Rabbit’s Feat (1960)
Directed by Chuck Jones
Story by Michael Maltese (uncredited)
Animation by Ken Harris, Richard Thompson
Music by Milt Franklyn
Wile E. Coyote – the talking version with the supercilious Mid-Atlantic accent – returns to pursue “rabbitus idioticus delicious.” As with his previous attempts to secure Bugs Bunny for his meal, the self-important coyote winds up falling victim to his cockamamie schemes and traps.
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Person to Bunny (1960)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Story by Michael Maltese
Animation by Arthur Davis, Gerry Chiniquy, Virgil Ross, Harry Love
Music by Milt Franklyn
Bugs Bunny is being interviewed at his Hollywood home (a luxurious hole in the ground) on live television by Cedric R. Burrows for the “People to People” show (a spoof Edward R. Murrow and his series “Person to Person”). While the interview is in progress, Daffy Duck comes in and tries to make himself the center of attention. Bugs answers a question about Elmer Fudd with an insulting wisecrack – “His IQ is PU” – but Elmer is watching the broadcast and grabs his rifle, showing up at Bugs’ home. The broadcast devolves into chaos as Elmer winds up shooting Daffy, a quickly recovered Daffy does vaudeville-style dancing for the camera, and a rifle-toting Elmer chases Bugs out of his home.
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One of the most misunderstood (and, subsequently, controversial) characters in animation history is the amply proportioned Black woman who appeared in 19 of the Tom and Jerry shorts. Contemporary sources refer to as “Mammy Two Shoes,” but that name was never used on-screen or in the screenplays – that moniker was first applied incorrectly in a 1975 Film Comment article and stuck ever since. Not only did she not have a name, but viewers never saw her face (outside of a split-second gag in the 1950 “Saturday Evening Puss”) and never truly understood her relationship to the troublesome cat and mouse duo. It is widely assumed she is a maid or housekeeper because she wears an apron, but if that is the case her (presumably white) employers are never shown or even mentioned. In “Saturday Evening Puss,” she refers to the residence as “my house,” suggesting homeownership rather than domestic servitude.
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Horse Hare (1960)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Story by Michael Maltese
Animation by Gerry Chiniquy, Virgil Ross, Arthur Davis
Music by Milt Franklyn
In the Old West of 1886, Sergeant Bugs Bunny is tasked with being the sole guard on duty at Fort Lariat while the U.S. Cavalry leaves on a special mission. Once the Cavalry departs, Yosemite Sam – here known as “Renegade Sam” – leads a battalion of considerably incompetent Indian warriors in an attempt to overtake the fort. Needless to say, Bugs easily outwits these intruders while repeatedly humiliating Sam during the battle.
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BOOTLEG FILES 929: “Swabbies” (canceled Disney animated short that survives as an animatic video).
LAST SEEN: On YouTube.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: This was never meant to be seen publicly.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Nope.
The history of the Walt Disney Company is littered with projects that were aborted in various stages of concept and execution. Some of these canceled projects could have been truly fascinating, such as a feature-length animated film based on “Don Quixote.” Other pulled-plug endeavors would have been more than a little peculiar, such as an animated version of “The Catcher in the Rye” with an all-canine cast.
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People Are Bunny (1959)
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by Tedd Pierce
Animation by Warren Batchelder, Tom Ray, Ted Bonnicksen, George Grandpré, David R. Green
Music by Milt Franklyn
Daffy Duck is watching television and dials into “The QTTV Sportsman Hour” where the host promises $1,000 for the first viewer who brings a rabbit into the station. Daffy tries to lure Bugs with free tickets to a television show, but when Bugs declines Daffy grabs a rifle and forces him to travel to QTTV. Once at the station, Bugs and Daffy have separate experiences with game shows – Bugs enjoys a profitable outcome while Daffy’s excursion ends painfully.
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A Witch’s Tangled Hare (1959)
Directed by Abe Levitow
Story by Michael Maltese
Animation by Keith Darling, Ken Harris, Ben Washam, Richard Thompson
Music by Milt Franklyn
“A Witch’s Tangled Hare” incorporates bits and pieces of William Shakespeare’s plays – along with a character who resembles Shakespeare – into a Bugs Bunny romp that brings back the zany Witch Hazel as the predator. It’s a cute idea for a cartoon, but the execution is off and it quickly becomes a bore.
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