''Baseball Bugs'' is a 1946

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

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 ...

'' theatrical

animated cartoon Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...

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, Film director, director, Film producer, producer, and composer known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons ...

. The short was released on February 2, 1946, and stars

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 ' ...

Plot

A baseball game takes place at the

Polo Grounds The Polo Grounds was the name of three stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used mainly for professional baseball and American football from 1880 to 1963. The original Polo Grounds, opened in 1876 and demolished in 1889, was built for the ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, featuring the Gas-House Gorillas and the Tea Totallers. The former, a burly and intimidating team reminiscent of the real-life Gashouse Gang, dominates the elderly players of the home team and intimidates the umpire with their aggressive play. Bugs Bunny, observing from his burrow in the outfield, becomes incensed by the unfair tactics of the Gorillas and challenges them. Forced to play all positions against the Gorillas, Bugs employs clever strategies to level the playing field. Despite initial setbacks, Bugs showcases his athleticism and wit, thwarting the Gorillas' attempts to maintain their dominance. Through comedic antics and resourcefulness, Bugs manages to score runs and outsmart his opponents, much to their chagrin. As the game progresses, Bugs finds himself in a decisive moment in the final inning, with the Gorillas closing in on victory. In a dramatic climax, Bugs embarks on a daring pursuit to retrieve a home run ball launched out of the stadium. With ingenuity and determination, Bugs ultimately secures the ball atop the Umpire State Building, ensuring victory for his team.

Voice cast

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 ...

, Tea Totaller, Umpire, Gas-House Gorilla, Second Sportscaster * Frank Graham as Sportscaster, Lead Gas-House Gorilla *

Tedd Pierce Edward Stacey "Tedd" Pierce III (August 12, 1906 – February 19, 1972) was an American screenwriter and voice actor of animated cartoons, principally from the mid-1930s to the late 1950s. Biography Pierce was the son of a stockbroker, Samuel ...

as First Sportscaster *

Bea Benaderet Beatrice Benaderet ( ; April 4, 1906 – October 13, 1968) was an American actress and comedienne. Born in New York City and raised in San Francisco, she began performing in Bay Area theatre and radio before embarking on a Hollywood career that s ...

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of French Thir ...

Production notes

''Baseball Bugs,'' directed by Friz Freleng and written by Michael Maltese, features voice characterizations by Mel Blanc, along with additional uncredited performances by Bea Benaderet, Frank Graham, and Tedd Pierce. The title serves as a double entendre, playing on the term "Bugs" as both a nickname for eccentric individuals and a nod to sports fandom. This cartoon also draws inspiration from a previous Columbia Pictures production, ''Football Bugs'', released in 1936.

Billboards

* The outfield wall features an ad for "Mike Maltese, Ace Dick", a nod to writer

Michael Maltese Michael Maltese (February 6, 1908 – February 22, 1981) was an American screenwriter and storyboard artist for classic animated cartoon shorts. He is best known for working in the 1950s on a series of '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoons with director ...

, with "Dick" being slang for "detective" from the comic strip ''

Dick Tracy ''Dick Tracy'' is an American comic strip featuring Dick Tracy, a tough and intelligent police detective created by Chester Gould. It made its debut on Sunday, October 4, 1931, in the '' Detroit Mirror'', and was distributed by the Chicago T ...

''. * Another ad on the wall promotes "Filboid Studge," a fictional breakfast cereal from a short story by British writer

Saki Hector Hugh Munro (18 December 1870 – 14 November 1916), popularly known by his pen name Saki and also frequently as H. H. Munro, was a British writer whose witty, mischievous and sometimes macabre stories satirise Edwardian society and ...

. * Adjacent to "Filboid Studge" is an ad for "Culvert Gin", a humorous take on Calvert Gin. * On the third base side, wall ads include "Manza Champagne", "Lausbub's Bread", and "Ross. Co. Finer Footwear for the Brats," paying homage to animator

Virgil Ross Virgil Walter Ross (August 8, 1907 – May 15, 1996) was an American artist, cartoonist, and animator best known for his work on the Warner Bros. animated shorts including the shorts of legendary animator Friz Freleng. Biography Early year ...

. * Left field wall ads feature "Camuel's", a play on

Camel Cigarettes Camel is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in the United States and by Japan Tobacco outside the U.S. Most recently Camel cigarettes contain a blend of Turkish tobacco and Vi ...

, and "Urbo." * An outfield sign reading "Daltol" references animator Cal Dalton, with a nearby product named "Chi-Chi". * Bugs Bunny's sign after the second out, reading "Was this trip really necessary?", alludes to gas rationing during

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 ...

Reception

According to animation historian

Michael Barrier Michael J. Barrier (born June 15, 1940) is an American animation historian, author, and critic, best known for his extensive research on the history of American animation and comic art. He is the author of ''Hollywood Cartoons: American Animat ...

, there was a noticeable shift in the portrayal of Bugs Bunny's adversaries before and after World War II. Prior to the war, his foes were often portrayed as bumbling fools whom Bugs held in disdain. However, in films directed by Freleng and others post-war, the antagonists became more formidable and menacing. This change added an extra layer of satisfaction to Bugs' clever maneuvers and triumphs. In ''Baseball Bugs'' specifically, the antagonists take the form of the Gas-House Gorillas. "A whole team of interchangeable ... hulking, blue-jawed, cigar chewing monsters".Barrier (1999), p. 471 Bugs launches a

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch (baseball), pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. Its distinctive feature is its high speed. "Power pitchers," such as former major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, relied on the ...

from the pitcher's mound, accelerates past it, and moves in position at home plate to catch it. This is a demonstration of cartoon physics, since such

acceleration In mechanics, acceleration is the Rate (mathematics), rate of change of the velocity of an object with respect to time. Acceleration is one of several components of kinematics, the study of motion. Accelerations are Euclidean vector, vector ...

would be impossible in real life.Ripper (2002), p. 4

Home media

VHS: *''Cartoon Moviestars'' Bugs! (1988) *''Looney Tunes: The Collectors Edition'' Volume 9, ''A Looney Life'' (1999; 1995 U.S. Turner Dubbed Version) LaserDisc: *''Cartoon Moviestars'': Bugs! and Elmer! (1988) *''The Golden Age of Looney Tunes'', Volume 3, Side 7 (1992) DVD: *'' Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1'', Disc One (2003) *''

The Essential Bugs Bunny ''The Essential Bugs Bunny'' is a DVD set featuring cartoons focusing on Bugs Bunny. It was released on October 12, 2010. Contents The contents are split over two discs. The first disc features 12 Bugs Bunny theatrical shorts which have all previ ...

'', Disc 1 (2010) *''Looney Tunes Bugs Bunny Golden Carrot Collection'', Disc One (2020) Blu-ray: *'' Looney Tunes Showcase: Volume 1'' (2012) *'' Bugs Bunny 80th Anniversary Collection'', Disc 1 (2020) DVD/Blu-ray: *'' Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1'', Disc 1 (2011)

Sources

* *

References

External links

*
A mock-serious and detailed review of the cartoon
{{Friz Freleng 1940s sports comedy films Looney Tunes shorts Warner Bros. Cartoons animated short films Short films directed by Friz Freleng American baseball films Animated films set in New York City Baseball animation Animated films about rabbits and hares Bugs Bunny films Films with screenplays by Michael Maltese 1940s Warner Bros. animated short films Films scored by Carl Stalling 1940s English-language films American comedy short films English-language short films English-language sports comedy films 1946 animated short films Films produced by Edward Selzer