Ballot Box Bunny
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ballot Box Bunny | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Friz Freleng |
| Written by | Warren Foster |
| Starring | Mel Blanc (voice) |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 1951 |
| Running time | Short: 8 min. |
| Country | U.S.A. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Ballot Box Bunny is a Warner Brothers Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoon short released in 1951, directed by Friz Freleng and written by Warren Foster.
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
Yosemite Sam is running for mayor of a small town. Bugs Bunny happens to be underneath the podium, drinking carrot juice, when Sam makes a pledge to rid the town "of every last rabbit" if elected. Bugs then decides he needs to fight against Sam the only way possible - by running against him for mayor.
Bugs proceeds to quickly try and win the townspeople over (including referencing Theodore Roosevelt's famous "I speak softly, but carry a BIG stick!" quote). Sam, however, declaring that he speaks loud and carries "a BIGGER stick!," has a few tricks up his sleeve. He sends a boxful of army ants to steal all of Bugs' food and rigs explosives (in, for instance, a piano and by the front door of Bugs' campaign office), all of which backfire on him. A campaign slogan seen on a banner says that the candidate is "Loyal, Lovable, Literate."
In the end, because they were too busy fighting with each other, they don't notice until its too late that the mayorship has been won by a literal "dark horse" candidate - a mare! The two then play a game of Russian Roulette.
[edit] Trivia
- The ending of the cartoon where Bugs and Yosemite Sam play Russian Roulette after both losing the mayoral race is almost always cut on American television broadcasts on both network and cable TV. It is shown uncut on video and DVD versions, including the now-defunct Golden Jubilee collection and The Looney Tunes Golden Collection.
- Sam has the piano wired to explode when a particular key is played. Bugs purposely misses the rigged key by misplaying. The tune is the melody line from "(Believe Me) If All Those Endearing Young Charms". This gag was previously used, with the same tune and a bomb on the same note, in the Private Snafu short "Booby Traps," and would later be used in the 1957 Bugs cartoon Show Biz Bugs (using a xylophone instead of a piano.) as well in the 1965 Road Runner cartoon Rushing Roulette. The gag is also revisited (with a twist) in a Slappy Squirrel cartoon in Animaniacs.
- The sheet music shows the correct notes in Key of C for the melody line with the rigged note [the C above middle C] clearly pointed out in red).
Bugs actually plays that key (C) but on the piano the rigged key is the *B* above middle C. It actually says "Endearing Young Charms" on the sheet music.
