''All This and Rabbit Stew'' is a 1941 ''

Merrie Melodies ''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animated comedy short film series distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was part of the ''Looney Tunes'' franchise and featured many of the same characters. Originally running from August 2, 1931, to Septem ...

'' cartoon directed by

Tex Avery Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (; February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, animation director, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of America ...

. The cartoon was released on September 13, 1941, and features

Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny is a cartoon character created in the late 1930s at Warner Bros. Cartoons (originally Leon Schlesinger, Leon Schlesinger Productions) and Voice acting, voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his featured roles in the ' ...

. Because of the cartoon's

racial stereotypes An ethnic stereotype or racial stereotype involves part of a system of beliefs about typical characteristics of members of a given ethnic group, their status, societal and cultural norms. A national stereotype does the same for a given nation ...

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...

decided to withhold it from

television syndication Broadcast syndication is the practice of content owners leasing the right to broadcast their content to other television stations or radio stations, without having an official broadcast network to air it on. It is common in the United States whe ...

in the United States beginning in 1968. As such, the short was placed into the so-called

Censored Eleven The Censored Eleven is a group of ''Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoons originally produced and released by Warner Bros. between 1931 and 1944. All of them have been withheld from syndication in the United States by United A ...

, a group of eleven ''Merrie Melodies'' and ''

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside its spin-off series ''Merrie Melodies'', during t ...

'' shorts withheld from U.S. television distribution. It was one of 12 cartoons to be pulled from

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

's 2001 "June Bugs" marathon by order of

AOL Time Warner Warner Media, LLC (doing business as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned by AT&T. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City. It was established as Time Warner i ...

, on grounds of the subject material's offensiveness.

Mel Blanc Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908 – July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for come ...

and Darrell Payne were not credited for their voice work. The cartoon entered the public domain in 1969, as

, the distributor of the cartoon, chose not to renew the copyright in time.

Plot

An African American hunter tries to catch Bugs Bunny, who tricks him into destroying a tree. Bugs outsmarts the hunter by using his own gun against him and tickling him. Then, Bugs leads the hunter into a cave where they encounter a bear. They both run away scared when they realize the bear is in the rabbit hole. The hunter chases Bugs with birdshot bullets, leading to a wild chase through various holes. Bugs tricks the hunter into falling off a cliff and then play the dice game

craps Craps is a dice game in which players gambling, bet on the outcomes of the roll of a pair of dice. Players can wager money against each other (playing "street craps") or against a bank ("casino craps"). Because it requires little equipment, " ...

. Bugs wins everything the hunter has and walks away wearing the clothes of the hunter, who is left naked and embarrassed.

Analysis

The film contains a reference to

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, when the hunter threatens to

Blitzkrieg ''Blitzkrieg'(Lightning/Flash Warfare)'' is a word used to describe a combined arms surprise attack, using a rapid, overwhelming force concentration that may consist of armored and motorized or mechanized infantry formations, together with ...

Bugs. The hunter is identified in his model sheet as "Tex's Coon".Barrier (2003), p. 439 The hunter fills the role usually associated with

Elmer Fudd Elmer J. Fudd is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes''/''Merrie Melodies'' series and the archenemy of Bugs Bunny. Elmer Fudd's aim is to hunt Bugs, but he usually ends up seriously injuring himself and other antag ...

; this was one of four Bugs Bunny short films of 1941 that have him facing a different hunter each time (the others were ''

Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt ''Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt'' is a 1941 ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. Mel Blanc voiced all characters. This film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Short Subject (cartoons), but lost to Walt Disney's ''Lend a Paw' ...

'', in which Bugs faced an Indian; ''

The Heckling Hare ''The Heckling Hare'' is a ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon, released on July 5, 1941, and featuring Bugs Bunny and a dopey dog named Willoughby (Looney Tunes), Willoughby. The cartoon was directed by Tex Avery, written by Michael Maltese, animated b ...

'', in which Bugs faces Willoughby the Dog; and ''

Wabbit Twouble ''Wabbit Twouble'' is a ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon starring Bugs Bunny, produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions and released on December 20, 1941, by Warner Bros. Pictures. Plot Elmer Fudd embarks on a journey to Jellostone National Park, a ...

'', which pits Bugs against Fudd).Shull, Wilt (2004), p. 100 A later scholar, John Stausbauch, described the hunter in terms of racial stereotype: as a "shufflin', big lipped, sleepy-eyed country coon", who cannot resist a game of craps.Stausbauch (2007), unnumbered pages The hunter is dressed in a hat, a short-sleeved shirt, overalls and oversized shoes. A character with the same attire and demeanor would later be used in ''

Angel Puss ''Angel Puss'' is a 1944 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on June 3, 1944. The protagonist is a " Li'l Sambo" type blackface character who exhibited common racial stereotypes in speech, intel ...

'' (1944). He essentially plays a stereotypical

Sambo Sambo may refer to: Places * Sambo, Angola, a commune in Tchicala Tcholohanga, Huambo Province, Angola * Sambo Creek, a village in Honduras People * Ferdy Sambo (born 1973), former Indonesian police general * Khem Sambo (1961–2011), Cambodi ...

role in the film, and was named Sambo in its publicity material,Lehman (2007), p. 58-59 as he had been in ''Rabbit Stew''. The giant hollow log gag was reused in ''

The Big Snooze ''The Big Snooze'' is a 1946 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon directed by Bob Clampett and co-directed by Arthur Davis (animator), Arthur Davis, who were both uncredited as directors. It features Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, voiced by Mel Blan ...

'' (1946), ''

Foxy by Proxy ''Foxy by Proxy'' is a 1952 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on February 23, 1952, and features Bugs Bunny and Willoughby the Dog, in the latter's last appearance. Mel Blanc voices Bugs Bunny, while an unc ...

'' (1952), and ''

Person to Bunny ''Person to Bunny'' is a 1960 ''Merrie Melodies'' animated cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on April 1, 1960, and stars Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd. It is the last cartoon to feature Arthur Q. Bryan as the voice ...

'' (1960).

Reception

Motion Picture Herald The ''Motion Picture Herald'' (MPH) was an American film industry trade paper first published as the ''Exhibitors Herald'' in 1915, and MPH from 1931 to December 1972.Anthony Slide, ed. (1985)''International Film, Radio, and Television Journals ...

'' (September 13, 1941): "The little colored

decides to try his hand at capturing Bugs Bunny, but meets with the same success as his predecessors. Just as he has the screwy rabbit cornered, Bugs Bunny entices him into a craps game, and little Sambo winds up a sadder and wiser hunter." ''

Boxoffice ''Boxoffice Pro'' is a film industry magazine dedicated to the movie theatre business published by BoxOffice Media LP. History It started in 1920 as ''The Reel Journal'', taking the name ''Boxoffice'' in 1931 and still publishes today, with a ...

'' (September 14, 1941): "One big, long hand. That's what this Technicolor cartoon is. It shows unmistakable signs of extra effort, preparation and ingenuity in all departments. The central character, a little bitty colored Sambo, is a cinch to capture fun-loving audiences. Here he decides to go gunning for some rabbits. He meets up with a nimble-witted adversary that has little Sambo in a constant dither." ''Motion Picture Exhibitor'' (September 17, 1941): "Sambo, a little negro boy, goes rabbit hunting, meets cynical Bugs Bunny, the screwy rabbit... This is a very funny reel in every respect—characters, situations, and story. If the feature is heavy or not so good, this will make the customers feel good anyhow." ''

The Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informati ...

'' (September 12, 1941): "A Bugs Bunny Howl: Having eluded Hiawatha and other Leon Schlesinger characters, Bugs Bunny this time is pursued by Sambo in a riotous short that will make anyone laugh, and laugh hard. Trying to describe the action would be like trying to explain a maise but the Technicolor cartoon is about as mirth provoking as anything has any right to be."

Home media

* VHS – 50 of the Greatest Cartoons (released by Starmaker Entertainment Inc.) * DVD – Cartoon Craze Presents: Bugs Bunny: Falling Hare (released by Digiview Productions)

Notes

* This cartoon is the final Avery-directed

short to be released. Although it was produced before ''The Heckling Hare'' (after the production of which Avery was suspended from the Schlesinger studio and defected to

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

), it was released afterwards. The title is a

parody A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satire, satirical or irony, ironic imitation. Often its subject is an Originality, original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, e ...

of that of ''

All This, and Heaven Too ''All This, and Heaven Too'' is a 1940 American drama film released by Warner Bros.- First National Pictures, produced and directed by Anatole Litvak with Hal B. Wallis as executive producer. The screenplay was adapted by Casey Robinson from ...

'' (1940), a

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympatheti ...

film from the same studio. Because the cartoon was released after Avery left Warner Bros, Avery's name does not appear in the credits. * This cartoon fell into the public domain in 1969 in the United States when

, the copyright owners to the

Associated Artists Productions Associated Artists Productions, Inc. (a.a.p.) later known as United Artists Associated was an American distributor of theatrical feature films and short subjects for television. Associated Artists Productions was the copyright owner of the ' ...

package, failed to renew the copyright in time. * Along with ''

Notes to You ''Notes to You'' is a 1941 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on September 20, 1941, and stars Porky Pig. This cartoon was remade in 1948, as '' Back Alley Oproar'', with Elmer Fudd in Porky's ...

'', the film was completed and shipped on September 2, 1941.

Citation

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:All This and Rabbit Stew 1940s English-language films 1941 comedy films Articles containing video clips Censored Eleven Films directed by Tex Avery Films about hunting Merrie Melodies short films Warner Bros. Cartoons animated short films Bugs Bunny films Films produced by Leon Schlesinger 1940s Warner Bros. animated short films American animated short films Animated films about rabbits and hares History of racism in the cinema of the United States English-language short films 1941 animated short films