''Rabbit Hood'' is a 1949 ''

Merrie Melodies ''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animated series of comedy short films produced by Warner Bros. starting in 1931, during the golden age of American animation, and ending in 1969. Then some new cartoons were produced from the late 1970s to the ...

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of imag ...

released on December 24, 1949. The entry was directed by

Chuck Jones Charles Martin Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, director, and painter, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the '' Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of shorts. He wrote, pro ...

and written by

Michael Maltese Michael Maltese (February 6, 1908 – February 22, 1981) was an American story man for classic animated cartoon shorts. He is best known for working in the 1950s on a series of '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoons with director Chuck Jones, notably " ...

, and features

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 ...

Plot

There is a wall covered with anti-

poaching Poaching has been defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set a ...

notices and

wanted poster A wanted poster (or wanted sign) is a poster distributed to let the public know of a person whom authorities wish to apprehend. They generally include a picture of the person, either a photograph when one is available or of a facial composite ...

s of

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...

and Little John. Bugs is trying to silence an alarm attached to a carrot he just pulled out of the King's Carrot Patch. He is caught by the

Sheriff of Nottingham The Sheriff of Nottingham is the main antagonist in the legend of Robin Hood. He is generally depicted as an unjust tyrant who mistreats the local people of Nottinghamshire, subjecting them to unaffordable taxes. Robin Hood fights against him, ...

and is about to be put to the

rack Rack or racks may refer to: Storage and installation * Amp rack, short for amplifier rack, a piece of furniture in which amplifiers are mounted * Bicycle rack, a frame for storing bicycles when not in use * Bustle rack, a type of storage bin ...

when

Little John Little John is a companion of Robin Hood who serves as his chief lieutenant and second-in-command of the Merry Men. He is one of only a handful of consistently named characters who relate to Robin Hood and one of the two oldest Merry Men, al ...

(depicted as a fat goonish fellow) appears and introduces Robin Hood. However, Robin Hood does not appear. Bugs and the Sheriff continue to converse, and Bugs averts the latter's attention by lying about the king's arrival ("Hail, the king approacheth!"). Bugs clubs the Sheriff while the latter is bowing and runs off. While examining the garden wall in an attempt to scale it, Bugs is chased by the Sheriff up to the Royal Rose Garden, which the Sheriff regards as "royal ground". Here, Bugs dupes the Sheriff once again by acting as a

real estate agent A real estate agent or real estate broker is a person who represents sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and ag ...

and successfully selling the land to the Sheriff, who plans to turn the garden into a "six-room Tudor". The Sheriff builds the house to half-completion before he realizes that he has been tricked and, now infuriated, declares revenge, all the while hitting himself on the head with a hammer ("Oooooh, I hate myself! I do! I do! I do!"). The Sheriff shoots an

arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers ...

which grazes Bugs while he is scaling the garden wall. Bugs falls into Little John's hands, who again attempts to introduce Robin Hood, but again, he does not appear. Bugs then uses the opportunity to introduce Little John and the Sheriff to each other several times over, diverting the Sheriff's attention once again. During the exchange, the Sheriff spies Bugs leaving and angrily shrugs off Little John. Bugs convinces the Sheriff that the King is indeed coming while the Sheriff tries not to be fooled once again. But when the Sheriff turns to prove to himself that Bugs is just lying, he is surprised to see Bugs dressed first as a clarion player and then as a royal crier before reappearing as the King. The Sheriff recognizing Bugs as the King, obligingly bows down. The famous knighting scene ensues, the titles getting progressively more nonsensical. Afterwards, the Sheriff, already dazed from the repeated hits, sings " London Bridge Is Falling Down" and falls on a cake quickly baked by Bugs during the song. Bugs hears Little John once again introducing Robin Hood, but Bugs interrupts and mocks Little John, remembering Robin's failure to appear the first two times. This time however, Little John tells Bugs not to "talk mean like that", as this time, he ''is'' telling the truth, and Robin indeed appears (played by

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, freque ...

, in live-action footage from ''

The Adventures of Robin Hood ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' is a 1938 American Technicolor swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and stars Errol Flynn, Olivia d ...

''). But Bugs brushes it off saying "Nah that's silly, it couldn't be him."

Production notes

''Rabbit Hood'' is the last Warner Bros. cartoon released during creator

Leon Schlesinger Leon Schlesinger (May 20, 1884 – December 25, 1949) was an American film producer who founded Leon Schlesinger Productions, which later became the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio, during the Golden Age of American animation. He was a distant rel ...

's lifetime. ''Rabbit Hood'' is one of the few Bugs Bunny cartoons to receive a Blue Ribbon reissue. Strangely, while the shorts' technical credits remain, the ''Bugs Bunny in'' card before the title card was removed. ''

Hot Cross Bunny ''Hot Cross Bunny'' is a 1948 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies theatrical animated short. The short was released on August 21, 1948, and features Bugs Bunny. The title is a play on the nursery rhyme ''Hot Cross Buns'' as well as a punny allusion to th ...

'', '' Knights Must Fall'' and ''

Homeless Hare ''Homeless Hare'' is a 1950 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon short directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on March 11, 1950, and stars Bugs Bunny. Some television broadcasts omit the shot of Bugs dropping a brick on Hercules' head ...

'' are the other three cartoons with this distinction. ''Rabbit Hood'' is the origin of the infamous "knighting" exchange, where Bugs Bunny is dressed up like a king, and proceeds to pound the Sheriff's head with his

sceptre A sceptre is a staff or wand held in the hand by a ruling monarch as an item of royal or imperial insignia. Figuratively, it means royal or imperial authority or sovereignty. Antiquity Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia The '' Was'' and other ...

while dispensing an oddball title with each strike: :Sheriff: ''bows'' : Bugs: "In the name of my most Royal Majesty, I knight thee: ''(strikes Sheriff over the head with his sceptre)'' Arise! Sir Loin of Beef." :''(strike)'' "Arise! Earl of Cloves." :''(strike)'' "Arise! Duke of Brittingham." :''(strike)'' "Arise! Baron of Munchausen." :''(strike)'' "Arise! Essence of

Myrrh Myrrh (; from Semitic, but see '' § Etymology'') is a gum-resin extracted from a number of small, thorny tree species of the genus '' Commiphora''. Myrrh resin has been used throughout history as a perfume, incense and medicine. Myrrh m ...

," :''(strike)'' "

Milk of Magnesia Magnesium hydroxide is the inorganic compound with the chemical formula Mg(OH)2. It occurs in nature as the mineral brucite. It is a white solid with low solubility in water (). Magnesium hydroxide is a common component of antacids, such as milk ...

," :''(strike)'' " Water of Tyne...." :Sheriff: (dazed, slurred, but still on his feet) "You are too kind, your majesty." :Bugs: (to the viewers) "Got lots of stamina!" The cartoon ends with the appearance of "the real" Robin Hood in the form of a clip from the classic 1938 movie, which starred

.Dunne (2001), p. 148 He received a personal copy of this film in exchange for the right to use his earlier image. ''

Rule, Britannia! "Rule, Britannia!" is a British patriotic song, originating from the 1740 poem "Rule, Britannia" by James Thomson and set to music by Thomas Arne in the same year. It is most strongly associated with the Royal Navy, but is also used by the ...

'' (1740) is used here as a satirical motif to mock English pretension.Haines (2013), p. 16-17 The film's music takes advantage of the similarities between the

fanfare A fanfare (or fanfarade or flourish) is a short musical flourish which is typically played by trumpets, French horns or other brass instruments, often accompanied by percussion. It is a "brief improvised introduction to an instrumental perf ...

of the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

and the

reveille "Reveille" ( , ), called in French "Le Réveil" is a bugle call, trumpet call, drum, fife-and-drum or pipes call most often associated with the military; it is chiefly used to wake military personnel at sunrise. The name comes from (or ), the ...

. The oafish

uses a tiny trumpet to sound a standard reveille tune. Later, Bugs disguised as a page plays another reveille melody, ''

First Call "First Call" is a bugle call with three distinct meanings. U.S. military use At a U.S. military installation it is a pre-reveille "courtesy" signal, sounded around 05:50, originally to assemble the trumpeters to deliver the reveille that would ...

'', often used at the start of horse races, where it is also known as "Call to the Post". The sound and effect is similar to the tune used in '' A Knight for a Day'' (1946).Haines (2013), p. 57-58 ''Rabbit Hood'' is also included with ''

Robin Hood Daffy ''Robin Hood Daffy'' is a 1958 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon, directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. The short was released on March 8, 1958, and stars Daffy Duck as Robin Hood and Porky Pig as Friar Tuck. It was the ...

'' in the "Special Features" of the 2003 two-DVD Special Edition release of ''

''. Both are also included on the Blu-ray disc release of the film. It is also one of three Bugs Bunny shorts included as special features on the 2014 DVD release of

Rankin/Bass Productions Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment (founded and formerly known as Videocraft International, Ltd. and Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc.) was an American production company located in New York City, and known for its seasonal television specials, usua ...

' animated version of ''

The Hobbit ''The Hobbit, or There and Back Again'' is a children's fantasy novel by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the ''N ...

'' (along with ''

Knight-mare Hare ''Knight-mare Hare'' is a 1955 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' theatrical cartoon directed by Chuck Jones and written by Tedd Pierce. The short was released on October 1, 1955, and stars Bugs Bunny. Plot Loosely based on Mark Twain's 1889 nove ...

'' and ''

Knighty Knight Bugs ''Knighty Knight Bugs'' is a 1958 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon directed by Friz Freleng, The short was released on August 23, 1958, and stars Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam. ''Knighty Knight Bugs'' is the only Bugs Bunny cartoon to win an ...

''), made possible by Warner Bros.' acquisition of much of the Rankin-Bass home video library. The phrase "Sir Loin of Beef" is used again to name one of

King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as ...

's knights in ''

'', co-starring

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 ...

. The reference to Duke of Brittingham was an in-joke. According to former Warner's writer Lloyd Turner in an interview, Brittingham's was a bar across the street from the Warner Animation offices.

Sources

* * *

References

External links

* * {{Chuck Jones 1949 films 1949 short films 1949 animated films 1940s Warner Bros. animated short films Merrie Melodies short films Robin Hood films Robin Hood parodies Short films directed by Chuck Jones Short films with live action and animation Warner Bros. short films Warner Bros. Cartoons animated short films Bugs Bunny films Films with screenplays by Michael Maltese Films scored by Carl Stalling 1940s English-language films

Plot

Production notes

See also

Sources

References

External links