The Hare-Brained Hypnotist
| The Hare-Brained Hypnotist | |
|---|---|
Title card | |
| Directed by | I. Freleng |
| Story by | Michael Maltese |
| Produced by | Leon Schlesinger |
| Starring | Mel Blanc Arthur Q. Bryan |
| Music by | Carl W. Stalling |
| Animation by | Phillip Monroe Richard Bickenbach Jack Bradbury Gerry Chiniquy Manuel Perez Gil Turner |
| Layouts by | Owen Fitzgerald |
| Backgrounds by | Lenard Kester |
| Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures The Vitaphone Corp. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 6:59 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Hare-Brained Hypnotist is a Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated short film directed by Friz Freleng.[1] The short was released on October 31, 1942 and features Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.[2] This cartoon's plot was re-worked for Hare Brush (1955) and its opening music was re-used in Hair-Raising Hare (1946), The Super Snooper (1952) and Hyde and Hare (1955).
Plot
[edit]While in the forest reading a book, Stalking Wild Game, Elmer comes across a passage describing hypnotism just before he bumps into a bear. He hypnotizes the bear into thinking he is a canary and the bear flies away. Bugs then asks Elmer, "What's up, doc?". Elmer states he has him right where he wants him and starts to hypnotize Bugs ("Heh, 'Dracula'", the rabbit observes). Bugs fools Elmer by giving him a balloon with long ears and he hears the bear he hypnotized earlier chirping and falls to the ground. Then he chases Bugs and fights over the gun. Then he cries on a tree and Bugs asks what's wrong. Elmer tells him that he (Bugs) won't cooperate when he tries to hypnotize him. Bugs says he will cooperate.
Then, as Elmer tries to hypnotize Bugs, Bugs hypnotizes him instead, and commands him to be a rabbit. Elmer then starts to act like Bugs, inducing Bugs to act like Elmer (after furiously declaring, "Who's the comedian in this picture, anyway?"), and the role-reversing chase ensues. Bugs then looks for Elmer, who is right behind him. Bugs talks to the audience while chewing three carrots—two of which are in Elmer's hands. Then the chase starts again, until Bugs manages to "un-hypnotize" Elmer. Elmer then runs away and all seems normal. After sneering at Elmer's ability to hypnotize him, Bugs suddenly notices his watch, exclaiming, "I'm overdue at the airport", and proceeds to take off and fly like an airplane. Bugs states "I'm the B-19!" and flies away toward the airport.
Background
[edit]Elmer Fudd permanently goes back to his regular design starting with this cartoon.[citation needed]
Home media
[edit]This short can be found on Volume 2 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection.[3] A review found the film moderately funny.[4]
References
[edit]- ↑ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 135. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
- ↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 77–79. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ↑ Gonzalez, Ed (October 30, 2004). "Review: Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume Two on Warner DVD". Slant Magazine. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
- ↑ "The Hare-Brained Hypnotist". Dr. Grob's Animation Review. April 23, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
External links
[edit]
- 1942 films
- 1940s Warner Bros. animated short films
- Merrie Melodies short films
- Bugs Bunny films
- Elmer Fudd films
- Films about hypnosis
- Films set in forests
- Short films directed by Friz Freleng
- Films produced by Leon Schlesinger
- Warner Bros. Cartoons animated short films
- Films with screenplays by Michael Maltese
- Films scored by Carl W. Stalling
- 1942 animated short films
- Merrie Melodies stubs