Rabbit Hood
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This article does not cite any references or sources. (December 2009) |
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This article consists almost entirely of a plot summary and it should be expanded to provide more balanced coverage that includes real-world context. (April 2011) |
| Rabbit Hood | |
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| Merrie Melodies (Bugs Bunny) series | |
 Bugs & The Sheriff of Nottingham in “Rabbit Hood” |
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| Directed by | Charles M. Jones |
| Produced by | Eddie Selzer (uncredited) |
| Story by | Michael Maltese |
| Voices by | Mel Blanc Errol Flynn (uncredited live-action appearance) |
| Music by | Carl W. Stalling |
| Animation by | Ken Harris Phil Monroe Ben Washam Lloyd Vaughan |
| Layouts by | Robert Gribbroek |
| Backgrounds by | Peter Alvarado |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures The Vitaphone Corporation |
| Release date(s) | December 24, 1949 (USA) |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Running time | 7:55 |
| Language | English |
Rabbit Hood is a 1949 Bugs Bunny cartoon which parodies the Robin Hood story. Originally released on December 24, 1949, the short was directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. As usual, Mel Blanc picked up all the voice characterizations. The layouts were done by Robert Gribbroek and the backgrounds by Peter Alvarado.[1]
In the cartoon the Sheriff of Nottingham catches Bugs eating the King's carrots and is about to arrest him, when Little John shows up and tells them that Robin Hood is on his way.
The cartoon ends with the appearance of "the real" Robin Hood in the form of a clip from the classic 1938 movie, which starred Errol Flynn (he received a personal copy of this film in exchange for the right to use his earlier image).
This cartoon is the origin of the infamous "knighting" exchange, where Bugs Bunny is dressed up like a king, and proceeds to pound the skull of the Sheriff with his sceptre while dispensing an oddball title with each strike:
- Sheriff: *bows*
- Bugs: “Arise, Sir Loin of Beef!” *strikes Sheriff over the head with his sceptre*
- “Arise, Earl (oil) of Cloves!” *strike*
- “Arise, Duke of Brittingham!” *strike*
- “Arise, Baron of Münchhausen!” *strike*
- “Arise, Essence of Myrrh!” *strike*
- “Milk of Magnesia” *strike*
- “Quarter of Ten!”
- Sheriff: (dazed, slurred) “You are too kind, your majesty.”
- Bugs: (to audience) “Got lots of stamina!”
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Plot [edit]
There is a wall covered with Anti-poaching notices and wanted posters of Robin Hood and Little John. Bugs is silencing an alarm attached to a carrot. He is caught by the Sheriff of Nottingham and is about to be put to the rack when Little John (depicted as fat fellow) appears and introduces Robin Hood. However, Robin Hood does not appear afterwards. Bugs and the Sheriff continue to converse, but Bugs averts the latter's attention by telling him about the king's arrival. Bugs clubs the Sheriff while the latter is bowing and runs off.
While examining the castle wall trying to scale it, Bugs is again chased by the Sheriff up to the Royal Rose Garden, which the Sheriff regards as "royal ground". Upon hearing this, Bugs dupes the Sheriff once again by acting as a real estate agent and successfully selling the land to the Sheriff, who plans to turn the garden into a "Six-roomed Tudor". As The Sheriff is building his house, he realizes that he's been tricked, and he is now infuriated about building a house in the Garden and declares revenge, all the while hitting himself on the head with the hammer:"OOOH! I HATE MYSELF! I DO! I DO! I DO!".
The Sheriff shoots an arrow which hits Bugs while he is scaling the castle wall. Bugs falls into Little John's hands. Bugs then uses the opportunity to introduce Little John and the Sheriff to each other and divert the Sheriff's attention once again. During the exchange, the Sheriff spies Bugs leaving and angrily shrugs off Little John, saying "Stop it, Oaf!". 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. Bugs knights the Sheriff by bonking him on the head with his scepter. 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, knowing about Robin's failure to appear the first time. 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, in live-action footage from The Adventures of Robin Hood). Bugs however doubts that's him.
Censorship [edit]
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (April 2011) |
- The ABC version of this cartoon cuts the part after The Sheriff of Nottingham is duped into building a house in the King's garden to remove the part where The Sheriff gnashes his teeth (with carpenter nails in them) and shouts: "Oooh! I hate myself!" then hits himself over the head with the hammer several times while yelling: "I do, I do, I do!"
- The infamous "knighting scene" (where Bugs bashes the Sheriff over the head several times with a scepter) was drastically cut short when it aired on ABC.
See also [edit]
Robin Hood Daffy (1958), in which Daffy Duck played Robin Hood
Wagon Heels (1945), another cartoon (also a Merrie Melodies cartoon) [but featuring Porky Pig instead of Bugs Bunny] which has a reference to London Bridge Is Falling Down (Sloppy Mo singing 'I know something I won't tell' to the tune of this nursery rhyme).
References [edit]
- ^ "Rabbit Hood". BCDB. 2012-11-16.
External links [edit]
- Rabbit Hood at the Internet Movie Database
- Rabbit Hood at the Big Cartoon DataBase
| Preceded by Which Is Witch |
Bugs Bunny Cartoons 1949 |
Succeeded by Hurdy-Gurdy Hare |
