Southern Fried Rabbit

Last updated

Southern Fried Rabbit
Southern Fried Rabbit title card.png
Directed by I. Freleng
Story by Warren Foster
Produced by Edward Selzer
Starring Mel Blanc
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation byKen Champin
Arthur Davis
Manuel Perez
Virgil Ross
Layouts by Hawley Pratt
Backgrounds by Irv Wyner
Color process Technicolor
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date
May 2, 1953 (U.S.)
Running time
6:45
LanguageEnglish

Southern Fried Rabbit is a 1953 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. [1] The cartoon was released on May 2, 1953, and stars Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam. [2]

Contents

Plot

A severe drought has ruined the carrot crop in Bugs Bunny's northern home. Upon learning of a boom crop in Alabama, Bugs decides to make the trip to the south. After a lot of walking, he finds himself at the Mason–Dixon line; but as soon as he crosses, he is shot at by "Colonel" Sam, who chases Bugs back over the line. Upon Bugs asking him, Sam claims that he is a Confederate soldier and has received orders from General Lee to guard the borders between the Confederate States and the Union. Bugs points out that the American Civil War ended almost 90 years ago (the cartoon itself was animated in 1953), but Sam refuses to accept this, shoots at Bugs and forces him to run away, prompting the rabbit to use trickery to cross the border.

First, Bugs disguises himself as a banjo-playing slave, singing "My Old Kentucky Home". When Sam asks for a "peppier" tune, Bugs sings "Yankee Doodle", leading Sam to call Bugs a traitor. Bugs forces a whip into Sam's hands, begs Sam not to beat him, and runs off. Bugs immediately returns disguised as Abraham Lincoln, scolds Sam for "whipping slaves", and hands him a card to "look [him] up at [his] Gettysburg Address".

However, Bugs' cover is blown when Sam sees his tail sticking out of Abe's trenchcoat. Infuriated, he chases Bugs into a tree. When he tries to light a bomb, Bugs repeatedly blows out his match, so Sam goes even further away. But with more ground to cover, the fuse runs out as Sam runs back, and the bomb detonates in his hands.

Bugs then disguises himself as General Brickwall Jackson and fools Sam into marching into a well. Afterwards, Bugs flees from Sam into a mansion, where he disguises himself as Scarlett O'Hara; and when Sam attempts to search the mansion, he takes a cannon blast while looking inside a closet and is dissuaded from searching any further.

Finally, disguised as an injured Confederate soldier, Bugs succeeds in tricking Sam by informing him that the Yankees are in Chattanooga. Sam heads to Chattanooga, and the finale has him threatening the New York Yankees, preventing them from competing in an exhibition baseball game against the Chattanooga Lookouts.

Publication notes

Due to later controversies about the portrayal of ethnic stereotypes in cartoons, the scene where Bugs crosses the border disguised as a slave and Abraham Lincoln was cut from the episode's television broadcastings. [3]

Home media

Southern Fried Rabbit was made available on a VHS tape, and its restored, uncut version on DVD in Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 4 . [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<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>Knighty Knight Bugs</i> 1958 film by Friz Freleng

Knighty Knight Bugs is a 1958 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Friz Freleng, The short was released on August 23, 1958, and stars Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam.

<i>From Hare to Eternity</i> 1997 film

From Hare to Eternity is a Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Chuck Jones released on November 4, 1997.

<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>Duck! Rabbit, Duck!</i> 1953 film by Chuck Jones

Duck! Rabbit, Duck! is a 1953 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Charles M. Jones. The cartoon was released on October 3, 1953 and stars Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd.

<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>Bugs Bunny Rides Again</i> 1948 film by Friz Freleng

Bugs Bunny Rides Again is a 1948 Merrie Melodies animated short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on June 12, 1948, and stars Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam.

<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. It was the first Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies film with a compilation of classic cartoon comedy shorts produced by Warner Bros. Animation.

<i>Buccaneer Bunny</i> 1948 animated short film directed by Friz Freleng

Buccaneer Bunny is a 1948 Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on May 8, 1948, and features Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam.

<i>Stage Door Cartoon</i> 1944 film by Friz Freleng

Stage Door Cartoon is a 1944 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on December 30, 1944, and features Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.

<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>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.

Piker's Peak is a 1957 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on May 25, 1957, and stars Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam. The title is a pun on Pike's Peak, although that respected mountain summit is in North America rather than in Europe.

<i>Rabbit Every Monday</i> 1951 film

Rabbit Every Monday is a 1951 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on February 10, 1951, and stars Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam. The title is a play on Chicken Every Sunday.

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

Foghorn Leghorn is a cartoon rooster who appears in Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons and films from Warner Bros. Animation. He was created by Robert McKimson, and starred in 29 cartoons from 1946 to 1964 in the golden age of American animation. All 29 of these cartoons were directed by McKimson.

<i>Shishkabugs</i> 1962 film

Shishkabugs is a 1962 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on December 8, 1962, and stars Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam. The title of the short is a play on shish kebab, a culinary dish.

<i>A Star Is Bored</i> 1956 American film

A Star Is Bored is a 1956 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon, directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on September 15, 1956, and stars Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. The cartoon expands upon the rivalry depicted between Bugs and Daffy, in such films as Chuck Jones' 1951 short Rabbit Fire, this time placing the action in a show-biz setting. In this 7-minute short, Daffy must double for Bugs in any slapstick that Warners deems too dangerous for its top star. After each disaster, Daffy shouts "MAKEUP!". The director directing the scenes has an Erich Von Stroheim accent.

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.

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. 248. 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 June 6, 2020.
  3. 1 2 Jason Bailey: "White Actors’ Most Egregious Portrayals of People of Color". Flavorwire, July 3, 2013 (retrieved June 1, 2021).
Preceded by Bugs Bunny Cartoons
1953		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.