Bugs and Thugs

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Bugs and Thugs Looney Tunes (Bugs Bunny) series
The title card of Bugs and Thugs.
Directed by	I. Freleng
Produced by	Eddie Selzer
Story by	Warren Foster
Voices by	Mel Blanc
Music by	Milt Franklyn
Animation by	Manuel Perez Ken Champin Virgil Ross Arthur Davis
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures The Vitaphone Corporation
Release date(s)	March 13, 1954 (USA)
Color process	Technicolor
Running time	7 min (one reel)
IMDb profile

Bugs and Thugs is a 1953 animated short film in the Looney Tunes series produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc and released in early 1954.

It features Bugs Bunny with Rocky and Mugsy. This is the first cartoon with Mugsy in present-day form. The film is a semi-remake of Racketeer Rabbit, with a similar oven gag. It was directed by the creator of Bugs' antagonists, Friz Freleng. The running gag of Bugs hiding a villain in a machine which results in chaos {to the villain} is repeated in 2006's Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas where the villain is greedy Daffy Duck!

[edit] Plot

It begins with Bugs emerging from his hole in a city park, reading the newspaper on his way to the nearest bank, for a withdrawal from his personal repository there — of carrots. He reads that "Rabbit Season Opens Today" and comments on his pleasure of living in a more secure urban environment.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Bugs, Mugsy drives up to the bank, which Rocky invades and robs of an undisclosed sum. When Bugs accidentally walks into Rocky and Mugsy's getaway car — mistaking it for a taxi — and also mistaking the giant bags of cash for laundry, Rocky asks Bugs "How much d'ya know?". Failing to realize that he is in the same vehicle as a robber who is asking him what he knows about the hold-up, Bugs responds "Hmmmmm, I know that 2+2=4, Carson City is the capital of Nevada, George Washington was the first President of the United States." Rocky responds, "This guy knows too much." Rocky keeps telling Bugs to be quiet or he will get a pistol shot. Bugs then tells Mugsy to stop at the gas station. Bugs gets out of the car and receives some coin money from the easily fooled Mugsy so he can call on the telephone. Bugs pushes in 9-1-1 and calls the police to dial Rocky and Mugsy, but Mugsy grabs Bugs out of the telephone booth. The gag is Bugs still holding on to the telephone-and a cartoon policeman is pulled out of the telephone wire onto the road! Soon, Rocky and Mugsy's car get in front of a train railroad track. Rocky tells Bugs to let them know when it's clear. Bugs tells them to go and the oncoming train proceeds to smash into the car with Rocky and Mugsy still inside.

Bugs is soon forced to fix the car at gunpoint by Rocky. Bugs repairs everything except the tire and he says that they're stuck. Rocky says that Bugs is the only one stuck and forces Bugs at gunpoint to run along the car while holding the front axle (Rocky tells Mugsy to take the "scenic route"). Soon, they arrive at their cliff house, and then Rocky tells Mugsy to let Bugs have it. Mugsy is about to kill Bugs but then Bugs makes Mugsy think it is to let Bugs have the gun. Bugs then shoots Mugsy.

Soon, Rocky decides to really let Bugs have "it", but Bugs yells out a fake alarm scream that the police arrived to surround the house. Bugs hides Rocky and Mugsy in the stove when they fall for Bugs Bunny's fake alarm. Bugs pretends to be a policeman and be himself trying to hide Rocky and Mugsy. Bugs turns on the heat of the stove and throws a fire match in the oven. Then, the real policeman comes and, in an exact match of Bugs' previous ruse, asks where Rocky and Mugsy are. When Bugs is about to throw in a fire match into the oven, Rocky and Mugsy quickly run out of the stove and piteously beg the policeman to arrest them. The next day, Bugs becomes a criminal catching detective talking on the phone of arrested Rocky and Mugsy.