Tortoise Wins by a Hare: Difference between revisions

Tortoise Wins by a Hare
Tortoise Wins by a Hare
	Title card
Directed by	Robert Clampett
Story by	Warren Foster
Produced by	Leon Schlesinger
Music by	Carl W. Stalling
Animation by	Bob McKimson
Color process	Technicolor
Production; company	Leon Schlesinger Productions
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures; The Vitaphone Corporation
Release date	February 20, 1943 (U.S.);
Running time	7:44
Country	United States
Language	English

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Tortoise Wins by a Hare is a Merrie Melodies cartoon released on February 20, 1943, and directed by Bob Clampett.^[1] It stars Bugs Bunny and Cecil Turtle.^[2] It is a sequel to 1941's Tortoise Beats Hare, with footage from said cartoon briefly shown at the beginning. It is also the first short to feature Robert McKimson's design of Bugs Bunny.

Plot

Bugs Bunny, determined to discern the true secret behind Cecil Turtle's previous victory, embarks on a quest for knowledge. Disguising himself as an elderly gentleman, Bugs confronts Cecil at his residence. Despite the turtle's immediate recognition of Bugs' ruse, he humorously entertains the inquiry, attributing his triumph to a fictitious "air-flow chassis" blueprint purportedly enhancing his aerodynamic efficiency. Cecil further disparages rabbits as intellectually deficient, exacerbating Bugs' frustration.

Undeterred by Cecil's taunts, Bugs endeavors to emulate his opponent's alleged advantage by constructing a similar shell for himself. Concurrently, a betting frenzy ensues among the rabbit community, pledging unwavering support for Bugs' anticipated victory. However, confusion ensues during the race as Bugs assumes an early lead, prompting misguided attacks from the rabbit mob, mistakenly identifying Bugs as Cecil due to his new attire. Cecil exacerbates the chaos by masquerading as a rabbit, deceiving the mob and further hindering Bugs' progress.

Despite these obstacles, Bugs demonstrates resilience and nearly secures victory until the rabbit mob intervenes, stalling his momentum and facilitating Cecil's triumph. Devastated by the unforeseen turn of events and the realization of inadvertently aiding Cecil's victory once again, Bugs relinquishes his facade, revealing his true identity. In utter shock at what they’ve done, the mobsters all shoot themselves in the head.

Production crew

Supervision: Robert Clampett
Story: Warren Foster
Animation: Robert McKimson (As Bob McKimson)
- Additional Animation: Rod Scribner, Sid Sutherland, Virgil Ross, Thomas McKimson
Character Designs and Backgrounds: Robert McKimson, Michael Sasanoff
Film Editor: Treg Brown
Musical Direction: Carl W. Stalling
- Orchestration: Milt Franklyn
Producer: Leon Schlesinger

Voice actors

Mel Blanc as Bugs Bunny, Cecil Turtle, Narrators, Rabbit Bookie, Rabbit Thugs and Mrs. Turtle
Kent Rogers as Rabbit with Telescope
Michael Maltese as Various Rabbit Thugs
Tedd Pierce as Various Rabbit Thugs

Analysis

The animated short contains wartime references. Bugs displays "A" and "C" ration cards. He claims he has a secret weapon. A Japanese cruiser is mentioned in a newspaper headline, as is the accurate prediction of Adolf Hitler's suicide two years later. A chorus of turtles sing "He did it before and he can do it again".^[3]

Nichola Dobson mentions the short as an example of both Bob Clampett's attention to detail and of the fast pace of his work.^[4]

The suicide gag at the end is normally edited out of television broadcasts, fading out just as the rabbits say, "NOW he tells us."

Reception

Animation historian Jerry Beck writes, "One of the things that most fans of director Bob Clampett's cartoons relish is that he would do almost anything to create a funny cartoon. That meant he would violate established character personality traits and traditional story points to get laughs. Here, he not only shreds the Aesop fable and Disney's 1935 short The Tortoise and the Hare but also Tex Avery's send-up of this famous race. The results are priceless... Only Clampett could twist his characters into such pretzels, and put them through the emotional wringer, with such hilarious results."^[5]

Home media

This short was released, uncut and uncensored, on Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1 and Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 2.

Sources

Dobson, Nichola (2010). "Clampett, Bob". The A to Z of Animation and Cartoons . Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-1461664024.
Shull, Michael S.; Wilt, David E. (2004). "Filmography 1943". Doing Their Bit: Wartime American Animated Short Films, 1939-1945. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0786481699.

References

^ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 138. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 60–61. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
^ Shull, Wilt (2004), p. 159
^ Dobson (2010), p. 44
^ Beck, Jerry, ed. (2020). The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons. Insight Editions. p. 191. ISBN 978-1-64722-137-9.

External links

Tortoise Wins by a Hare at IMDb
Tortoise Wins by a Hare at the Big Cartoon Database

Preceded by Case of the Missing Hare	Bugs Bunny Cartoons 1943	Succeeded by Super-Rabbit

[Beck-1] Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 138. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.

[2] Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 60–61. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.

[Shull-3] Shull, Wilt (2004), p. 159

[Dobson-4] Dobson (2010), p. 44

[5] Beck, Jerry, ed. (2020). The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons. Insight Editions. p. 191. ISBN 978-1-64722-137-9.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|1943 film directed by Robert Clampett}}
-{{More citations needed|date=July 2014}}
+{{Infobox film
+| name           = Tortoise Wins by a Hare
-{{Infobox Hollywood cartoon
-| name = Tortoise Wins by a Hare
+| image          = Tortoise Wins by a Hare title card.png
-| image = Tortoise Wins by a Hare title card.png
+| caption        = Title card
+| director       = [[Bob Clampett|Robert Clampett]]
-| caption =
+| screenplay     =
-| director = [[Robert Clampett]]
-| story = [[Warren Foster]]
+| story          = [[Warren Foster]]
+| editing        =
-| animator = [[Bob McKimson]]<br>[[Rod Scribner]] (uncredited)<br>[[Virgil Ross]] (uncredited)<br>[[Manny Gould]] (uncredited)
+| animator       = [[Robert McKimson|Bob McKimson]]
-| starring = [[Mel Blanc]] (uncredited)<br>[[Kent Rogers]] (uncredited)
+| layout_artist  =
-| music = [[Carl W. Stalling]]
+| background_artist =
-| producer = [[Leon Schlesinger]]
+| based_on       =
-| distributor = [[Warner Bros. Pictures]]<br>[[The Vitaphone Corporation]]
+| starring       =
-| released = {{Film date|1943|2|20|U.S.}}
+| narrator       =
-| color_process = [[Technicolor]]
+| music          = [[Carl W. Stalling]]
-| runtime = 7 minutes 44 seconds
+| cinematography =
-| language = English
+| producer       = [[Leon Schlesinger]]
+| writer         =
+| studio         = [[Warner Bros. Cartoons|Leon Schlesinger Productions]]
+| distributor    = [[Warner Bros. Pictures]]<br>[[Vitaphone|The Vitaphone Corporation]]
+| released       = {{Film date|1943|2|20|U.S.}}
+| color_process  = [[Technicolor]]
+| runtime        = 7:44
+| country        = [[United States]]
+| language       = [[English language|English]]
+| budget         =
+| gross          =
 }}
-'''''Tortoise Wins by a Hare''''' is a [[Merrie Melodies]] cartoon released on February 20, 1943 and directed by [[Bob Clampett]]. It stars [[Bugs Bunny]] and [[Cecil Turtle]]. Bob Clampett took [[Tex Avery]]'s scenario from ''[[Tortoise Beats Hare]]'' and altered it for this film. The title is an appropriate pun on "hair". This is one of the first shorts to feature [[Robert McKimson]]'s design of Bugs Bunny. A newspaper's front page (the ''[[Chicago Tribune|Chicago Sunday Tribunk]]'') shown in this cartoon accurately predicts [[Adolf Hitler]]'s [[suicide]] two years later.
+'''''Tortoise Wins by a Hare''''' is a ''[[Merrie Melodies]]'' cartoon released on February 20, 1943, and directed by [[Bob Clampett]].<ref name=Beck>{{cite book |last1=Beck |first1=Jerry |last2=Friedwald |first2=Will |title=Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons |date=1989 |publisher=Henry Holt and Co |isbn=0-8050-0894-2 |page=138}}</ref> It stars [[Bugs Bunny]] and [[Cecil Turtle]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lenburg |first1=Jeff |title=The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons |date=1999 |publisher=Checkmark Books |isbn=0-8160-3831-7 |accessdate=6 June 2020 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780816038312/page/60/mode/2up |pages=60–61}}</ref> It is a sequel to 1941's ''[[Tortoise Beats Hare]]'', with footage from said cartoon briefly shown at the beginning. It is also the first short to feature [[Robert McKimson]]'s design of Bugs Bunny.
 ==Plot==
+Bugs Bunny, determined to discern the true secret behind Cecil Turtle's previous victory, embarks on a quest for knowledge. Disguising himself as an elderly gentleman, Bugs confronts Cecil at his residence. Despite the turtle's immediate recognition of Bugs' ruse, he humorously entertains the inquiry, attributing his triumph to a fictitious "air-flow chassis" blueprint purportedly enhancing his aerodynamic efficiency. Cecil further disparages rabbits as intellectually deficient, exacerbating Bugs' frustration.
-Two years after the events in ''Tortoise Beats Hare'', Bugs is watching footage of that cartoon, determined to learn how it was that Cecil managed to beat him (the cartoon seems to depict Cecil as having won fairly, rather than the truth, which was that the turtle engaged his cousins to cheat and help him win). Bugs then goes to Cecil's house disguised as an old man (a parody of [[Bill Thompson (voice actor)|Bill Thompson]]'s "Old Timer" character from ''[[Fibber McGee and Molly]]'') to ask about the turtle's secret for winning. Cecil is not the least bit fooled by the disguise, but goes along with the gag, claiming that his streamlined shell ensures his success; he produces a set of blueprints for his "air-flow chassis." He also adds that, in contrast, the long ears of a rabbit only serve as "wind resistance", which slows the rabbit down. The turtle ends the conversation with the comment, "Oh, and another thing...Rabbits aren't very bright, either!" just before slamming the door in the enraged bunny's face. Not getting the hint that the turtle's story is a [[humbug]], Bugs builds a shell of his own and prepares for the new race.
+Undeterred by Cecil's taunts, Bugs endeavors to emulate his opponent's alleged advantage by constructing a similar shell for himself. Concurrently, a betting frenzy ensues among the rabbit community, pledging unwavering support for Bugs' anticipated victory. However, confusion ensues during the race as Bugs assumes an early lead, prompting misguided attacks from the rabbit mob, mistakenly identifying Bugs as Cecil due to his new attire. Cecil exacerbates the chaos by masquerading as a rabbit, deceiving the mob and further hindering Bugs' progress.
-Meanwhile, the bunny mob learns of the match-up, places all its bets on Bugs, and hints that "the toitle" will not even finish the race. Initially, Bugs takes the easy lead, after dressing up in his new chassis. The rabbit mob, mistaking Bugs for Cecil and, despite Bugs' insistence to the contrary, attack the rabbit. Cecil does not help Bugs' cause by dressing up in a rabbit suit. The rabbit mob fall for it and cheer Cecil as the real rabbit, causing the turtle to remark to the audience, "I told you rabbits aren't very bright." Bugs still manages to regain the lead and nearly wins, until the mob stalls him right at the finish line, while other rabbits rush Cecil over the line and to victory. Bugs then bursts out crying, rips off his chassis and reveals that he was the real rabbit. In despair, the rabbit mob replies, "Ehhh, ''now'' he tells us," and kill themselves with a single bullet through all their heads.
+Despite these obstacles, Bugs demonstrates resilience and nearly secures victory until the rabbit mob intervenes, stalling his momentum and facilitating Cecil's triumph. Devastated by the unforeseen turn of events and the realization of inadvertently aiding Cecil's victory once again, Bugs relinquishes his facade, revealing his true identity. In utter shock at what they’ve done, the mobsters all shoot themselves in the head.
-==Cast==
-*[[Sara Berner]] as Mrs. Turtle
+==Production crew==
-*[[Mel Blanc]] as [[Bugs Bunny]], [[Cecil Turtle]], Narrators, Rabbit Bookie and Rabbit Thugs
+*Supervision: [[Bob Clampett|Robert Clampett]]
+*Story: [[Warren Foster]]
+*Animation: [[Robert McKimson]] (As Bob McKimson)
+**Additional Animation: [[Rod Scribner]], [[Sid Sutherland]], [[Virgil Ross]], [[Thomas McKimson]]
+*Character Designs and Backgrounds:  Robert McKimson, Michael Sasanoff
+*Film Editor: [[Treg Brown]]
+*Musical Direction: [[Carl W. Stalling]]
+**Orchestration: [[Milt Franklyn]]
+*Producer: [[Leon Schlesinger]]
+=== Voice actors ===
+*[[Mel Blanc]] as [[Bugs Bunny]], [[Cecil Turtle]], Narrators, Rabbit Bookie, Rabbit Thugs and Mrs. Turtle
 *[[Kent Rogers]] as Rabbit with Telescope
+*[[Michael Maltese]] as Various Rabbit Thugs
+*[[Tedd Pierce]] as Various Rabbit Thugs
 ==Analysis==
-The animated short contains wartime references. Bugs displays "A" and "C" ration cards. He claims he has a secret weapon. A Japanese cruiser is mentioned in a newspaper headline. A chorus of turtles sing "He did it before and he can do it again".<ref name="Shull">Shull, Wilt (2004), p. 159</ref>
+The animated short contains wartime references. Bugs displays "A" and "C" ration cards. He claims he has a secret weapon. A Japanese cruiser is mentioned in a newspaper headline, as is the accurate prediction of [[Adolf Hitler]]'s suicide two years later. A chorus of turtles sing "He did it before and he can do it again".<ref name="Shull">Shull, Wilt (2004), p. 159</ref>
 Nichola Dobson mentions the short as an example of both [[Bob Clampett]]'s attention to detail and of the fast pace of his work.<ref name="Dobson">Dobson (2010), p. 44</ref>
+The suicide gag at the end is normally edited out of television broadcasts, fading out just as the rabbits say, "NOW he tells us."
-==Availability==
-*This short can be found (uncut and uncensored) on ''[[Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1]]'' and ''[[Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 2]]''.
+==Reception==
+Animation historian [[Jerry Beck]] writes, "One of the things that most fans of director Bob Clampett's cartoons relish is that he would do almost anything to create a funny cartoon. That meant he would violate established character personality traits and traditional story points to get laughs. Here, he not only shreds the [[Aesop's Fables|Aesop fable]] and [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Disney's]] 1935 short ''[[The Tortoise and the Hare (film)|The Tortoise and the Hare]]'' but also Tex Avery's send-up of this famous race. The results are priceless... Only Clampett could twist his characters into such pretzels, and put them through the emotional wringer, with such hilarious results."<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Beck |editor1-first=Jerry |title=The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons |date=2020 |publisher=Insight Editions |isbn=978-1-64722-137-9 |page=191}}</ref>
+==Home media==
+This short was released, uncut and uncensored, on ''[[Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1]]'' and ''[[Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 2]]''.
 ==Sources==
-*{{Cite book| last1=Dobson | first1=Nichola| title=''The A to Z of Animation and Cartoons '' | chapter= Clampett, Bob| year=2010 | publisher=Scarecrow Press | isbn=978-1461664024|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JVeK2elZxTcC&pg=PA44 }}
+*{{Cite book| last1=Dobson | first1=Nichola| title=''The A to Z of Animation and Cartoons '' | chapter= Clampett, Bob| year=2010 | publisher=Scarecrow Press | isbn=978-1461664024|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JVeK2elZxTcC&pg=PA44 }}
-*{{Cite book| last1=Shull | first1=Michael S.| last2=Wilt | first2=David E.| title=''Doing Their Bit: Wartime American Animated Short Films, 1939-1945'' | chapter= Filmography 1943| year=2004 | publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]| isbn=978-0786481699|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hKrmuvh4PQkC&pg=PA245 }}
+*{{Cite book| last1=Shull | first1=Michael S.| last2=Wilt | first2=David E.| title=''Doing Their Bit: Wartime American Animated Short Films, 1939-1945'' | chapter= Filmography 1943| year=2004 | publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]| isbn=978-0786481699|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hKrmuvh4PQkC&pg=PA245 }}
 ==See also==
-*''[[Rabbit Transit (film)|Rabbit Transit]]
+*''[[Rabbit Transit (film)|Rabbit Transit]]''
 ==References==
@@ Line 50: / Line 80: @@
 ==External links==
 *{{IMDb title|id=0036452}}
-*[http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/5239-Tortoise_Wins_By_A_Hare.html ''Tortoise Wins by a Hare''] at the [[Big Cartoon Database]]
+*[https://archive.today/20130117210225/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/5239-Tortoise_Wins_By_A_Hare.html ''Tortoise Wins by a Hare''] at the [[Big Cartoon Database]]
 {{s-start}}
@@ Line 60: / Line 90: @@
 }}
 {{s-end}}
+{{Bugs Bunny in animation}}
 {{The Tortoise and the Hare}}
-[[Category:1943 animated films]]
+[[Category:1943 films]]
-[[Category:American films]]
+[[Category:American track and field films]]
-[[Category:English-language films]]
+[[Category:Merrie Melodies short films]]
-[[Category:Merrie Melodies shorts]]
 [[Category:Films about organized crime in the United States]]
 [[Category:Films directed by Bob Clampett]]
-[[Category:Running films]]
 [[Category:Self-reflexive films]]
-[[Category:Works based on fables]]
+[[Category:Films based on the Tortoise and the Hare]]
-[[Category:1940s American animated films]]
 [[Category:Films scored by Carl Stalling]]
 [[Category:Films produced by Leon Schlesinger]]
+[[Category:Bugs Bunny films]]
+[[Category:1940s Warner Bros. animated short films]]
+[[Category:1940s English-language films]]
+[[Category:Films with screenplays by Warren Foster]]
+[[Category:English-language short films]]
+[[Category:1943 animated short films]]

v t e The Tortoise and the Hare from Aesop's Fables by Aesop
Film	The Tortoise and the Hare (1935) Toby Tortoise Returns (1936) Tortoise Beats Hare (1941) Tortoise Wins by a Hare (1943) Rabbit Transit (1947) The Story of The Tortoise & the Hare (2002) Unstable Fables (2008)
Games	Jazz Jackrabbit Jazz Jackrabbit Hare and Tortoise
Literature	The Tortoise & the Hare (2013)
Other	Cecil Turtle The Tortoise and the Hare (sculpture) "Who Could Win a Rabbit"