The Wacky Wabbit (1942)

Undescribable Perfection

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Absolutely the worst movie.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

"The Wacky Wabbit" is a great Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd cartoon directed by a guy whose sense of humor could only be described as wacky: Robert "Bob" Clampett. In this film, and a few others, Elmer seems to have put on a lot of weight. This time around, he's not after wabbits; he's after gold! But with that wiseacre wabbit hanging awound, there ain't no gold to be found.Highlights: I always find it a real treat listening to cartoon characters singing, as Elmer & Bugs harmonize very nicely to the Stephen Foster tune "Oh Susannah" with humorously altered lyrics (and Bugs wearing a cow skull). When it is revealed that Elmer wears a corset along with his unglamorous polka-dot underwear, he looks directly at the camera and says, "Don't waugh! I'll bet pwenty of you men wear one of these." Bugs sings a jazzy rendition of "Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie" as he buries Elmer in the ground. And Bugs creates pandemonium for Elmer with a stick of dynamite.In closing, Bugs Bunny truly is "The Wacky Wabbit"!

To those of you who haven't seen an early Elmer Fudd, this might be a bit a shock to see. In his first year or two, Elmer - who began as "Egghead" - is a bigger, taller man in his early cartoons. He looks a bit older, too, at least to me. You almost wouldn't recognize him if you didn't hear him unable to pronounce his "r's" and hear the voice of Arthur Q. Bryan. Actually, most of the Looney Tunes stars all looked different than they started: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, even little Tweety. In this cartoon as with about all of them with Elmer, you get Bugs. With the famous rabbit, you'll notice his longer ears and chubbier cheeks.As "cartoon historians" have pointed out, many of the Looney Tunes efforts didn't have the cutting-edge, wild and wacky humor until around 1945 when The War was over. You especially see that in these early '40s Looney Tunes. This is an example: it's okay, but there aren't many laugh-out-loud antics, and a third of this cartoon turns out to be almost a musical with three songs: two by Elmer and one by Bugs.Overall, recommended only to die-hard Looney Tunes fans who are happy to see Bugs and Elmer no matter what.

This time, Elmer Fudd - looking mighty chubby (so as to resemble Arthur Q. Bryan, who did his voice) - is looking for gold out in the desert, but Bugs Bunny keeps playing tricks on him. The gags with the dynamite were probably the best (the crowd behind these cartoons sure had a way with dynamite, as much of their work showed). One can always see how various characters try to undermine Bugs's integrity, but poetic justice prevails. It just goes to show why these cartoons will never get old, no matter what happens. You'd better believe that Arthur Q. Bryan and Mel Blanc are the voices for all time! So seriously Susanna, don't cry for me.

The major Warner Brothers characters, at least the early ones, evolved over time into the characters best known today. Bugs, Daffy, Porky and Tweety all started out looking quite different in the beginning. But perhaps the most involved and extensive changes were made by Elmer Fudd. He started out as Egghead, got a name change to Elmer and then a physical change of appearance not once, but twice! This is the early, more rounded Elmer. Probably one of the best of the early Elmers and an excellent short. Well worth watching. Recommended.