Wabbit Switch

One of the great things about Hare Tonic, a 1945 Warner Bros. release, is that the action never lets up. Bugs Bunny continually gets the best of Elmer Fudd in a stream of gags that doesn’t slow down.

In one scene, Bugs—purchased by Fudd at a meat shop!—cons Elmer into looking into his grocery basket because there’s no rabbit inside. Bugs then shoves Elmer into the basket and switches places with him, strolling along and singing a wabbit-ized version of “Shortnin’ Bread.’

Elmer stretches up from the basket. “Ooooh, you twickster!” he says to Bugs, and shoves him back into the basket. The action is one drawing per frame.



We’ll skip several drawings where the action is indicated by dry brush.



Elmer carries on as before.

Tedd Pierce is the credited story man (I can’t help but wonder if he was still teaming with Mike Maltese), with Ben Washam, Ken Harris, Basil Davidovich and Lloyd Vaughan being credited with the animation.

In the days when Warners cartoons ran endlessly on local stations that signed a deal with AAP, this one aired often, at least where I grew up. The rabbit-titis sequence at the end is still a treat.