Devil May Hare

Devil May Hare is a 1954 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon was released on June 19th, 1954. This theatrical cartoon was directed by Robert McKimson and starred Mel Blanc playing the voices of Bugs Bunny, the Tasmanian Devil, and the turtle. This short is featured on the Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection: Volume 1 DVD box set, as well as the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1 DVD box set. It is the only Taz cartoon in both the Spotlight Collection and Golden Collection series. It also appeared in the Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1 Blu-ray box set alongside Bedeviled Rabbit, Ducking the Devil, Bill of Hare, and Dr. Devil and Mr. Hare.

Plot

In this cartoon, Bugs Bunny is doing a bit of spring cleaning. He ducks into his hole when a small bird (Bugs refers it as a low-flying plane) zooms past. He then sees a deer jump over him, and wonders "what's all the excitement about?" Then a whole stampede of animals appears, and Bugs tries to ask them what's going on, but all of his "What's up, doc?" queries go unanswered. He manages to stop a turtle by putting a shovel in front of him. Bugs asks the turtle what was happening, with the turtle explaining that "the Tasmanian Devil's on the loose! Run! Run! Run for your life!". Bugs then goes back into his hole and looks in the encyclopedia to find this character in it. This cartoon, in fact, is the Tasmanian Devil’s first appearance in Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes cartoons. Bugs Bunny gets himself into this situation because he offers to help the disheveled Tasmanian Devil find his dinner.

The following quote illustrates Bugs’ realization that Taz is in fact a threat and danger to him: "Q..R..S..T, Tasmanian ... Here it is! 'A strong, murderous beast, jaws powerful as a steel-trap — has ravenous appetite — eats tigers, lions, elephants, buffaloes, donkeys, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, giraffes, octopuses, moose, ducks," the Tasmanian Devil then appears next to him and interjects, "Rabbits". Bugs, not noticing him at first, states that "It doesn't say rabbits here..." but Taz handwrites it into the encyclopedia, thus getting the rabbit's attention.

That is when Bugs Bunny realizes that he is in danger and that the Tasmanian Devil could in fact potentially attack and eat him. He then convinces Taz that he (Bugs) would not satisfy his appetite. He tells him that groundhogs would do so; Bugs hands him a shovel and ends up burying him. Just when Bugs thinks he's done with him, the Tasmanian Devil asks: "What for you bury me in the cold, cold ground?" Taz then attacks him, Bugs then feigns smelling chicken nearby which excites Taz. Bugs makes the chicken from liquid bubble gum and baking soda which Taz immediately devours. He then starts hicupping and creates a giant bubble and begins to drift away. Bugs takes out a slingshot and shoots Taz down causing him to become entangled in the gum caught in a tree branch.

Next Bugs makes a pig out of an inflatable raft. Taz swallows it and Bugs pulls the string causing the raft to inflate inside of him. Then Bugs creates a deer out of wood. He then sees the Tasmanian Devil after him and climbs up a tree, which Taz chomps down on causing it to become smaller with each bite. Bugs diverts his attention to the crudely made wooden deer ("N-n-now, Devil, control yours... Th-that's no way to act! N-n-no, take it easy, I can explain everything, doc! Uh, I just rounded up something very extra special for ya, a nice, fat deer!") and tells him to knock it out with a giant slingshot ("Not so fast, you'll scare him away! Foist knock him out with this slingshot, then go get him."). As Taz pulls down on the slingshot, Bugs saws down the tree that is used for the slingshot causing Taz to go flying off and crash.

As Bugs laughs at Taz's misfortune, a real fawn (resembling Bambi) appears next to him. He warns the fawn of the Tasmanian Devil (making some insulting comments in the process), not knowing that Taz is right behind him ("Hey, scram. Go on, beat it. The Tasmanian Devil's liable to get ya! He's a mean, vicious, nasty, no good, baggy-eyed, marble-headed ignoramorous! He's a stupid... He..."). "Flattery will get you nowhere", Taz says, "and you can't fool me again". Bugs attempts to convince him that the fawn is made of straw. Taz replies: "But you're not!" After trying to bite Bugs' face off, he starts to chase him, devouring everything he comes across. Bugs hides in a tree hole and calls a delivery service for a lonely Female Tasmanian Devil whom Taz immediately falls in love with ("Long distance? Get me Tasmania, I want the Tasmanian Post Dispatch! [to audience] Oh, brother, what I've got up my sleeve shouldn't happen! Hello? Tasmanian Post Dispatch? Insoit this ad: Lonely Tasmanian Devil would like to meet lonely Lady Devil. Object: Matrimony!"). Bugs pretends to be a minister and pronounces them "Devil and Devilish". The couple then ride off in the airplane that the She-Devil came on. Bugs ends the cartoon with the line: "All the world loves a lover, but in this case I'll make an exception".

Censorship

• When this cartoon aired on CBS in the 1980s, the part where Bugs uses a slingshot to bring Taz down (after he hiccups a bubblegum bubble that sends him skyward) was cut, making it seem that the bubble burst on its own [1]

External links

• Devil May Hare at the Internet Movie Database