Elmer Fudd, Chick Magnet

Elmer Fudd is a red-blooded, heterosexual he-man. You need no further proof than The Unruly Hare, a February 1945 release directed by Frank Tashlin.

Fudd is working as a wailwoad surveyer. The twacks will go right over Bugs Bunny’s home. Much like later cartoons directed by Chuck Jones and Bob McKimson, he won’t stand for it.

Bugs’ first reaction is to play sexual head games with him using a copy of almost-Esquire.



The inevitable erection stand-in.



Tex Avery at MGM had Red. Shamus Culhane at Lantz had Miss X. Frank Tashlin, to whom leggy women were not unknown in live action, has one of his artists come up with stills. Carl Stalling plays "It Had To Be You" in the background.



An invitation to Elmer.



Fudd carries on like he’s at a strip show (Okay, it’s the ‘40s. Make that burlesque show).



Elmer’s so overcome with pent-up desire, he thinks he’s involved with one of the babes in the photos.



It’s only after Bugs says to him “Ehhhhh, is you is, or is you ain’t, my baby?” that Fudd weawizes he’s been twicked. For whatever reason, Tashlin cuts to a longer shot. Avery and Culhane, on the other hand, would keep the scene in close shot so you’d get the full impact of the take.



Tashlin only made two Bugs Bunny cartoons. Both were released after he left the studio. He was working for Moray and Sutherland on stop motion films starting in August 1944.

Cal Dalton get the rotating animation credit on this. The backgrounds are unmistakably the work of Dick Thomas. Tubby Millar’s story includes references to Joe Besser and Jerry Colonna (it’s a shame Bugs didn’t sprout Colonna’s moustache for the scene), and a war-time reference at the end.