At least that’s the answer the publicists at Warner Bros. Cartoons pawned off on people until animation historians started digging to get the facts. And the facts are a little murky to begin with.
We’ve reprinted a couple of publicity handouts to newspapers written by the folks at Warners. You can read them in this post. We’ve stumbled across another one, published in the Utica Daily Press, March 20, 1956. There’s no byline, which leaves me to believe it’s a studio press release. It’s chock-full of ridiculousness. It mentions a wholly imaginary Elmer Fudd cartoon made in 1936 (what it could have been, I have no idea), then a 1939 “conference” of the Warners directors and writers—as per the studio’s roster in 1956. Nothing about Tex Avery; “he isn’t at Warners any more, so why mention him?” seems to have been the attitude. Tedd Pierce wasn’t even at Warners at the time, Mike Maltese was an assistant animator and Friz Freleng may still have been at MGM. However, the story is correct after it gets to 1940 (okay, the line about Errol Flynn is facetious). “A Wild Hare” was a huge hit. Oh, and the “allergic to carrots” business was a publicity gimmick. Many years later, Mel Blanc changed the story to say he simply didn’t like the taste of carrots.
Anyway, here’s the story.
Biggest Star of Them AllThe 1936 birth date is mentioned in an earlier newspaper story, one by the Newspaper Enterprise Association to publicise its Bugs comic strip in subscribing papers. This came from the Morning Herald of Johnstown, New York, April 10, 1950.
Bugs Bunny, the most popular short subjects star of them all—voted No 1 by exhibitors for 12 straight years, passed his 20th birthday this year making him at least 18 years older than any other cottontail rabbit in the country, and certainly a good deal more popular than all of them.
Bugs was not always a star. His is a success story to stiffen the spine of any chicken-hearted rabbit who would conquer Hollywood. Born in 1936 on the end of a Warner Bros. art director’s pen he played only a bit roll in an Elmer Fudd starrer, then was put back in the ink bottle. But no cork could frustrate the irrepressible bounce of this bunny. In 1938, Bugs who had been living on discarded beet (ugh) tops, began eating high off the carrot as befits a new star.
He got his break when I. Freleng, Charles Jones and Robert McKimson, directors, and writers Michael Maltese, Warren Foster and Tedd Pierce, got together to give Bugs a format worthy of his talent. From then on, he was another Gobel. Only nakeder.
“Bugs has never worn clothes,” Freleng pointed out. “His tastes are too expensive. Besides, he looks better au naturel. He never wears shoes, his feet’s too big. He has a Brooklyn accent because he escaped from there. He never looks for trouble, but trouble seeks him like a guided missile. Bugs can handle any situation with his wits.”
Seven thousand drawings and one year after the historic conference a new star named Bugs Bunny burst upon the cinematic world in his own vehicle, “Wild Hare.” Acclaim was immediate, but it did not turn his head (only a pretty girl rabbit can do that). Bugs is still the same unspoiled bunny, houseless, hungry, unmarried.
Since 1938 he has starred in 138 of his own pictures—more than Peck and Gable combined, including such classics as “Up Swept Hare,” “John Brown’s Bunny,” “Rabbit Transit,” “Hare Meets Hair,” [sic] and “Rabbit Hood.” In the latter Bunny, with the insouciance of a true star, boosted the career of an upcoming youngster named Errol Flynn by allowing the latter to play a small part. He also helped out a couple of other actors named Doris Day and Jack Carson by consenting to appear in their pictures: “My Dream is Yours,” and “Two Guys From Texas.”
Few bunnies can equal Bugs’ war record. He helped the boys at the front by, for example, leading the first Liberator bomber to attack Davao on the march back to the Philippines. He helped the Treasury Department sell war bonds. He allowed himself to be appointed official mascot of many air groups, tank battalions, and infantry companies. He is officially a member of the Marine Corps, and his service record is on file in Washington, D.C.
Bugs has no trouble in talking with other rabbits, but when it comes to human conversation he employs Mel Blanc, one is not only the voice of Bugs Bunny, but of practically all of the Warner Bros. Cartoons characters, such as Tweety, Sylvester, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, Pepe Le Pew, Foghorn Leghorn and other incidental characters. The strange thing about Mel Blanc is that although he is the voice of Bugs Bunny, who is very fond of carrots, Mel himself is allergic to carrots. The creation and development of Bugs Bunny to his present high box-office position is no accident. As much care is given to the selection of the proper story for a Bugs Bunny cartoon as is devoted by the major studios to the material picked for the most popular human stars.
The carrot is Bugs Bunny’s principal prop. There is no limit to the range of his talents.
Incidentally, more than two million Bugs Bunny comic books are sold each month and these comic books, which are distributed by the Dell Publishing Company, are as clean and wholesome as a rabbit’s tooth. Bugs never does anything that is apt to lead a youngster into juvenile delinquency. The same may be said for his newspaper comic strips which are syndicated by the NEA to over 600 newspapers, daily and Sunday.
Recently, Warner Bros. Cartoon Department moved into a new building in Burbank, Calif., on the company’s own studio property. It could be very aptly called, “The House That Bugs Bunny Built,” but Bugs, being of a modest nature, prefers to have the building known as the Warner Bros. Cartoon Studio.
14-CARROT BIRTHDAY FOR BUGSSo celebrate Bugs’ birthday tomorrow on Easter Sunday if you wish. Try to find that 1936 cartoon they keep talking about. I’ll still consider July 27th his birthday. But, of course, you don’t need a birthday as an excuse to haul out a DVD or go to a video web site and enjoy a cartoon starring the greatest rabbit in animation history (and you can’t go wrong with “Rabbit Hood”).
By NEA Service
Bugs Bunny, carrot-chomping star of the movie cartoons and The Morning Herald’s daily comic strip, celebrated his 14th birthday yesterday.
The rascally rabbit has appeared in the comics for half of his 14 years, made more than 100 screen cartoons and for five years in a row has reigned as box office champion of all movie short subjects. NEA Service, the world's largest picture and feature organization, distributes the "Bugs Bunny" daily comic strips and Sunday color pages to more than 800 newspapers.
Like many famous stars. Bugs got his start as a bit player. He popped out of the inkwell at the Warner Brothers Hollywood studios one day to be the intended victim of the intrepid hunter, Elmer Fudd. Saved from the shotgun by his nimble feet the zany bunny went back on the shelf for a couple of years until he was finally "discovered" in true Hollywood style.
Pretty soon Bugs Bunny was popping up out of rabbit holes, chewing his carrot and shouting "What's cookin', Doc?" as the star of his own cartoon series, while Elmer was playing supporting roles. Now Bugs condescends to let frustrated Elmer appear in his daily comic strips, too, along with other screen pals like stuttering Porky Pig, plump Petunia, little Cicero and a new comic page discovery, Sylvester the languid cat.
The bold, brash character of Bugs Bunny—so unlike the everyday rabbits you meet—developed as the cartoon star matured. At 14. he is as full of pep and mischief as the average teen-ager, although his Brooklynese repartee is about as average as Ladies' Day at Ebbet's Field.
Much of Bugs' popularity is due to the fact that all red-blooded Americana enjoy watching the underdog get the better of his oppressor. The happy hare always gets deep into trouble through no fault of his own—then turns the tables on the bad guys.
Bugs Bunny has an impressive war record. He was adopted by units of every branch of the armed forces and became the most widely-traveled Hollywood star—going around the world on bombers, warships, tanks, jeeps and other military vehicles.
In celebrating his birthday on Easter Sunday, Bugs shares the spotlight with another well-known rabbit. However, he and the Easter Bunny have rather opposite views on what constitutes fun, and Bugs definitely hates eggs. He's had too many thrown at him in his 14 years as a slapstick comedian.
I can't even find "John Brown's Bunny" let alone the mysterious 1936 Fuddian effort. But 1936 at least was the year that the ethos for the Warner Bros. cartoon style starting being put in place, with Avery's early success with the Looney Tunes earning him the chance (ahead of the more experienced Jack King) to help Freleng handle the Merrie Melodies series, and little by little, forcing his sense of comedy into the color efforts in the four-year run-up to "A Wild Hare".
ReplyDeleteThe '56 story was probably the last year Warners PR department could get away with that tale of Bugs' 1936 birth -- once J.L. sold off all the pre-48 cartoons to television later in the year, the full inventory of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies was out there for anyone to see (And as for "John Brown's Bunny" given the Civil War connotations, it wouldn't be a surprise if that was a rejected alternate title for Freleng's "Southern Fried Rabbit")