Bonanza Bunny

Last updated
Bonanza Bunny
Bonanza Bunny title card.png
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by Tedd Pierce
Produced by John Burton, Sr.
Starring Mel Blanc
Narrated by Robert C. Bruce [1]
Music by Milt Franklyn
Animation by Tom Ray
George Grandpre'
Ted Bonnicksen
Warren Batchelder
Layouts by Robert Gribbroek [2]
Backgrounds byWilliam Butler [2]
Color process Technicolor
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • September 5, 1959 (1959-09-05)
Running time
6:30
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Bonanza Bunny is a 1959 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Robert McKimson. [3] The short was released on September 5, 1959, and stars Bugs Bunny. [4] In the cartoon, Bugs faces off with the French-Canadian claim jumper Blacque Jacque Shellacque during a fictionalized version of the Klondike Gold Rush.

Contents

Plot

In 1896, Bugs Bunny walks into a Dawson City saloon with a bag full of gold nuggets. Bugs has no use for them and claims he confused "karats" with carrots. The men in the saloon look suspiciously at Bugs when he requests a glass of carrot juice, and the eager bartender compliments Bugs' stones, one of which Bugs uses to pay him. Bugs is almost shot by Blacque Jacque Shellacque—a villain wanted for "crimes" including claim-jumping, pogo-sticking and square dance calling.

Jacque demands Bugs hand over the gold. When Bugs refuses, Jacque engages Bugs in a game of blackjack; Bugs stands on one card, which turns out to be the "21 of hearts". Having won the hand, Bugs recovers his gold and begins to leave, but is stopped by an enraged Jacque, who claims it is dangerous to cross him. Bugs convinces Jacque there is someone in another room who claims to be twice as dangerous. As Jacque confronts the stranger (Bugs in disguise), the stranger aims a pop gun. Jacque pulls the cork and the gun blasts him in the face. Bugs then pretends to have a phone call for Jacque and says the caller is "Fifi from Montreal." The receiver is a lit stick of dynamite, and when Jacque attempts to answer the dynamite explodes. A dazed Jacque remarks that "Fifi was always a "blast"."

Jacque corners Bugs in a storeroom, holds a pistol to his head and demands the gold. Bugs pretends to cower and "surrenders" the gold. The bag is actually gunpowder that begins to leak out as Jacque makes his getaway while shouting "I'm rich, I'm rich! 90% bracket!" Bugs lights the gunpowder trail, which sets off a large and colorful explosion in the distance. Bugs remarks, "Gee, those Northern Lights are pretty this time of year." He then reveals that his 'gold' was merely rocks painted yellow, and he departs on his husky.

Production

This short marks the first appearance of Blacque Jacque Shellacque.[ citation needed ] Gags from Bunker Hill Bunny (1950) and Bugs Bunny Rides Again (1948) are re-used. Animation of the gamblers fleeing when Blacque Jacque Shellacque arrives at the saloon was first used in Drip-Along Daffy (1951).[ citation needed ] This was the final cartoon narrated by actor Robert C. Bruce before his retirement.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Southern Fried Rabbit</i> 1953 film by Friz Freleng

Southern Fried Rabbit is a 1953 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The cartoon was released on May 2, 1953, and stars Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam.

<i>Ballot Box Bunny</i> 1951 film by Friz Freleng

Ballot Box Bunny is a 1951 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoon short directed by Friz Freleng and written by Warren Foster. The cartoon was released on October 6, 1951, and features Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam.

<i>Bunny Hugged</i> 1951 film by Chuck Jones

Bunny Hugged is a 1951 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies short, directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. The short was released on March 10, 1951, and stars Bugs Bunny. Bunny Hugged is essentially a re-working of Jones' 1948 short Rabbit Punch, substituting wrestling for boxing.

<i>Bunker Hill Bunny</i> 1950 Looney Tunes short directed by Friz Freleng

Bunker Hill Bunny is a 1950 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoon short directed by Friz Freleng and written by Tedd Pierce. The short was released on September 23, 1950 and stars Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam as a Hessian mercenary in the American Revolution.

<i>Wet Hare</i> 1962 film

Wet Hare is a 1962 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Robert McKimson. The short was released on January 20, 1962, and stars Bugs Bunny. In the cartoon, Bugs finds himself at odds with a ruthless lumberjack who wants to control the water supply by building a series of dams.

<i>Haredevil Hare</i> 1948 animated short film directed by Chuck Jones

Haredevil Hare is a 1948 Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. It stars Bugs Bunny and it is the debut for Marvin the Martian — although he is unnamed in this film—along with his Martian dog, K-9. Marvin's nasal voice for this first film is different from the later one he is most known for. This is also the last pre-August 1948 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoon whose copyright was sold to Associated Artists Productions.

<i>Roman Legion-Hare</i> 1955 film by Friz Freleng

Roman Legion-Hare is a 1955 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on November 12, 1955, and stars Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam. The title is a play on the words Roman Legionnaire. After being ordered by Emperor Nero to find a victim to be tossed to the lions, Yosemite Sam tries to capture Bugs Bunny.

<i>Hyde and Hare</i> 1955 film by Friz Freleng

Hyde and Hare is a 1955 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon, directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on August 27, 1955, and stars Bugs Bunny. The short is based on Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The cartoon pits Bugs against Dr. Jekyll, who continues to turn into Mr. Hyde. The title is a play on the expression "neither hide nor hair."

<i>14 Carrot Rabbit</i> 1952 short film by Friz Freleng

14 Carrot Rabbit is a 1952 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated cartoon short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on March 15, 1952, and features Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam. The title is a play on "14 karat", as in a purity level for gold.

<i>Mad as a Mars Hare</i> 1963 film

Mad as a Mars Hare is a 1963 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Chuck Jones and Maurice Noble. The short was released on October 19, 1963, and stars Bugs Bunny and Marvin the Martian. The cartoon's title is a play-on-words of the famous phrase to be "mad as a March hare". This is Marvin's final appearance in the Looney Tunes shorts during the Golden Age of American Animation.

<i>Bedevilled Rabbit</i> 1957 film by Robert McKimson

Bedevilled Rabbit is a 1957 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies short directed by Robert McKimson. The short was released on April 13, 1957, and stars Bugs Bunny. In this cartoon, Bugs is lost in Tasmania, and has to deal with the Tasmanian Devil.

<i>People Are Bunny</i> 1959 film

People Are Bunny is a 1959 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon, directed by Robert McKimson The short was released on December 19, 1959, and stars Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.

<i>To Hare Is Human</i> 1956 film

To Hare is Human is a 1956 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on December 15, 1956, and stars Bugs Bunny and Wile E. Coyote. In this film, Wile builds a UNIVAC computer, and grows to rely on its answers.

<i>The Iceman Ducketh</i> 1964 film

The Iceman Ducketh is a 1964 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes theatrical cartoon directed by Phil Monroe and Maurice Noble, with a story by John W. Dunn. The short was released on May 16, 1964, and stars Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. It was the penultimate Warner Bros. Theatrical Cartoon to feature Bugs Bunny and the last Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon to feature Bugs and Daffy together until Box-Office Bunny in 1991, and the last that the Chuck Jones unit worked on, though Chuck Jones himself was fired at an early stage of production and replaced by Monroe.

The Fair-Haired Hare is a 1951 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon starring Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam. Released April 14, 1951, the cartoon was directed by Friz Freleng. The voices were performed by Mel Blanc.

<i>Rabbits Feat</i> 1960 film

Rabbit's Feat is an animated 1960 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon, directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. The short was released on June 4, 1960, and stars Bugs Bunny and Wile E. Coyote. As Maltese had left for Hanna-Barbera, his name was removed from the credits.

<i>Bill of Hare</i> 1962 film

Bill of Hare is a 1962 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Robert McKimson. The short was released on June 9, 1962, and stars Bugs Bunny and the Tasmanian Devil.

<i>Now Hare This</i> 1958 film

Now Hare This is a 1958 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Robert McKimson and written by Tedd Pierce. The short was released on May 31, 1958, and stars Bugs Bunny.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugo the Abominable Snowman</span> Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon character

Hugo the Abominable Snowman is a character in the Looney Tunes franchise.

References

  1. ↑ Scott, Keith (2022). Cartoons Voices of the Golden Age, 1930-70. BearManor Media. p. 99. ISBN   979-8-88771-010-5.
  2. 1 2 "Bonanza Bunny [ dead link ]". Big Cartoon DataBase, June 3, 2016
  3. ↑ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 319. ISBN   0-8050-0894-2.
  4. ↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 60–62. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7 . Retrieved 6 June 2020.
Preceded by Bugs Bunny Cartoons
1959		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.