| Porky's Hare Hunt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Ben Hardaway |
| Story by | Howard Baldwin |
| Produced by | Leon Schlesinger |
| Starring | Mel Blanc |
| Music by | Carl W. Stalling |
| Animation by | Volney White |
| Color process | Black-and-white |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 8:00 |
| Language | English |
Porky's Hare Hunt is a 1938Warner Bros.Looney Tunesanimatedshort film directed byBen "Bugs" Hardaway and an uncreditedCal Dalton,[1] which starsPorky Pig as a hunter whose quarry is a little white rabbit.[2] The short was released on April 30, 1938.[3]
Severalrabbits are causing havoc by eating carrots and destroying crops. One rabbit, warning them to flee, encounters Porky and hisdog in the forest. A confrontation ensues, with Porky attempting to outsmart the rabbit, but ultimately failing. When Porky tries to shoot the rabbit, his gun malfunctions, leading to a humorous exchange about hunting licenses.
The resourceful rabbit outwits Porky by destroying his hunting license and escaping using his ears as helicopter blades. Despite Porky's attempts to stop him, including throwing a rock and dynamite, the rabbit emerges victorious. Eventually, Porky finds himself in the hospital, where the rabbit ironically brings him flowers before pulling a prank that ensures Porky's prolonged stay.
Porky's Hare Hunt marked the first appearance of the rabbit that would evolve intoBugs Bunny, who is barely recognizable compared to his more familiar later form. Bugs' first official appearance would come two years later inA Wild Hare.
According to the cartoon's copyright date in the opening title card, this cartoon began production in 1937, but was released in theatres on April 30, 1938.
Hardaway, according toMartha Sigall, said he was going to put "a rabbit suit on that duck", referring toPorky's Duck Hunt, released a year earlier.[4]
The rabbit'shyperactive personality and laugh provided byMel Blanc predated the 1940Walter Lantz/Universal Pictures releaseKnock Knock which starredAndy Panda and introducedcartoon audiences toWoody Woodpecker, who was created for the Lantz studio by Hardaway after his departure from theLeon Schlesinger/Warner Bros. studio.
Theincidental music heard throughout the piece arescored arrangements of "Bei Mir Bistu Shein", a popular song which was a hit forThe Andrews Sisters around this time, and "Hooray for Hollywood" from the contemporary motion pictureHollywood Hotel.
The redrawn colorized version was long considered to be a lost cartoon, until the redrawn was found on a recorded tape and uploaded on theInternet Archive on April 30, 2021, exactly 83 years after the short premiered in theaters.[5]
The directorial team of Bugs Hardaway and Cal Dalton tried in this film to adopt the existing and unfinished character of Daffy Duck, including "Woo-hoos!" into a rabbit skin.
Sigall, Martha (2005).Living life inside the lines : tales from the golden age of animation. University Press of Mississippi.
| Preceded by None | Bugs Bunny Cartoons 1938 | Succeeded by |