Hare Trigger (1945) Online

It's hard to rely on someone else's advice to choose a comedy to watch. Every joke may not be funny for everybody, for everyone has different sense of humour. Although, there are some jokes made up of pure intellect; and especially those jokes have a hidden kernel which always keeps its freshness. They just don't get staled by time. That's what, when Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam came together for the first time, they have created.

There are more than a couple of cross-referencing sequences from Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short's western-comedy epic "Three Amigos(1986)" to this little episode of Bugs Bunny. The most memorable one for me is when someone lies dead in a scene, his pal suddenly comes right in front of our eyes playing a Mexican guitar, singing a Mexican Indian song, wearing a traditional Mexican hat and says: "It's only a red ink bleeding from the top of your head. This is just a comedy. In comedies, people don't die." even before Yosemite Sam wonders: "Why did you pour ink on my head?".

From start till the end, Hare Trigger shines at all levels. A simple story has made very gripping with less script and more action. It's very rare to come across that much of a short script before the modern Sylvester&Tweety chapters. The best jokes and the loudest laughters come through the direction of the animation. It's also a pioneer on adding a wasted 35mm. footage of real life filmmakers and their films, appearing as a surprise segment. Freleng and his animation crew has created a truly epic. At this level, the character intros have been done very wisely. So it became easier than thought to create this intimate friend for Bugs: Yosemite Sam... Quick-tempered, vengeful, selfish, the midget cowboy who always seeks trouble.

Among all of his pals, Yosemite Sam is the best one who gets very closer to overcome Bugs Bunny every time. In this first episode of their endless quarrel, Yosemite Sam actually overcomes Bugs Bunny. He does for a short time. When we left Bugs Bunny tied up and hanging upside down from the top of the train going over a bridge, we fearfully thought "there must be something wrong with this" ; this time Bugs Bunny overcame the screenwriter, Michael Maltese. Bugs changes the screenplay before it occurs to his life's end. He still bears his title; he's still the one and the only unbeatable(even though there is sometimes no clear explanation "How?" at all).

And thus was born the self-proclaimed rip-roaringest, Edward Everett Horton-est hombre what ever packed a six-shooter. Friz Freleng created Yosemite Sam because he didn't consider the dim-witted Elmer Fudd a formidable opponent for Bugs Bunny. So, he created the smallest man possible and gave him the loudest voice possible. "Hare Trigger" stresses Sam's diminutive stature by having the train pass right over him, and then he has to use a staircase to board his horse.

It's worth noting that Sam is sort of a composite of a few previous characters. There was Cottontail Smith in "Super-Rabbit", the southern sheriff in "Stage Door Cartoon" and Red Hot Ryder in "Buckaroo Bugs" (that last one is usually considered Sam's definitive prototype, albeit without the mustache or loud voice). Whatever Sam's origin was, you can't deny that with his loose cannon personality, he is truly one of the funniest of the Warner Bros. animated characters. And it all started with this cartoon three score and three years ago. Thank you Friz Freleng!

Bugs Bunny is riding cross country in the mail car section of a train when it is held up by infamous train robber Yosemite Sam. Keen to continue his journey without disturbance, Bugs uses little tricks to foil Sam's attempts to rob the train.

Although this cartoon has nothing that will set the world alight, it is a pretty funny little cartoon that is very well put together. The plot is full of nice little sketches, be it Bugs hiding from his scab relatives or drawing his gun ultra-fast, it's all pretty funny and well worth seeing.

The animation is quality and feels like it was painstakingly drawn rather than rushed together. This is a big deal, the cartoons where care has been put in are usually better in all other regards as well and don't just look good. The characters here as also good, Bugs is very sharp and Sam is a great foil who helps carry the load of the cartoon.

Overall this looks good and that quality is shown throughout. The plot is good, the jokes are funny and the characters are well scripted and delivered to be more than just animated rabbits or people but actually have characteristics of their own!

The gags start early in this Bugs Bunny short; the opening shot shows a train crossing the desert; its headboard proclaims that it is the 'Super Chief' and features an Indian chief in a superman costume! On board Bugs is in the mail car singing a song when pint sized bandit Yosemite Sam tries to hold up the train; what follows is a series of shootouts interspersed with gags, visual puns and even a couple of live action sequences!

This short provided a new adversary for Bugs Bunny in the form of the short, red-haired gunslinger Yosemite Sam; on the strength of this outing I'm not surprised he became a regular character. The train robbery setting nicely spoofed westerns where characters fire their six-shooters constantly without needed to reload. Other funny gags include Bugs sketching a gun when Sam tells him to draw and later Bugs sitting on Sam's head while pretending to be entering the carriage from various directions and ultimately pouring red ink on Sam's head so he thinks he's been hit. Mel Blanc does a fine job providing totally different voices for both Bugs and Sam.

I love Looney Tunes, always have done, always will do, and I love the pairings of Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam. With them, I am used to razor-sharp dialogue, clever sight gags and explosive character interaction. With Hare Trigger I was not disappointed at all! The animation is colourful and looks as though care has gone into it. And the music is very energetic and fits with the story and action well.

The cartoon goes at a fast pace, and has a good and rarely predictable story. The chemistry between Bugs and Sam is a sheer delight, Bugs is his witty and likable self, while Sam bags the best lines and utters them with relish. Mel Blanc's stellar vocals only add to the fun, Blanc's voice work is always consistent and as I've said many times he had a knack of elevating even the weakest of material.

Hare Trigger's real creme de la creme is in the humour. The dialogue is razor-sharp and very witty and with the chemistry between Bugs and Sam as explosive as it already is it has the impact of firecrackers going off. But it is actually the action and sight gags that drive it. The action is exhilarating, while the sight gags do not fall into the trap of being predictable and work on repeat viewings.

All in all, a hilarious cartoon and a must for fans of Bugs or Yosemite Sam. 10/10 Bethany Cox

. . . in Yosemite Sam's Looney Tunes debut, HARE TRIGGER. Sam and Bugs Bunny appear to be the ONLY passengers on the Multi-car "Super Chief" Amtrak Western Excursion Train, particularly during their early drawn-out dueling scene. However, when Bugs opens the door to the "Club Car," Live Action Dance Hall Gals appear on a distant stage, separated from the wily hare by a large Real Life audience. Clearly, the Looney Tuners are anticipating Science's upcoming discoveries in Quantum Physics, especially String Theory, with this glimpse of Another Dimension. A few minutes later, Bugs opens the Club Car door again for another peak, which reveals an on-going Live Action bar room brawl. America's favorite hare gives Sam the bum's rush into this action (while remaining aloof from it himself). Sam soon emerges, worse for wear, prompting Bugs to try to trick him off the train by using Black Voice. Sam sees through Bug's Racist Ploy, leaving HARE TRIGGER to close in that Cartoon Limboland beyond the so-called Fourth Wall.

"Why, ev'rybody knows ME! I'm Yosemite Sam: the meanest, toughest, rip-rawlin'est, Edward Everett Horton-est hombre what ever packed a six-shoota!"

That's one of my most favorite quotes. Another one is where Sam says really calmly...

"Why did you pour ink on my head?"

This legendary cartoon series had some damn good writers, something that tons of toons these days miss terribly. Hopefully, these kind of cartoons will be revived soon 'cause they was some kinda magic. Michael Maltese was probably my favorite Warner Bros. cartoon writer. His stuff was just so funny it'd make a guy cry! Mel Blanc is hilarious; he can do hundreds and thousands of voices and still remember his real one!

Introducing Bugs Bunny's newest nemesis - YOSEMITE SAM! A villain with a large, droopy moustache, a harsh, fiery temper, and an exceedingly short stature, Sam turned out to be a perfect foil for Bugs, thanks to director Friz Freleng, who simply hated the stupid Elmer Fudd. In "Hare Trigger", Sam attempts to hold up a train, on which Bugs just happens to be a passenger.

My favorite scenes: At the very beginning of the cartoon, the train's whistle blows "Yankee Doodle", complete with some great sound effects by Treg Brown. Sam gives Bugs one second to "draw" a gun, so Bugs whips out a pad & pencil; Carl Stalling's musical accompaniment of this scene is hilariously PERFECT! Sam introduces himself with such adjectives as "rip-roarinest" and "Edward Everett Horton-est".

"Hare Trigger" can be found (finally) on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 6 Disc 1. One question that has existed in my mind for quite awhile: Was director Friz Freleng Yosemite Sam? Many say Friz was, but he denied it. We may never know the answer.

PLAYERS: "Bugs Bunny", "Yosemite Sam".

Director: I. FRELENG. Story: Michael Maltese. Animation: Manuel Perez, Virgil Ross, Ken Champin, Gerry Chiniquy. Lay-outs: Hawley Pratt. Backgrounds: Paul Julian. Voice characterizations: Mel Blanc. Music director: Carl Stalling. Technicolor. Producer: Edward Selzer.

Copyright 29 May 1945 by the Vitaphone Corp. Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. (Bugs Bunny Specials) Merrie Melodies. U.S. release: 5 May 1945. 1 reel. 7 minutes.

COMMENT: Everyone likes this one. Not only does it mark the first appearance of our favorite Bugs antagonist, Yosemite Sam, but it's a very funny film in its own right. The stage is set right from the start when a train runs right over the diminutive Sam who is then forced to wheel in a set of aeroplane steps to mount his horse. He introduces himself to Bugs (who mistakes him for Jesse James) with these immortal words: "Yosemite Sam, the meanest, roughest, rip-roaringest, Edward Everett Hortonest hombre what ever packed a six-shooter!"

There follows a delightful lampoon of typical western clichés, both aural and visual, ending with a neat piece of cliff-hanging fantasy.

I also love Bugs' introductory gibberish version of "A Boy's Best Friend Is His Mudder".

So far, this is my favourite Yosemite Sam + Bugs Bunny cartoon for the following reasons:

1. It has very intelligent humour that works very well with the usual roles of Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam. 2. Partly because this is his first episode ,Yosemite Sam is portrayed in a way contrary to the other episodes I have seen on him and Bugs Bunny (as being particularly small). This portrayal of his minuteness works very well and adds a good deal of humour to the beginning of the cartoon. 3. It is not quite so slapsticky as the following YS + BB cartoons. I know this might be a disadvantage of this episode to some people, but personally I prefer a witty Looney Tunes joke to a slapstick one (generally).

Anyway, in this episode, we see Bugs Bunny on a train in the mail carriage, playing a banjo and being very relaxed. Unfortunately for him, a small but dangerous gangster, played by Yosemite Sam, invades the carriage and takes everything of value, including Bugs. The bunny soon puts Yosemite Sam to the test, will Bugs Bunny receive his revenge..?

I recommend this episode to people who like the old Bugs Bunny, to people who love/like Yosemite Sam and to people who enjoy Looney Tunes in general. Enjoy "Hare Trigger"! :-)

8 and a half out of ten.