The Wabbit Who Came to Supper

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The Wabbit Who Came to Supper
Merrie Melodies/Bugs Bunny series
Directed by I. Freleng
Story by Michael Maltese
Animation by Richard Bickenbach
Voices by Mel Blanc
Arthur Q. Bryan (uncredited)
Produced by Leon Schlesinger
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
The Vitaphone Corporation
Release date March 28, 1942 (USA)
Format Technicolor, 8 min (one reel)
Language English
IMDb page

The Wabbit Who Came to Supper is a 1942 Warner Brothers Merrie Melodies cartoon featuring early appearances by Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. The Elmer character is in a transitional state from his earliest appearances in Bob Clampett's shorts and the classic appearance which he adopted around 1943.

[edit] Crew

Friz Freleng, the man most responsible for developing Bugs' personality was the director of this short, which was written by Michael Maltese and animated by Richard Bickenbach. The music was selected, composed and arranged by Carl W. Stalling with sound effects and editing by Treg Brown. Mel Blanc performed all the voices, except for Elmer, who was voiced by Arthur Q. Bryan.

[edit] Plot synopsis

While out on the hunt for rabbits, Elmer receives a telegram saying his Uncle Louie will leave him $3 million in his will, as long as he doesn't harm any animals — especially rabbits.

Bugs, with characteristic élan, takes full advantage of the situation by moving in with Elmer.

After fulfilling the stipulations of the will, Elmer gets a letter from his uncle's lawyers showing that, after taxes and fees, he owes them $1.98 on the $3 million inheritance.

[edit] Trivia

  • The title of the short is a reference to the 1942 Warner Brothers film version of the George S. Kaufman comedy The Man Who Came to Dinner, in which an overbearing house-guest threatens to take over the lives of a small-town family.
  • Bugs sings "Angel in Disguise", from the 1940 Warner Brothers film It All Came True (which, like The Man Who Came to Dinner, starred Ann Sheridan), while he showers and shaves.
  • While Elmer reads the "Eastern Union" telegram from Uncle Louie, he is accompanied by the melody "We're in the Money". Elmer, with his rounded-L's-and-R's speech impediment, of course cannot pronounce "Louie" correctly.
Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd in "The Wabbit Who Came to Supper"
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Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd in "The Wabbit Who Came to Supper"
  • Bugs references a running gag from the radio show Fibber McGee and Molly when he threatens to call Uncle Louie: "Operator, give me Walnut three three fifty-. . ., Ohhh, that you, Myrt? How's every little thing?" (Arthur Q. Bryan, the voice of Elmer Fudd, also played "Doc Gamble" on the Fibber McGee show.)

On the 2005 Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3 DVD release, The Wabbit Who Came to Supper is presented in a restored unedited version with a commentary track provided by animation historian Jerry Beck and Warner Brothers' inker Martha Sigal, one of about 40 uncredited inkers and painters who labored on the Looney Tunes shorts.

[edit] External links