Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears

Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears is a 1944 Merrie Melodies cartoon short directed by Chuck Jones and written by Tedd Pierce.[1] The short was released on February 26, 1944, and features Bugs Bunny.[2] This short marks the first appearance of Jones' dysfunctional version of The Three Bears, and is a parody of the old fairy tale, Goldilocks and The Three Bears.

Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears
The title card of Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears.
Directed byCharles M. Jones
Produced byLeon Schlesinger
Story byTedd Pierce
StarringMel Blanc
Bea Benaderet
Kent Rogers
Music byCarl W. Stalling
Animation byRobert Cannon
Ken Harris
Shamus Culhane
Layouts byEarl Klein
Backgrounds byRobert Gribbroek
Color processTechnicolor
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
The Vitaphone Corporation
Release date
February 26, 1944 (1944-02-26) (USA)
Running time
7:22
LanguageEnglish

Mel Blanc provides the voices of Bugs and Papa Bear (for the latter using a raucous voice similar to Yosemite Sam only a little higher-pitched). Mama Bear is voiced by Bea Benaderet, while Kent Rogers voiced dim-witted Junyer. Stan Freberg is often incorrectly credited with voicing the character of Junyer. The cartoon was released four months before Rogers' death in the crash during a training flight in Pensacola, Florida, while he was in the military during World War II.

Plot

The Three Bears are hungry and want something to eat, so they settle on a plan to lure Goldilocks to them with porridge. They find, however, that all they have is carrots, so they make carrot soup instead. The family then pretends to go on a walk through the woods, but quickly comes back to hide in the house and wait for Goldilocks to arrive. The delicious aroma of the carrot soup causes Bugs Bunny to literally float out of his rabbit hole and into the Bears' home. A plot derived from that of the traditional Goldilocks and the Three Bears story unfolds, with Bugs Bunny as the unwitting guest in the home of the three bears.

Bugs Bunny eats the Bears' soup; they prepare to attack him as he does, but fall to the floor pretending to be rugs when Bugs nearly sees them. After eating and then stretching out on the 'rugs' for a bit, Bugs goes for some 'shuteye' in Junior's bed. The Bears recite the Goldilocks story lines and then attack Bugs, but he manages to escape and is seen standing next to Papa Bear's bed, watching the Bears essentially beat up an empty bed. When Mama Bear realizes the situation, she approaches Bugs with her fists raised. He flatters her and tells her that she's beautiful ("Your eyes. Your lips."), and gives her a kiss before he flees. Mama Bear stops Papa Bear and Junior from chasing Bugs, becomes amorous towards the rabbit ("Tell me more about my eyes!"), and attempts to embrace him.

Bugs tries to ward off Mama Bear and get out of the house, opening three doors that reveal Mama Bear in three different seductive poses (in a see-through nightgown, talking on the phone, then in a dress and blonde wig, smoking a cigarette, finally in a bathtub). Bugs crashes through a wall and runs back into his hole. But Mama Bear (unseen) is in there, giggling and still asking him to tell her more about her eyes. She proceeds to kiss Bugs repeatedly off-screen. Seconds later, Bugs emerges from the hole, his face covered in red lipstick marks. He runs away, screaming. Mama Bear, now shown wearing red lipstick, emerges from the hole, sighing with contentment at her make-out session with Bugs.

Cast

Availability

Sources
  • Sandler, Kevin S. (1998), "Notes to Pages 162-165", in Sandler, Kevin S. (ed.), Reading the Rabbit: Explorations in Warner Bros. Animation, Rutgers University Press, ISBN 978-0813525389

See also

References
  1. Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 148. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
  2. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 60-61. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
Preceded by
What's Cookin' Doc?		 Bugs Bunny Cartoons
1944		 Succeeded by
Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips
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