Hillbilly Hare
 |
| Hillbilly Hare | |
|---|---|
 Bugs (in disguise) starts a square dance with the Martins that eventually turns slapstick. | |
| Directed by | Robert McKimson |
| Produced by | Edward Selzer (uncredited) |
| Animation by | John Carey Phil DeLara Emery Hawkins Charles McKimson Rod Scribner |
| Layouts by | Cornett Wood |
| Backgrounds by | Richard H. Thomas |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Running time | 7:22 |
Hillbilly Hare is a 1949 produced, 1950 released Merrie Melodies cartoon starring Bugs Bunny, produced and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was directed by Robert McKimson, with a story by Tedd Pierce and musical direction by Carl Stalling. As usual, Bugs is voiced by Mel Blanc, as is Curt Martin; uncredited Stan Freberg and John T Smith both voice Punkin'head Martin, and Smith the jukebox square dance caller.
Plot
Bugs Bunny is vacationing in the Ozarks and stumbles into the territory of two hillbilly brothers Curt and Punkin'head Martin. After having several of their hunting attempts foiled, Curt and Punkin'head Martin are determined to get revenge on Bugs for their humiliation. Bugs easily outsmarts them and eventually leads them into a violent square dance involving repeated slapstick comedy gags. The square dance song starts as a straightforward version of "Skip to My Lou" while the jukebox band starts and plays and Bugs dances in a dress. Then Bugs deliberately unplugs the jukebox and takes over the fiddling and square dance calling, still to the melody and rhythm of the song. Bugs proceeds to give the Martins a series of increasingly bizarre and violent directions, which the brothers unquestioningly follow with hilarious results. Finally, with the Martins having walked off a cliff, Bugs says "And that is all" before the cartoon ends.
Appearance in pop culture
The hillbillies in Hillbilly Hare have appeared in the DC Looney Tunes comic book series, and had a cameo along with Bugs in the Histeria! episode "Great Heroes of France". They also make a brief cameo in Space Jam (they are briefly seen with the other Looney Tunes characters watching the basketball game between the Tune Squad and the Monstars).
Availability
Hillbilly Hare is available (uncensored and uncut) on Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3, Disc 1.