Bugs runs into the Automat (in Times Square?) to escape from a bulldog. Automats were self-serve restaurants with food in little windowed boxes. You put in your money, the window opened and you took out your food.
Bugs asks the bulldog for a nickle. The bulldog complies. Bugs puts the money in the slot, the window opens, Bugs takes a piece a pie out of the box and . . .
Writers Mike Maltese and Tedd Pierce top the gag. Bugs apologises for whopping the dog in the face and wipes his face clean. “I made a terrible mistake,” says the rabbit. He quickly reaches back into the box and grabs another piece. “You wanted CHERRY pie!” Bugs insists and wallops the bulldog in the face yet again. You can see the satisfied looks on Bugs’ face.
I like this Bugs origin story better than Bob McKimson’s What’s Up, Doc? (1950), though the McKimson cartoon has some good gags and expressions, as well as a superior ending.
The credited animators in this are Manny Perez, Ken Champin, Gerry Chiniquy and Virgil Ross, with Phil De Guard painting backgrounds from Hawley Pratt’s layouts. Bea Benaderet plays “Lolly” the gossip columnist (who sounds more chipper than Louella Parsons ever did), with Pierce adding his voice to some of the dogs.
Nice! Tedd played the leader dog, the one seen above! No mention of Daughter of Rosie o' Grady?
ReplyDeleteThe columnist interviewing Bugs was supposed to be "Hedda Hopscotch."
ReplyDeleteWell, she turned out to be "Lola Beverly," or "Lolly" as Bugs called her.
DeleteVia the research miracle that is the internet, there definitely was an automat in Times Square. Apparently for many years. Bugs was being straight with us about that.
ReplyDeleteTweety and Sylvester did a bit in an automat, too. Tweety was hiding in one of the automat's boxes (helpfully labeled "Tweety Pie.") It's probably unnecessary to report that "Tweety Pie" was not what Sylvester got when he dropped in his nickel.
Horn & Hardart owned the Automats (they sponsored the "Children's Hour" radio show); Peter Schickele composed the "Concerto for Horn & Hardart" (as PDQ Bach, of course).
DeleteIn 1984, DC Comics held their Christmas party in this very automat, which of course, had been out of operation as a restaurant for a while. I happened to be in town at the time, and instantly recognized where I was from the descriptions of the place in the original edition of one of the earliest Hardy Boys novels. You could, however, get slices of cake and pie in some of the compartments, just like they did in the old days. Having not taken advantage of that option, I don't know what they were charging. The biggest difference between the '40s experience vs. the '80s was the deafening dance music being played by a d.j., which made conversations difficult, though not impossible if you leaned in close and shouted a bit. But the place was HUGE, much larger than you'd expect a cafeteria would ever be.
Delete"It's a ji-raff, a ji-raff!" Thanks to the quick wit of CR contributor Eric Costello, my Lionel giraffe cars are now ji-raff cars... :)
ReplyDelete