Rabbit of Seville
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| Rabbit of Seville | |
| Looney Tunes/Bugs Bunny series | |
 Bugs Bunny forces Elmer Fudd into a barber's chair for a series of outlandish treatments. |
|
| Directed by | Charles M. Jones |
|---|---|
| Story by | Michael Maltese |
| Animation by | Phil Monroe Ben Washam Lloyd Vaughan Ken Harris Emery Hawkins |
| Voices by | Mel Blanc |
| Music by | Carl Stalling |
| Produced by | Eddie Selzer |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures The Vitaphone Corporation |
| Release date | December 16, 1950 (USA) |
| Format | Technicolor, 7 min (one reel) |
| Language | English |
| IMDb page | |
Rabbit of Seville is a Warner Brothers Looney Tunes theatrical cartoon short released in 1950. It was directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese.
The cartoon, in a plotline reminiscent of Stage Door Cartoon, features Bugs Bunny being chased by Elmer Fudd into the stage door of the Hollywood Bowl, whereupon Bugs tricks Elmer into going onstage, and participating in a break-neck operatic production of their chase punctuated with gags and accompanied by musical arrangements by Carl Stalling, focusing on the overture to The Barber of Seville and also referencing The Marriage of Figaro.
This cartoon is rated as number twelve of the 50 greatest cartoons of all time by animation historian Jerry Beck.
Contents |
[edit] Summary
- In the beginning of the cartoon, we see Elmer chasing Bugs with his signature shotgun into the theatre just as the play is about to begin. Bugs then hides behind the backstage door while Elmer searches for him on the stage. The curtain lifts after Bugs flicks the switch on (with his carrot), leaving a clueless Elmer looking at the audience as the conductor shrugs and begins the play.
- Bugs first poses as a barber and gives the hairless Elmer a shave, proceeding to seating him on the barber's chair, whipping a "shaving cream smoothie" and deliberately applying it to his face, ending with several slashes of a razor (Bugs sings: "There, you're nice and clean...although your face looks-like-it-might-have-gone-through a ma-chine").
- Elmer recovers and searches for Bugs with his shotgun, but Bugs now poses as a seductive temptress, humiliating Elmer by snipping his suspenders and tying his gun barrels into a bow.
- When Elmer discovers the "woman" is really Bugs, he tries to shoot but his gun backfires, propelling him into a barber's chair again and stunning him.
- Bugs (again as a barber) then prepares the bald Elmer for a haircut including such gags as a scalp massage with his hands and feet, then shaving cream, topped with a tossed fruits-and-vegetables salad (a la Carmen Miranda) with a cherry on the top. Elmer once again chases Bugs with a shaving razor but this time Bugs poses as a snake charmer and causes an electric razor to chase Elmer, which Elmer finally "kills" with his shotgun.
- Elmer and Bugs chase each other using telescoping barber chairs that shoot skywards, Bugs cuts loose a stage sandbag which lands on Elmer stunning him again. Bugs then slides down and proceeds to put Elmer's hat back on his head and dusts his face (after which the latter gives him a quarter) then putting him through the swivel-door and waltzing him back to the barber's chair.
- That said and done, Bugs then shines Elmer head, cuts open one of his shoes and clips and files his toenails and paints them red (mischievously putting a "Wet Paint" sign on them). Later, he is seen trimming Elmer's new beard with a mini lawnmower after applying a few drops of "Hair Restorer". Shortly thereafter, he dons a mud mask made of quick-dry cement (with the label "Beauty Clay" on it) onto Elmer's face (with a "Keep Off" sign on it) and expertly chisels it off, dusting the remaining residue off. Finally, he douses Elmer's head with a liberal amount of hair tonic and "Figaro" fertilizer, finish off by patting his head with his ears. The result: Elmer's head begins to sprout flowers, much to his dismay.
- An "arms race" chase ensues with Bugs and Elmer alternating bigger and bigger weapons (the sequence being a handaxe by Elmer, a larger axe by Bugs, a revolver, a double-barreled shotgun, a small, medium and large-sized cannon), culminating in an offer of flowers, a box of chocolates and a wedding-ring to Elmer. As typically is the case, Elmer gets caught up in the excitement and accepts the gifts, and returns wearing a wedding dress carrying a bouquet. Similarly, Bugs returns wearing a tuxedo and the two are quickly "married" by a pastor brought in by Bugs himself as the tune briefly switches to the "Wedding March" by Mendelssohn.
- As the music crescendos in a grand finale, Bugs carries Elmer to the top of a series of stairs and drops Elmer over their threshold into a giant cake with "The Marriage of Figaro" written on it in icing.
- Bugs never uses his trademark, "Eh (munch-munch) What's up, Doc?" in the cartoon. Having dispatched Elmer, he turns to the camera with an impish look, munches a carrot and announces, "Eh... Next!"
- Iris out.
[edit] Lyrics
HOW DO?
Welcome to my shop,
Let me cut your mop,
Let me shave your crop,
Dain-ti-ly,
Dain-ti-ly...
(Turns to Elmer)
HEY YOU!
Don't look so perplexed,
Why must you be vexed,
Can't you see you're next?
Yes, you're next, (Carries him into the barber shop set)
You're so next... (Seats him in the barber's chair)
(Zips over to the "Shaving Cream Smoothie" part)
How about a nice close shave? (Spoons in 2 scoops of cream into a glass)
Teach your whiskers to behave;
Lots of lather, lots of soap, (Puts glass under a beater until it foams)
Please hold still don't be a dope;
Now we're ready for the scraping, (Applies the whole thing onto Elmer's face)
There's no use to try escaping;
Yell and scream and rant and rave,
It's no use, you need sha-a-ve...
(Starts shaving Elmer's face with razor, to which the latter yells out "oof-ouch-ouch-oof-ouch-oof-ouch")
There, you're nice and clean...
Although your face looks-like-it-might-have-gone-through a ma-chine...
(Elmer runs out and grabs his hat and shotgun)
Oh, where do I get the wa-bbit?
(Bugs appears dressed up as a woman)
Wha-t would you want with a wa-bbit?
Can't you see that I'm much swee-ter?
I'm your little se-no-ri-ter, you...
Are my kind of guy...
Let me straighten your tie, (Ties up the shotgun barrels)
And I shall dance for you...
(Proceeds to humiliation part, and so on and so forth)
[edit] Trivia
- The "Barber of Seville" poster that appears at the start of the film features three names: Eduardo Selzeri, Michele Maltese and Carlo Jonzi, which are Italianized versions of the names of the producer (Eddie Selzer), writer (Michael Maltese) and director (Chuck Jones) of the film.
- In one shot of the scene where Bugs massages Elmer's head in time to the piano melody, his hands are drawn with five digits instead of the usual four.
