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
Produced by	Leon Schlesinger
Story by	Michael Maltese
Voices by	Mel Blanc Arthur Q. Bryan (uncredited)
Animation by	Richard Bickenbach Cal Dalton Gil Turner Manuel Perez Gerry Chiniquy
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures The Vitaphone Corporation
Release date(s)	March 28, 1942 (USA)
Color process	Technicolor
Running time	8 min (one reel)
IMDb profile

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 appearance which he adopted around 1943.

1 Crew
2 Plot synopsis
3 Availability
4 External links

[edit] Crew

Friz Freleng, the man most responsible for developing Bugs' personality, was the director of this short. This short 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.

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.

[edit] Plot synopsis

While out on the hunt for rabbits, Elmer receives a telegram from "Eastern Union" saying his Uncle Louie will leave him $3 million in his will, as long as he doesn't harm any animals — especially rabbits. "We're in the Money" plays in the underscore. Elmer, with his rounded-L's-and-R's speech impediment, of course cannot pronounce "Uncle Louie" correctly; it's more like "Uncoh Wooie".

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

As he showers and shaves, 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).

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.)

After fulfilling the stipulations of the will, and suffering all manner of hijinks from Bugs, 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 ("pwease wemit") (Actually, according to the deductions listed in the letter, Elmer is left with a balance of $902,934.04). Elmer is then free to vent his anger on Bugs, and a chase ensues.

Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd in "The Wabbit Who Came to Supper"

[edit] Availability

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 Sigall, one of about 40 uncredited inkers and painters who labored on the Looney Tunes shorts.