From Hare to Heir
Encyclopedia
From Hare to Heir is a Warner Bros.
Merrie Melodies
theatrical cartoon short released on September 3, 1960 starring Bugs Bunny
and Yosemite Sam
as Sam, Duke of Yosemite at Bedlam Manor. The cartoon was directed and written by Friz Freleng
.
finds out from his big-nose
d servant that his uncle, the King, has decided to cut off his allowance. Sam punishes the servant for this message by giving him the nose-in-the-book
penalty (slamming a heavy book on the servant's big nose). Sam is desperate for money. Bugs Bunny
comes to his door offering one million pounds to a mild-tempered person. Whenever Sam loses his temper, a small fraction of the one million pounds will be deducted, the size of the fraction depending on what Bugs thinks it suits. Sam welcomes Bugs into his home, anxious to receive the one million pounds.
Bugs plays the role of an annoying house guest, presumably to test Sam, this naturally provokes Yosemite Sam to lose his temper and losing more money. Bugs asks Sam for multiple items at dinner. Each time he is asked for something, Sam loses his temper, and shouts out phrases like “Rackin’ Frackin’ Varmint Rabbit”. Each time Sam loses his temper, he loses money as well. This gets him even madder, causing him to lose his temper over and over again. Going into a closet to rant and rave doesn't help as Bugs can hear him (causing Sam to lose his first £300, then 400 when Sam shouts "£300?!"), so Sam has to run outside to rant and rave.
That night, Bugs keeps provoking Sam by playing the piano and singing his version of "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair
" obnoxiously while Sam is trying to sleep only for him to say "Stop that music, ya crazy rackin', frackin', varmint rabbit!". After Bugs deducts some more money for Sam losing his temper, Sam asks Bugs to sing him to sleep by playing "Brahms' Lullaby
." Bugs then becomes a one-man band and ticks off Sam even more, though Sam pretends to believe that he likes it.
Next morning, Bugs hogs the bathroom and when Sam knocks on the door and demands him to "Get out of there!", Bugs opens it quickly and accidentally smashes Sam between the door and the wall (Bugs strangely doesn't deduct from Sam's money this time, presumably because he didn't see him or because he thought it was someone else). When Sam shouts at him to get out, Bugs deducts even more money (£400 and 35 shillings this time). Already furious, Sam pounds his head on the piano
, making Bugs think Sam's playing a song. Realizing he's not going to have any money left if the temper-money deductions keep up, Sam gets an idea to kill Bugs in order to receive all of the one million pounds – an idea he plans to make look like an accident.
Each time Sam tries to kill Bugs, it backfires, causing Sam to fall into his own trap and get injured. First, he saws a hole in the floor outside the bathroom door and tries to get Bugs to come out by telling him somebody wants to see him, but Bugs orders Sam to tell whoever it is to come back the next day as he'll be in the bathroom all day. This makes Sam mad enough to bust into the bathroom and push Bugs out, only to fall through the hole intended for Bugs and land in the river
below and the gibberish, "perka-shorka-bat-flattin'-portin-filabunkabertin', perkalooma burtin' dirtin' boostinattin' bartin' anatom" curse while falling
. When Sam returns and Bugs tells him he's done with the bathroom, Sam rushes at him to strangle him, but falls through the hole and into the river again, again cursing the entire way down.
Later, Bugs climbs up a really long staircase (“The Alps
have got nothing on these stairs for climbing.”). At the top, Sam, dressed in a suit of armor, tries to chop off Bugs' head with a double-bladed axe
, but Bugs ducks and he falls down the stairs. While falling down the stairs, Sam continues to rant, curse and rave, and Bugs continues the deductions (all of which strangely weren't mentioned).
Finally, the next day, Sam gets control of his temper. He tries to show Bugs this by having his servants physically abuse him by kicking him (the big-nosed servant from earlier), throwing pies in his face, and hitting him with a rolling pin (presumably punishment for his actions). Bugs looks at the camera and says, “I haven’t got the heart to tell him he’s used up all the money” as the cartoon fades out.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies is the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures between 1931 and 1969.Originally produced by Harman-Ising Pictures, Merrie Melodies were produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions from 1933 to 1944. Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. in 1944,...
theatrical cartoon short released on September 3, 1960 starring Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is a animated character created in 1938 at Leon Schlesinger Productions, later Warner Bros. Cartoons. Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray rabbit and is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality and his portrayal as a trickster. He has primarily appeared in animated cartoons, most...
and Yosemite Sam
Yosemite Sam
Yosemite Sam is an American animated cartoon character in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons produced by Warner Bros. Animation. The name is somewhat alliterative and is inspired by Yosemite National Park...
as Sam, Duke of Yosemite at Bedlam Manor. The cartoon was directed and written by Friz Freleng
Friz Freleng
Isadore "Friz" Freleng was an animator, cartoonist, director, and producer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros....
.
Plot
The cartoon takes place at Bedlam Manor, in 17th Century England. Sam, Duke of YosemiteYosemite Sam
Yosemite Sam is an American animated cartoon character in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons produced by Warner Bros. Animation. The name is somewhat alliterative and is inspired by Yosemite National Park...
finds out from his big-nose
Human nose
The visible part of the human nose is the protruding part of the face that bears the nostrils. The shape of the nose is determined by the ethmoid bone and the nasal septum, which consists mostly of cartilage and which separates the nostrils...
d servant that his uncle, the King, has decided to cut off his allowance. Sam punishes the servant for this message by giving him the nose-in-the-book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
penalty (slamming a heavy book on the servant's big nose). Sam is desperate for money. Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is a animated character created in 1938 at Leon Schlesinger Productions, later Warner Bros. Cartoons. Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray rabbit and is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality and his portrayal as a trickster. He has primarily appeared in animated cartoons, most...
comes to his door offering one million pounds to a mild-tempered person. Whenever Sam loses his temper, a small fraction of the one million pounds will be deducted, the size of the fraction depending on what Bugs thinks it suits. Sam welcomes Bugs into his home, anxious to receive the one million pounds.
Bugs plays the role of an annoying house guest, presumably to test Sam, this naturally provokes Yosemite Sam to lose his temper and losing more money. Bugs asks Sam for multiple items at dinner. Each time he is asked for something, Sam loses his temper, and shouts out phrases like “Rackin’ Frackin’ Varmint Rabbit”. Each time Sam loses his temper, he loses money as well. This gets him even madder, causing him to lose his temper over and over again. Going into a closet to rant and rave doesn't help as Bugs can hear him (causing Sam to lose his first £300, then 400 when Sam shouts "£300?!"), so Sam has to run outside to rant and rave.
That night, Bugs keeps provoking Sam by playing the piano and singing his version of "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair
Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair
"Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair" is a parlor song by Stephen Foster . It was published by Firth, Pond & Co. of New York in 1854. Foster wrote the song with his wife Jane McDowell in mind. "Jeanie" was a notorious beneficiary of the ASCAP boycott of 1941...
" obnoxiously while Sam is trying to sleep only for him to say "Stop that music, ya crazy rackin', frackin', varmint rabbit!". After Bugs deducts some more money for Sam losing his temper, Sam asks Bugs to sing him to sleep by playing "Brahms' Lullaby
Brahms' Lullaby
Cradle Song is the common name for a number of children's lullabies with similar lyrics, the original of which was Johannes Brahms's Wiegenlied: Guten Abend, gute Nacht , Op. 49, No. 4, published in 1868 and widely known as Brahms's Lullaby...
." Bugs then becomes a one-man band and ticks off Sam even more, though Sam pretends to believe that he likes it.
Next morning, Bugs hogs the bathroom and when Sam knocks on the door and demands him to "Get out of there!", Bugs opens it quickly and accidentally smashes Sam between the door and the wall (Bugs strangely doesn't deduct from Sam's money this time, presumably because he didn't see him or because he thought it was someone else). When Sam shouts at him to get out, Bugs deducts even more money (£400 and 35 shillings this time). Already furious, Sam pounds his head on the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, making Bugs think Sam's playing a song. Realizing he's not going to have any money left if the temper-money deductions keep up, Sam gets an idea to kill Bugs in order to receive all of the one million pounds – an idea he plans to make look like an accident.
Each time Sam tries to kill Bugs, it backfires, causing Sam to fall into his own trap and get injured. First, he saws a hole in the floor outside the bathroom door and tries to get Bugs to come out by telling him somebody wants to see him, but Bugs orders Sam to tell whoever it is to come back the next day as he'll be in the bathroom all day. This makes Sam mad enough to bust into the bathroom and push Bugs out, only to fall through the hole intended for Bugs and land in the river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
below and the gibberish, "perka-shorka-bat-flattin'-portin-filabunkabertin', perkalooma burtin' dirtin' boostinattin' bartin' anatom" curse while falling
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
. When Sam returns and Bugs tells him he's done with the bathroom, Sam rushes at him to strangle him, but falls through the hole and into the river again, again cursing the entire way down.
Later, Bugs climbs up a really long staircase (“The Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
have got nothing on these stairs for climbing.”). At the top, Sam, dressed in a suit of armor, tries to chop off Bugs' head with a double-bladed axe
Axe
The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol...
, but Bugs ducks and he falls down the stairs. While falling down the stairs, Sam continues to rant, curse and rave, and Bugs continues the deductions (all of which strangely weren't mentioned).
Finally, the next day, Sam gets control of his temper. He tries to show Bugs this by having his servants physically abuse him by kicking him (the big-nosed servant from earlier), throwing pies in his face, and hitting him with a rolling pin (presumably punishment for his actions). Bugs looks at the camera and says, “I haven’t got the heart to tell him he’s used up all the money” as the cartoon fades out.
Usage in compilations
This cartoon was included in the 1983 compilation film Daffy Duck's Movie: Fantastic Island as Sam's first wish.Censorship
- The ABC version of this cartoon shortens the part at the end of the cartoon where Yosemite Sam shows Bugs that he "...don't get mad no more" and lets his servants kick him, hit him in the headHeadIn anatomy, the head of an animal is the rostral part that usually comprises the brain, eyes, ears, nose and mouth . Some very simple animals may not have a head, but many bilaterally symmetric forms do....
, and slam a pie in his face (before Bugs asides to the audience that he doesn't have the heartHeartThe heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
to tell Sam that he lost all his money).