Hillbilly Hare
| Hillbilly Hare | |
|---|---|
| Merrie Melodies (Bugs Bunny) series | |
 Bugs (in disguise) starts a square dance with the Martins that eventually turns slapstick. | |
| Directed by | Robert McKimson |
| Produced by | Edward Selzer (uncredited) |
| Story by | Tedd Pierce |
| Voices by |
Mel Blanc Stan Freberg (uncredited) John T. Smith (uncredited) |
| Music by | Carl Stalling |
| Animation by |
John Carey Phil DeLara Emery Hawkins Charles McKimson Rod Scribner |
| Layouts by | Cornett Wood |
| Backgrounds by | Richard H. Thomas |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Release date(s) | August 12, 1950 |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Running time | 7:22 |
| Language | English |
Hillbilly Hare is a 1949 produced, 1950 released Merrie Melodies cartoon starring Bugs Bunny, produced and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was directed by Robert McKimson, with a story by Tedd Pierce and musical direction by Carl Stalling. As usual, Bugs is voiced by Mel Blanc, as is Curt Martin; an uncredited Stan Freberg and John T. Smith both voice Punkin'head Martin, and Smith also voices the jukebox square dance caller.
Plot
Bugs Bunny is vacationing in the Ozarks and stumbles into the territory of two hillbilly brothers, Curt and Punkin'head Martin. The brothers figure Bugs as being a member of the clan they are feuding with and make several attempts to shoot him. Bugs foils them each time. Curt and Punkin'head are determined to get revenge on Bugs for their humiliation. Bugs easily outsmarts them and eventually, dressed as an attractive hillbilly girl, tricks them into doing a square dance. The dance tune starts as a straightforward version of "Skip to My Lou" played and called by the jukebox band, "The Sow Belly Trio". Shortly into it, Bugs deliberately unplugs the jukebox, removes the dress and takes over fiddling and square dance calling, still to the melody and rhythm of the song but manipulating the Martins through a series of slapstick comedy gags. Bugs proceeds to assign the Martins increasingly bizarre and violent directives, which the brothers unquestioningly follow with hilarious results. Finally, with the Martins having promenaded off a cliff, Bugs finishes the dance by saying, "And that is all!" before the cartoon ends.
Appearance in pop culture
The hillbillies in Hillbilly Hare have appeared in the DC Looney Tunes comic book series, and had a cameo along with Bugs in the Histeria! episode "Great Heroes of France". They also make a brief cameo in Space Jam (they are briefly seen with the other Looney Tunes characters watching the basketball game between the Tune Squad and the Monstars).
Availability
Hillbilly Hare is available (uncensored and uncut) on Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3, Disc 1.
References
External links
| Preceded by 8 Ball Bunny |
Bugs Bunny Cartoons 1950 |
Succeeded by Bunker Hill Bunny |