There are all kinds of fun (and familiar gags) in this cartoon. The Colonel’s pupils turn to ‘A’s when he sees he’s holding five aces (Bugs Bunny has six aces). There are some stretch in-betweens. And Bugs fools the Colonel at every turn.
Jones shows his masterful direction as barker Bugs keeps a steady stream of patter and action while selling the Colonel a ticket to a show and leads him off the paddlewheeler and into the muddy Mississippi yet again.
Ken Harris, Ben Washam, Lloyd Vaughn and Phil Monroe are the animators with backgrounds by Pete Alvarado.
I never get tired of "Mississippi Hare" - a great set-up, funny gags and Billy Bletcher as Colonel Shuffle, the South's answer to Yosemite Sam.
ReplyDeleteReally nice animation by none other than Phil Monroe!
ReplyDeleteCan confirm (or assume, which ever one you like) that this is Phil's animation.
DeleteDoes Bugs do blackface in this one?
ReplyDeleteNo, but Colonel Shuffle "kinda" does.
DeleteThis cartoon was part of the CBS and ABC Saturday morning network packages that started in 1968. But it must have been pulled sometime in the 1970- possibly due not only to Colonel Shuffle's explosive cigar-induced 'blackface', but some semi-realistic black sharecroppers that are shown at distant angles in the opening scene while 'Dixie" is played. The first time I saw it was at a revival house festival in 1985 and I was enthralled to see a 'new' Bugs Bunny cartoon- particularly one made by Jones during his late 1940s-early 1950s peak period. The gag, pacing and dialogue ("Do you have change of a hundred? Ah'd prefer a profusion of pennies.") were top-notch.
ReplyDeleteABC started airing it again later in the 1980s, but with the exploding cigar, umbrella-bashing and another gunshot gag cut ("Uh-uh, Doc. It's full of water."). This made for a rather short cartoon.
Maltese would re-use his 'five aces beats four aces' gag at least once in his H-B career, in a Quick Draw cartoon.