| Ballot Box Bunny | |
|---|---|
| Merrie Melodies (Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam) series | |
The title card of Ballot Box Bunny. |
|
| Directed by | I. Freleng |
| Produced by | Eddie Selzer (uncredited) |
| Story by | Warren Foster |
| Voices by | Mel Blanc |
| Music by | Carl Stalling |
| Animation by | Ken Champin Virgil Ross Arthur Davis Manuel Perez |
| Layouts by | Hawley Pratt |
| Backgrounds by | Paul Julian |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures The Vitaphone Corporation |
| Release date(s) | October 6, 1951 (USA) |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Running time | 7:35 |
| Language | English |
Ballot Box Bunny is a 1950 animated Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoon short released in 1951, directed by Friz Freleng and written by Warren Foster.
Contents |
Yosemite Sam is running for mayor of a small town, declaring such empty promises as, "There's enough fresh air and sunshine in this great country of ours for everybody- and I'll see to it, that you'll get your share!". Bugs Bunny is underneath the podium drinking carrot juice when Sam makes a pledge to make good on his previous promise to rid the town "of every last rabbit" if elected. Bugs then decides he needs to fight against Sam 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). However, Sam declares that he speaks loud and carries "a BIGGER stick, and I use it too!" (When watching this on The Bugs Bunny Show, Daffy Duck says "I speak medium, or I carry a BIGGEST stick.) He has more than a few tricks up his sleeve. He steals Bugs' cigar stand, 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 a cannon), all of which backfire on him (Bugs switches his "SMELLO" cigars with five-cent ATOM Explosive Cigars {"You Will Get A BANG Out Of This"}, hides a dynamite stick in a watermelon, pretends that a pretty girl called Emma who loves Sam is at his door, and misplays the piano tune on purpose to infuriate Sam, who plays it right and falls for his trap).
A quick chase through the streets leads the pair to the parade for the newly elected mayor, a literal "dark horse" candidate — a chestnut-colored mare, whose car bears a sign reading "Our New Mare". Oddly, Bugs suggests a game of Russian Roulette and hands Sam a gun. Sam agrees, points the gun at his head, closes his eyes and pulls the trigger, and gets the click of an empty barrel. He then hands the gun to Bugs, who points the gun to his head, closes his eyes, and pulls the trigger as the "camera" irises into black in the center of the screen to the sound of a gunshot. An iris opens up on Bugs to the left, holding a smoking gun as he proclaims "I missed!". The right side of the screen irises open to reveal a scorched, hatless Sam shot in the head by Bugs' wayward blast, and Sam says "I hate that rabbit!" (see "Censorship" note below for more information about the ending).
The piano playing gag (along with the tune of the playing) was re-used in the 1957 cartoon Show Biz Bugs, execpt with a xylophone.
| Preceded by His Hare-Raising Tale |
Bugs Bunny Cartoons 1951 |
Succeeded by Big Top Bunny |