Mississippi Hare (1949)

Memorable, crazy movie

Expected more

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

. . . but maybe what he MEANT to say was that there was nothing NUDE in broad daylight. Bugs Bunny disproves this adage in MISSISSIPPI HARE, as a Promenade Deck Costume Malfunction exposes his nether regions to a Southern Gentleman Admirer and, to quote the Warner star, "Oh well, we almost had a romantic ending." Bugs is either Transgendered or Transvestite in MISSISSIPPI HARE, but the North Carolina legislature cannot say which. However, the buxom bunny is sporting D cups at the very least, and he's already smooched Col. Shuffle full on the kisser. Warner uses MISSISSIPPI HARE to urge the sexually confused American South to "Go jump in the lake!" (or is it "Go leap in the river of fudge-hued sludge"?). Col. Shuffle Takes the Plunge four times, with a cremation thrown in there somewhere. Bugs' Gentleman Admirer also is last seen splashing in the drink, leaving Bugs as Last Mammal Standing. Since Bugs is baled into a giant wad of cotton as this episode begins, only a touch of serendipity (there's a hint of that Great Emancipator Abe Lincoln freeing Bugs below deck of the "Southern Star paddle-wheel steamship) bails him out. Join the Boss, Bruce Springsteen, in boycotting the South, Bugs seems to be saying here on behalf of Warner Bros.

While I can agree that many of the cartoons that Warner Brothers pulled from circulation were quite racist, I think they made a big mistake in the case of "Mississippi Hare". First, I doubt if many people would in any way consider it racist--and I don't think we should always cater to those who the easily offended. Second, it is a pretty good cartoon and it's a shame to ban it (officially or unofficially).The film is set in what appears to be the antebellum South. It begins with a black worker picking cotton and accidentally dropping Bugs Bunny into a hopper that then transfers him to a river boat. What, exactly, is racist about this? In those days and after, a huge majority of people working in the cotton fields WERE black Americans. Should they have made them white or green so as not to offend?! Plus, the person is just a person--no stereotypical facial features (or ANY) are seen--just a brown-skinned arm. My attitude about this is just get over it--it IS a part of our history, like it or not! As for what happens next, Bugs has a run in with Colonel Shuffle--a gambler who is angry Bugs beat him so badly at poker (or course, Bugs having six Aces might also have something to do with it). During the rest of the film, Bugs does he did best with Elmer or Yosimite Sam--he terrorizes the victim repeatedly for our viewing pleasure. It's all pretty funny--particularly the final line. My advice is to download it from archive.org--you're bound to enjoy it.

Accidentally picked up and stuffed into a bale of cotton, Bugs winds up on a steamship headed to Mississippi. Fearful of being discovered as a stowaway and thrown into the river, Bugs dons two different disguises, beginning with his Southern aristocrat outfit and finishing with his Southern Belle look.In the bulk of the story, Bugs battles a Yosemite Sam-type character in "Colonel Shuffle," a gambler who doesn't tolerate losing. Overall, the duels between the two had a few funny sight gags but not many. The dialog was the attraction here more than the slapstick visuals.The final line Bugs delivers in here - directed to us, the audience, - was "cute." Overall, however, this was okay, but nothing special. Note: I was stunned to see from other reviewers here comment that the Politically-Correct Police banned this cartoon because a black person was seen early on picking cotton. Excuse me, but what's the problem? Many blacks did pick cotton down South. So what? You censor a cartoon for showing something that happened in history? Black people would not be offended at that opening scene. That's going way overboard. It sounds like modern-day Nazism. By the way, where is the concerned PC Police in all these cartoons and movies which almost always show Southerners to be stupid? Banning Bugs Bunny cartoons? How lame and ludicrous can you get?As another reviewer said, the cartoon isn't offensive, just not all that funny.

This is a short which I haven't seen in ages, as it was declared off-limits by Ted Turner when Turner acquired the rights to the shorts. While I can understand his trepidation, I'm grateful to finally see the short again, because it has one of the funniest scenes I remember from watching these close to 40 years ago. As I want to talk about the short in a bit of detail, this is a spoiler warning: The short starts with a scene which likely helped pull it from circulation for years-blacks working in the cotton fields, one of whom grabs Bugs's "cotton" tail and tosses him in the sack. We then watch Bugs make his way from field-sack to cotton bale bound for the Southern Star, a paddle-wheel on the Mississippi, bound for all sorts of ports, including "Cu-cka-mong-a" (an old inside joke Mel Blanc has fun with in quite a few shorts).Bugs happens to observe what happens to stowaways on board and so "borrows" a gentleman's suit (and presumably his ticket as well). This scene is hilarious. Bugs then winds up in a card game with Colonel Shuffle (think Yosemite Sam with a Southern accent). Bugs puts up $100, which buys one half of a white chip, Col. Shuffle deals and the scene fades out. The fade in shows Bugs with a mountain of chips and Shuffle with half a white chip. Bugs wins the hand, with both players cheating. Shuffle contrives to be insulted and challenges Bugs to a duel. A few very funny bits later, Shuffle winds up in the Mississippi River to start a running gag and the chase is on.In a short with some very funny bits, my personal favorite comes after Col. Shuffle has set his pants on fire in the ship's furnace. He races to a water dispenser which takes only pennies and turns to Bugs, asking in very courtly speech if he might have change for a "tenspot", adding that "I would prefer a profusion of pennies!". Bugs slowly checks the bill over (he bites it at one point) and slowly begins counting change. When he reaches $1.21, Shuffle grabs the change, thanks him, tells him he can keep the rest and buys a cup of water and finally puts himself out.Bugs disguises himself as a Southern belle and begins whacking Shuffle with an umbrella, with Shuffle apologizing abjectly (and futilely) until he discovers it's Bugs. Bugs as a belle persuades a Southern gentleman to kick Shuffle off into the river again. When the gentleman realizes the "belle" is a bunny, he exits jerkily, stage right, into the river himself. The closing line is perfect.This short is available on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Volume 4 and is well worth seeing. Recommended.