depicted as a mean-spirited and extremely aggressive, gunslinging outlaw or cowboy with a hair-trigger temper and an intense hatred of rabbits, Bugs in particular. In cartoons with non-Western themes, he uses various aliases, including "Chilkoot Sam" and "Square-deal Sam" in 14 Carrot Rabbit, "Riff Raff Sam" in Sahara Hare, "Sam Schultz" in Big House Bunny, "Seagoin' Sam" in Buccaneer Bunny, "Shanghai Sam" in Mutiny on the Bunny, "Von Schamm the Hessian" in Bunker Hill Bunny, "Baron Sam von Schpamm" in Dumb Patrol, and many others. During the golden age of American animation, Yosemite Sam appeared as antagonist in 33 animated shorts made between 1945 and 1964.

<i>Racketeer Rabbit</i> 1946 film by Friz Freleng

Racketeer Rabbit is a 1946 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on September 14, 1946, and features Bugs Bunny.

<i>Golden Yeggs</i> 1950 film by Friz Freleng

Golden Yeggs is a 1950 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies short directed by Friz Freleng. The cartoon was released on August 5, 1950, and stars Daffy Duck and Porky Pig. A forerunner of the Rocky and Mugsy characters appear, with Rocky already in his present-day form.

<i>Bugs and Thugs</i> 1954 animated short film directed by Friz Freleng

Bugs and Thugs is a 1954 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on March 13, 1954, and stars Bugs Bunny, with Rocky and Mugsy. The film is a semi-remake of the 1946 cartoon Racketeer Rabbit. It is also the first Warner Bros short to feature Milt Franklyn as a musical director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cecil Turtle</span> Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon character

Cecil Turtle is a fictional character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of films. Though he made only three theatrical appearances, Cecil has the unusual distinction in that he is one of the very few characters who were able to outsmart Bugs Bunny, and the only one to do so three times in a row and at the rabbit's own game. Cecil often gives Bugs the taunting nickname of "Speedy" when addressing the rabbit.

<i>Hare Trigger</i> 1945 film by Friz Freleng

Hare Trigger is a 1945 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The cartoon was released on May 5, 1945, and features Bugs Bunny. The short featured the first appearance of Yosemite Sam, as well as the first short to credit (almost) the whole animation staff who worked on the short.

<i>The Great Piggy Bank Robbery</i> 1946 film

The Great Piggy Bank Robbery is a 1946 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes theatrical cartoon directed by Bob Clampett. The cartoon was released on July 20, 1946, and stars Daffy Duck.

<i>A Corny Concerto</i> 1943 animated short film directed by Bob Clampett

A Corny Concerto is a 1943 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies directed by Bob Clampett. The short was released on September 25, 1943, and stars Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd and Daffy Duck.

<i>The Old Grey Hare</i> 1944 film by Bob Clampett

The Old Grey Hare is a 1944 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Bob Clampett. The short was released on October 28, 1944, and features Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.

<i>Little Man</i> (2006 film) 2006 American film

Little Man is a 2006 American comedy film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, who co-wrote and co-produced it with Marlon and Shawn Wayans, who also both starred in the lead roles. The film co-stars Kerry Washington, John Witherspoon, Tracy Morgan, Lochlyn Munro, Chazz Palminteri and Molly Shannon. It follows a very short jewel thief who hides the proceeds of his latest robbery, and then pretends to be a very large baby in order to retrieve it.

<i>Easter Yeggs</i> 1947 film by Robert McKimson

Easter Yeggs is a 1947 Looney Tunes theatrical animated short. The cartoon was released on June 28, 1947, and features Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. The title is a play on "Easter eggs" and on "yegg", a slang term for a burglar or safecracker.

<i>The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie</i> 1981 animated feature film directed by Friz Freleng

The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie is a 1981 American animated comedy package film with a compilation of classic Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies Warner Bros. cartoon shorts and animated bridging sequences produced and directed by Friz Freleng, hosted by Bugs Bunny. The new footage was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and the first Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies film with a compilation of classic cartoon comedy shorts produced by Warner Bros. Animation.

Hare Lift is a 1952 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on December 20, 1952, and stars Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam. The title is a play on the term "air lift," as expressed in the plotline.

The Bugs Bunny Mystery Special is an animated television special that was broadcast on CBS October 15, 1980. Presented by Porky Pig as an Alfred Hitchcock-style whodunit, the plot is modeled after those of North by Northwest and The Fugitive.

<i>Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2</i> 2004 American film

Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2 is a DVD box set that was released by Warner Home Video on November 2, 2004. It contains 60 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons and numerous supplements.

<i>Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1</i> 2011 American cartoon anthology

Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1 is a Blu-ray Disc and DVD box set by Warner Home Video. It was released on November 15, 2011. It contains 50 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons and numerous supplements. A DVD version of the box set was released on July 3, 2012, but contained no extras.

<i>Bugs Bunny 80th Anniversary Collection</i> 2020 American film

Looney Tunes: Bugs Bunny 80th Anniversary Collection is a Blu-ray Disc box-set released by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on December 1, 2020. It contains 60 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts starring Bugs Bunny and numerous bonus features and supplementary content. The set's packaging includes a slip book, a booklet, and a collectible Bugs Bunny Funko! POP doll.

References

  1. Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 268. ISBN   0-8050-0894-2.
  2. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 60–62. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7 . Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  3. "27th Annual Golden Raspberry (Razzie©) Award "Winners"". Razzies.com. The Golden Raspberry Award Foundation. 2007. Retrieved 2012-06-16.
  4. Beck, Jerry (2006-07-16). "Little Man = Baby Buggy Bunny". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on 2010-07-12. Retrieved 2012-06-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
Preceded by Bugs Bunny Cartoons
1954
Succeeded by