| Hare-um Scare-um | |
|---|---|
 Lobby card | |
| Directed by | Ben Hardaway Cal Dalton |
| Story by | Melvin Millar |
| Produced by | Leon Schlesinger Henry Binder Raymond G. Katz |
| Starring | Mel Blanc (all other voices)[1] Pinto Colvig (Rabbit's Coughs - uncredited) |
| Edited by | Treg Brown |
| Music by | Carl W. Stalling |
| Animation by | Gil Turner Richard Bickenbach Rod Scribner Herman Cohen |
| Layouts by | Griff Jay |
| Backgrounds by | Arthur Loomer |
| Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 7:47(theatrical release) 8:10(lost ending) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Hare-um Scare-um is a 1939Warner Bros.Merrie Melodies cartoon directed byBen Hardaway andCal Dalton.[3] The short was released on August 5, 1939,[2] and is the third short to feature the rabbit that would evolve intoBugs Bunny.[4]
The title is ahomonym with an old nonsense expression — "harum-scarum", meaning reckless or irresponsible. This was the first use of a hare-based pun title in the Warner Bros. cartoons; it would be a device used to name many Bugs Bunny cartoons in the years to come.
A man (named as John Sourpuss in the copyright synopsis) reads a newspaper article stating that meat prices have soared and the consumers are sore. Enraged, he declares that he will hunt his own meat to get back at the government for the price inflation. He takes his dog with him, revealing he is going hunting for rabbits.
In the woods, a rabbit leads the dog into a hollow log and pushes the log down a hill, where it smashes into a tree. Meanwhile, the hunter sees several rabbits hopping over a hill. He fires his gun several times and runs to where the rabbits were. When he gets there, he finds twospinning wheels with pictures of rabbits on them, giving the perception of moving rabbits.
He then sees the rabbit sleeping. The hunter starts pouring salt on the rabbit's tail. The rabbit quickly gets up and holds a stick ofcelery under the stream of salt. The rabbit then runs into a cave, and the hunter runs after him. Before he reaches the cave, a pair of elevator doors closes, which the hunter runs into.
The rabbit then dresses as a female dog, successfully seducing the hunter's dog. When the dog finally realizes he's with the rabbit rather than another dog, he resumes his chase. The rabbit then pretends he's a policeman, citing the dog for numerous crimes (speeding, running on the wrong side of the street, intoxicated "driving", etc.).
After confusing the dog and running away, the rabbit begins singing a song about how crazy he is. When he finishes his song, he turns to find the hunter with his gun aimed at him. The rabbit, trying to gain sympathy, begs for his life, explaining how poor and sick he is. The hunter begins crying, feeling sorry for the rabbit. Despite this, the rabbit shocks the hunter with ajoy buzzer. The hunter then shouts that he can whip the rabbit and his whole family. Suddenly, a large group of rabbits surround the hunter, looking for a fight. The rabbits attack the hunter in a cartoon smoke cloud and then run away.[5] The smoke clears up to show the hunter disheveled. The rabbit returns to give the hunter his busted rifle saying "You oughtta get that fixed. Somebody's liable to get hurt." He then returns to his looney self, bouncing on his head like a pogo stick down the road. The hunter becomes enraged, but then does the same thing the rabbit does (see "Notes" below for alternate ending).
| Preceded by | Bugs Bunny Cartoons 1939 | Succeeded by |