Slick Hare (1947)

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

" . . . it's rabbit Baby gets." So ends this Merrie Melodies cartoon, after nearly 7 minutes and 44 seconds of mayhem in the kitchen of a restaurant seemingly populated only by celebrities. "Baby" refers to Lauren Bacall, who is dining out with her fried rabbit craving husband Humphrey Bogart. Other Mel Blanc impersonations here include Jack Carson, Sydney Greenstreet, Chico and Harpo Marx, Frank McHugh, Ray Milland, Carmen Miranda, Gregory Peck, Zachary Scott, Alexis Smith, Barbara Stanwyck, Leopold Stokowski, and Clifton Webb--many of whom have been dead so long and are regarded as being of such little importance in the current century that their surnames come up as typos on this site's spell checker. The ageless Bugs Bunny himself, despite his possible double entendre at the close, is imperiled throughout this brief animation by his nemesis, Elmer Fudd (the eatery's cook\waiter here). Though director Fritz Freleng feels compelled to resort to a cream pie barrage by the end of the film, a root canal certainly would be a more painful experience than watching this colorful artifact from the 1900s.

How can Looney Tunes be so good? How can Bugs Bunny be so good? He never ceases to amaze me. This is not my favourite of his episodes, but it is certainly up there in my Top 20 Bugs Bunny Cartoon List (probably). In this episode I enjoyed: 1. The caricatured appearances of the actors. I did not recognise all of them, but the ones I did recognise (Frank Sinatra, Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx), I enjoyed watching and I found the spoofs on them funny. Am I misunderstanding or did Looney Tunes have it in for Frank Sinatra? Poor him.2. Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, they played their characters well and you feel sorry for Elmer Fudd.Anyhow, this episode is set in a posh, expensive restaurant, where many film stars are having their meals. Before any of the Looney Tunes characters appear, you see various film star/performer references, some you might recognise. Elmer Fudd is serving Humphrey Bogart, who wants a rabbit for supper. Elmer apologises and says they are out of rabbit. Bogart is unsatisfied and threatens poor Elmer with death if he does not produce a rabbit within twenty minutes. Elmer finds Bugs and he is determined to serve him up to the film star...I recommend this episode to people who like old Bugs Bunny episodes, film star references and Looney Tunes in general. Enjoy "Slick Hare"! :-) 8 and a half out of ten.

NO SCHULTZ, IT ain't FANTASIA! It is rather one of those great old Cartoon Short Subjects that we all took for granted in years gone-by.STILL RELEGATED BY many as being strictly kids' stuff, the animated Cartoon short has slowly gained its proper place and commensurate dignity in the art of cinema. An objective viewing of any good, cross sampling of these 10 minute surrealist comedies would probably surprise many of their staunchest critics.TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION today's honored "guest", SLICK HARE (Warner Brothers Pictures, 1947). The madcap "plot" consists of a customer's desire to order Roast Rabbit and all of the complications that spring-up between customer and waiter. Then factor in that the principal characters involved in this mêlée are Customer(Humohrey Bogart), Waiter (Elmer Fudd) and the bone of contention, the Rabbit (Bugs Bunny).ADD IN SOME fine and genuinely funny gags; along with a whole company of Hollywood caricatures; a list of which would do Hirschfeld proud, and whatta ya have? You'd have a top flight comic romp, animated or live action. For all of its gag happenings, the film rolls along at an unbelievably brisk rate; with the ending coming along all too quickly.THE CRITICISMS WE hear about the short involve the inescapable fact that the Hollywood folks spoofed as well as the contemporary nature of the the then recent occurrences, leaves a modern audience in a bit of puzzlement.THIS WE CAN understand; having failed recognition of unknown Cowboy as Gary Cooper in the Bob Hope starring vehicle, ALIAS JESSE JAMES (Hope Enterprises/United Artists, 1959). Being about 12 years old at the time and an avid TV Watcher, quickly identifying Gail Davis (Annie Oakley), James Arness (Matt Dillon), Ward Bond (Major Adams of WAGON TRAIN), Hugh Obrian (Wyatt Earp), Fess Parker (Davy Croket) and Jay Silverheals (Tonto). (Roy Rogers & Trigger were super easy, playin themselves!) But I digress! Now back to SLICK HARE! THE CAST OF CHARACTERS being lampooned here are basically as well known today as they were in 1947. Furthermore, speaking for those among us who they call "Film Buffs", the Films and Stars of that Golden Age; as well as their Film Credits, are more familiar than an awful lot of current Hollywood. While we do enjoy a certain number of today's cinematic output, we do spend a lot of time on the Oldies; as we had viewed them; being on Turner Classic Movies, Fox Movie Channel and American Movie Classics (the old AMC, that is).

Starting out like one of the Hollywood Star caricature cartoons like 'The Coo-Coo Nut Grove' or 'Hollywood Steps Out', 'Slick Hare' quickly distinguishes itself by injecting Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny in amongst the other famous faces. These cartoons are mostly recommended for movie buffs who will still recognise the stars being parodied (here they include the Marx Brothers, Carmen Miranda, Ray Milland, Frank Sinatra and Humphrey Bogart) but 'Slick Hare' offers a chase between Bugs and Elmer for anyone not interested in celebrity spotting. The combination of these two elements doesn't really work that well, the caricature routines slowing down the action whenever it threatens to get going (culminating in a tedious, overlong dance routine from Carmen Miranda and Bugs). A further problem is that the central chase is quite uninspired, with only a scene in which Bugs orders pies and then puts them in Elmer's face really standing out. Bugs also seems excessively brash and obnoxious in this cartoon, from his loud "Am I the first to arrive" routine at the beginning of the cartoon to his frenzied cat-calling at the end. All in all, 'Slick Hare' is a lumpy and jarring experiment gone wrong.