Slick Hare is a 1947 Merrie Melodies cartoon, directed by Friz Freleng.[1] The film was released on November 1, 1947, and features Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.[2] It parodies the Mocambo nightclubinLos Angeles—in the cartoon referred to as "The Mocrumbo". Mel Blanc voices Bugs, Arthur Q. Bryan voices Elmer Fudd and impressionist Dave Barry portrays Humphrey Bogart. The title is a pun on "hair", from an era when hair slicked down by oil was a popular fashion style for men.
| Slick Hare | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | I. Freleng |
| Story by | Tedd Pierce Michael Maltese |
| Produced by | Edward Selzer (uncredited) |
| Starring | Mel Blanc Arthur Q. Bryan (uncredited) Dave Barry (uncredited) |
| Music by | Carl Stalling |
| Animation by | Virgil Ross Gerry Chiniquy Manuel Perez Ken Champin |
| Layouts by | Hawley Pratt |
| Backgrounds by | Paul Julian |
| Color process | Technicolor |
Production | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures The Vitaphone Corporation |
Release date |
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Running time | 7:43 |
| Language | English |
The cartoon commences with a satirical portrayal of 1940s Hollywood luminaries indulging in culinary extravagance at the Mocrumbo club, replete with exaggerated antics and whimsical nods to iconic personas.
Amidst the glamorous milieu, Elmer Fudd, cast as a hapless waiter, encounters the formidable Humphrey Bogart, whose demand for fried rabbit sets off a chain of absurd events. Elmer's frantic quest for a rabbit leads him to an unwitting Bugs Bunny ensconced amidst crates of carrots, igniting a miscommunication that sees Bugs fleeing from the impending dinner invitation.
Bugs' escapades unfold in a series of comedic encounters, from a failed disguise reminiscent of Groucho Marx to a frantic pursuit through the eccentricities of a showbiz setting, including encounters with Carmen Miranda and Sydney Greenstreet.
As the tension mounts, Bugs' quick-witted antics and Elmer's hapless endeavors culminate in a chaotic climax, with pie-slinging antics and mistaken identities punctuating the farcical proceedings. Ultimately, Bugs' comedic prowess prevails, as he ingeniously assumes the role of Lauren Bacall's main course.
Background artist Paul Julian visited the kitchen at the Mocambo, and based this cartoon's kitchen backgrounds on the unhygienic things he observed, later commenting in an interview: "I was so bloody revolted by it that I came back and made a documentary out of it!"[3]
Cartoon voice actor Keith Scott writes, "One of the last of Warner Bros.' topical caricature cartoons, Slick Hare is much more accessible to a modern audience than some other entries in the movie-star parody genre. This is because Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd carry the comedy. With these two strong personalities in the foreground, the throwaway movie-star gags are more like the icing on a cake."[4]
Paul Julian actually did research for the backgrounds of this cartoon by going to the kitchens of the real Mocambo and reproducing in the film some of what he saw there, which evidently ruffled some feathers as Paul explains in this interview with my colleague Milton Gray: "... I went and looked at the back kitchen at the Mocambo, and I almost got my ass in a sling because in the film I reported what I saw! Fingerprints and disgusting puddles oozing out from under crates of food stacked in the corner... greasy fingerprints, all kinds of... just unbearable! I was so bloody revolted by it that I came back and made a documentary out of it!"
| Preceded by | Bugs Bunny Cartoons 1947 |
Succeeded by |
