''Southern Fried Rabbit'' is a 1953 Warner Bros. ''

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series '' Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation. ...

'' cartoon directed by

Friz Freleng Isadore "Friz" Freleng (August 21, 1905May 26, 1995), credited as I. Freleng early in his career, was an American animator, cartoonist, director, producer, and composer known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ...

. The cartoon was released on May 2, 1953, and stars

Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character created in the late 1930s by Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his starring roles in the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merr ...

and

Yosemite Sam Yosemite Sam ( /joʊˈsɛmɪti/ ''yoh-SEM-ih-tee'') is a cartoon character in the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of short films produced by Warner Bros. His name is taken from Yosemite National Park. He is an adversary of Bugs ...

Plot

A severe drought has ruined the carrot crop in Bugs Bunny's northern home. Upon learning of a boom crop in

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

, Bugs decides to happily make the trip to the fertile soils. After a lot of walking, he finds himself near the

Mason–Dixon line The Mason–Dixon line, also called the Mason and Dixon line or Mason's and Dixon's line, is a demarcation line separating four U.S. states, forming part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia (part of Virginia ...

that separates the drought-ravaged north from the fertile

south South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

; but as soon as he crosses the line, he is shot at by "Colonel" Sam, who chases Bugs back over the line. Bugs asks Sam what the deal is, only to hear that Sam somehow believes that he is a soldier of the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

and has received orders from

General Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

to guard the borders between the

Confederate States The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

and the Union. Bugs points out that the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

ended almost 90 years ago (the cartoon itself was animated in 1953), but Sam refuses to accept this and says he will remain guarding the border until he hears the orders to do otherwise from Lee, which will obviously never come. Sam then shoots at Bugs and forces him to run away, prompting the rabbit to make several attempts to cross the border. First, Bugs disguises himself as a

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

-playing

slave Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

, singing "

My Old Kentucky Home "My Old Kentucky Home, Good-Night!" is a sentimental ballad written by Stephen Foster, probably composed in 1852. It was published in January 1853 by Firth, Pond, & Co. of New York. Foster was likely inspired by Harriet Beecher Stowe's anti-sla ...

". When Sam asks for something "more peppy", Bugs promptly sings "

Yankee Doodle "Yankee Doodle" is a traditional song and nursery rhyme, the early versions of which predate the Seven Years' War and American Revolution. It is often sung patriotically in the United States today. It is the state anthem of Connecticut. Its ...

", leading Sam to call Bugs a traitor. Bugs then forces a

whip A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally ...

into Sam's hands, begs Sam not to beat him, and runs off. Bugs immediately returns in disguise as

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...

, scolds Sam for "whipping slaves", and hands him a card to "look imup at is

Gettysburg Address The Gettysburg Address is a speech that U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivered during the American Civil War at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery, now known as Gettysburg National Cemetery, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on the ...

". However, Bugs' cover is blown when Sam sees his cotton tail sticking out of Abe's trenchcoat. Infuriated, Sam chases Bugs into a tree. Bugs blows out Sam's match when he tries to light a bomb, and when Sam tries it again away from the tree, Bugs blows it out with an extended pipe. Sam goes even further away in the third attempt; but with more ground to cover, the fuse runs out as Sam runs back, and the bomb detonates in his hands. Bugs then disguises himself as

Stonewall Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, considered one of the best-known Confederate commanders, after Robert E. Lee. He played a prominent role in nearl ...

(referred to as "General Brickwall Jackson"), fooling Sam into marching into a well. Afterwards, Bugs flees from Sam into a mansion, where he disguises himself as

Scarlett O'Hara Katie Scarlett O'Hara Hamilton Kennedy Butler is a fictional character and the protagonist in Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel ''Gone with the Wind'' and in the 1939 film of the same name, where she is portrayed by Vivien Leigh. She also is the ...

(from '' Gone with the Wind''); and when Sam attempts to search the mansion, he takes a cannon blast while looking inside a closet and is dissuaded from searching any further. Finally, disguised as an injured Confederate soldier, Bugs succeeds in tricking Sam to leave Alabama by informing him that the Yankees are in

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

. Sam heads to Chattanooga, and the finale has him threatening the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

, preventing them from competing in an exhibition

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

game against the

Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...

Publication notes

Due to later controversies about the portrayal of ethnic stereotypes in cartoons, the scene where Bugs crosses the border disguised as a slave and Abraham Lincoln was cut from the episode's television broadcastings.Jason Bailey
"White Actors’ Most Egregious Portrayals of People of Color"
Flavorwire, July 3, 2013 (retrieved June 1, 2021).

Home media

''Southern Fried Rabbit'' was made available on a VHS tape, and its restored, uncut version on DVD in '' Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 4''.

References

External links

''New York Times'' review
* {{Uncle Tom's Cabin 1953 films 1953 animated films 1953 short films American Civil War films Looney Tunes shorts Warner Bros. Cartoons animated short films Films based on works by Harriet Beecher Stowe Short films directed by Friz Freleng Films set in the Southern United States Cultural depictions of Abraham Lincoln Bugs Bunny films 1950s Warner Bros. animated short films Film controversies African-American-related controversies in film Race-related controversies in animation Race-related controversies in film Ethnic humour Yosemite Sam films 1950s English-language films

Plot

Publication notes

Home media

See also

References

External links