Thursday 4 February 2016

Reason No. 896 Why Mike Maltese Was Great

Bugs Bunny’s rabbit hole is flooded out by heavy rains at the opening of the 1952 cartoon Water, Water Every Hare.



Bugs is under water, but that doesn’t stop him from sleepwalking—to get a glass of water. He even uses a towel to “dry off” his mouth.



Imagination by writer Mike Maltese gets the cartoon off to a great start. Animation by Ben Washam, with drips and other effects by Harry Love.

More tomorrow.

8 comments:

  1. I believe that I read somewhere that this was a variation on a gag used in one of Buster Keaton's films. That said, the gag here is well executed.

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  2. Yes, I was right. "The Navigator" has a similar gag. But I emphasize this does not take away from the staging presented here.

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  3. It's the second appearance of that big red, hairy monster with the goofy tennis shoes (appeared in 1946's "Hare-Raising Hare" originally) now known as "Gossamer" (since the 1979 TV short "Duck Dodgers and the Return of 25th and a half century"),SC

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  4. One of the things that impressed me most about that cartoon was the scene where Bugs floated languidly along the stream of water from the Evil Scientist's castle back to his hole - done mainly on ones.

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    1. rnimga, it was NIGHTMARE.....!

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    2. Or was it? Judging by the tiny Gossamer seen in the ending, that wasn't just a dream at all.

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  5. Cooooooome baaaaaack heeeeere yoooooooooooou Raaaaaaaaab bit.

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  6. When Yes played the Hartford Civic Center on their 90125 tour, instead of an opening act they ran two Bugs Bunny cartoons. This was one of them; I've forgotten the other. The crowd loved them.

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