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The Bugs Bunny Show

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The Bugs Bunny Show
Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny in the opening.
Also known as
  • The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour
  • The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show
  • The Bugs Bunny/Looney Tunes Comedy Hour
  • The Bugs Bunny & Tweety Show
  • Bugs Bunny and Friends
GenreAnimated
Anthology
Comedy
Directed by
Voices of
Theme music composer
Opening theme
  • "Overture" (1960–1984, 1988–2000, 2021-present)
  • "It's Cartoon Gold" (1984–1985)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons27
No. of episodes684
Production
Executive producers
ProducersFriz Freleng
Chuck Jones
Running timeVarious; 22 to 66 minutes
Production companiesWarner Bros. Television
Shorts:
Warner Bros. Cartoons
Bumpers:
Warner Bros. Cartoons
(1960-1963)
Warner Bros. Animation
(1980-2000)
Original release
NetworkABC (1960–1968, 1973–1975, 1985–2000)
CBS (1968–1973, 1975–1985)
ReleaseOctober 11, 1960 (1960-10-11) –
September 2, 2000 (2000-09-02)
Related
The Porky Pig Show
The Road Runner Show

The Bugs Bunny Show is a long-running American animated anthology television series hosted by Bugs Bunny that was mainly composed of theatrical Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons released by Warner Bros. between 1948 and 1969. The show originally debuted as a primetime half-hour program on ABC in 1960, featuring three theatrical Looney Tunes cartoons with new linking sequences produced by the Warner Bros. Cartoons staff.[1]

After two seasons, The Bugs Bunny Show moved to Saturday mornings, where it aired in various formats for nearly four decades. The show's title and length changed regularly over the years, as did the network: both ABC and CBS broadcast versions of The Bugs Bunny Show.[2] In 2000, the series, by then known as The Bugs Bunny & Tweety Show, was canceled after the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies libraries became the exclusive property of the Cartoon Network family of cable TV networks in the United States. In January 2021, the retro-formatted network MeTV revived the show under the title Bugs Bunny and Friends, as the third hour of a Saturday morning block of classic cartoons.

Legacy

This show is credited for keeping the Warner Bros. cartoons made during the Golden Age of American animation a part of the American consciousness. Indeed, the show ran for almost four decades, and helped inspire animators, comedians, historians, and others who watched Saturday morning television.[3]

The "This Is It" song's fame is such that it has been used elsewhere, such as in the Canadian province of Ontario where it was used in a TV commercial promoting the various performing arts tourist attractions where artists of various disciplines sing separate lines of the song. [citation needed]

When Warner Bros. released its video series "Golden Jubilee", featuring the classic cartoons, the opening sequence shows the Tasmanian Devil maniacally riding a motorcycle down a city street, chased by a police car. He makes a sharp turn into a theater, where the rest of the Looney Tunes are performing to the Bugs Bunny Show tune.

Beginning in January 2021, the original "This Is It" opening sequence was included in Bugs Bunny and Friends, part of MeTV's Saturday Morning Cartoons block.

Production

The series was produced by Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, and David H. DePatie, and executive produced by Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, and William L. Hendricks.

Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, and Robert McKimson served as senior directors. Episodes were co-directed by Hawley Pratt, Gerry Chiniquy, Art Davis, Abe Levitow, Maurice Noble, Alex Lovy, David Detiege, Rudy Larriva, and Tom Ray. Members of Motion Picture Screen Cartoonists Local 839 provided the scenarios for the series.

The composers were Carl W. Stalling, Milt Franklyn, John Seely, William Lava, William L. Hendricks, Walter Greene, Eugene Poddany, Doug Goodwin, Rob Walsh, Quinn Amper, Fred Strittmatter, and Dean Elliot. The theme song of the series, titled "This Is It", was composed by Mack David amd Jerry Livingston.

Treg Brown, Hal Geer, Fred Farrell, Chuck McCann, Jim Champin, and Lee Gunther served as editors.

The series cast included Mel Blanc, Stan Freberg, June Foray, Hal Smith, and Arthur Q. Bryan.

Animated sequences produced for the series

A series of short animated scenes were produced for the series, featured "linking" moments during the fictional theater setting of the show. Some of these scenes included:

  • The opening teaser showed Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck performing a duet about the start of the cartoon show; as they sing it, in the background crossing the stage are some of co stars' regulars:Tweety Bird; Speedy Gonzales; Pepé Le Pew; Sylvester the Cat; Road Runner; Hippety Hopper (aka Giant Mouse); Yosemite Sam; Elmer Fudd; Wile E. Coyote; Foghorn Leghorn.
  • A frustrated Daffy Duck bickering on stage with Bugs Bunny. Daffy declares, "Last week you said you were going to introduce me next week!" Bugs replies, "Right...but this isn't next week, is it?" Daffy trips himself up and replies, "You're doggone tootin' is isn't! This is this week! And next week is uhhh...ummm...sheesh!"
  • A barking sheepdog wanders into the theater, saying "Which way did he go? Where's the little bunny I saw on TV last week?" Daffy, at this time, has dressed up in a rabbit costume and is on stage pretending to be Bugs. The sheepdog pounces upon Daffy and exclaims, "At last, at last! I have caught a bunny rabbit!"
  • Bugs entertains the audience by playing a guitar. An angry Yosemite Sam barges in the theater shouting, "Can't ya see I'm tryin' to sleep?!?", snatches the guitar from Bugs, and snaps all of its strings but one.
  • Bugs demonstrates some cartoon physics, including slow motion, fast speed and "vibrating to a stop."

The show's title sequences and some of these linking material scenes from the original Bugs Bunny Show are included as bonus features on each volume of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVD collection (with the exception of Volume 6). As the original color negatives were cut up by CBS and ABC to create later versions of the show, the linking sequences are presented on DVD using a combination of footage from both what's left of the color negatives (some of which were used in later incarnations, thus helping to preserve them) and the black-and-white ABC broadcast prints prepared in the early 1960s.[4]

On the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2, the opening to the Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show (with the announcer calling it the Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour) and two openings to the Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show (the 1988 opening and the 1992 opening) were released as special features.

In 2009, an episode of the Bugs Bunny Show in color was released on the Saturday Morning Cartoons 1960s Volume 2 set. Saturday Morning Cartoons 1970s Volume 2 includes an episode of the Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show.

Episodes

Season 1 (1960–1961)

# 1st cartoon 2nd cartoon 3rd cartoon Original air date Directed by Prod. No. U.S. households (in millions)
1 Rabbit Every Monday A Mouse Divided Tree for Two October 11, 1960 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng #1595[5]
6.92[6]
2 Putty Tat Trouble Wise Quackers Speedy Gonzales October 18, 1960 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng #1589[5]
N/A
3 Wild Over You Go Fly a Kit Mouse Warming October 25, 1960 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng #1587[5]
6.74[6]
4 To Itch His Own Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z-z-z Whoa, Be Gone! November 1, 1960 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng #1591[5]
6.74[6]
5 Canary Row Knights Must Fall For Scent-imental Reasons November 8, 1960 Friz Freleng

Co-Directed by: Maurice Noble

#1575[5]
5.28[6]
  • Daffy Duck is so desperate to appear on the show he dresses up as a Hawaiian, a musketeer, and in knight's armor.
6 Long-Haired Hare Sandy Claws Mouse Wreckers November 15, 1960 Friz Freleng

Co-Directed by: Gerry Chiniquy

#1576[5]
8.05[6]
  • Daffy plays the drums and Bugs imitates "Frankie doing an imitation of Ricky imitating Elvis." Yosemite Sam trying to sleep, appears and destroys Bugs and Daffy's instruments.
7 Bully for Bugs Tweety's SOS One Froggy Evening November 22, 1960 Chuck Jones

Co-Directed by: Maurice Noble

#1580[5]
8.59[6]
  • Daffy, disguised as Bugs, attempts to host the show- but is chased by the sheepdog who thinks he's a rabbit. Daffy finds he cannot remove the bunny suit.
8 My Bunny Lies Over the Sea Scaredy Cat Scent-imental Romeo November 29, 1960 Maurice Noble #1579[5]
8.32[6]
  • Daffy wants to host the show and expels all others including Pepe, Elmer, and Bugs.
9 Bunker Hill Bunny Each Dawn I Crow Golden Yeggs December 6, 1960 Friz Freleng

Co-Directed by: Hawley Pratt

#1581[5]
8.63[6]
10 Which Is Witch Mouse Mazurka Kit for Cat December 13, 1960 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng

Co-Directed by: Hawley Pratt

#1584[5]
8.00[6]
  • Yosemite Sam is again after Bugs, so he comes to see the "screwy rabbit's" show.
11 Two's a Crowd All a Bir-r-r-rd The Hasty Hare December 20, 1960 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng

Co-Directed by: Abe Levitow and Maurice Noble

#1585[5]
N/A
12 What's Up, Doc? Early to Bet Pop 'Im Pop December 27, 1960 Robert McKimson #1586[5]
8.25[6]
13 A-Lad-In His Lamp Dog Gone South A Fractured Leghorn January 3, 1961 Robert McKimson #1588[5]
8.39[6]
14 Ant Pasted The Fair-Haired Hare I Gopher You January 10, 1961 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng #1590[5]
9.19[6]
15 Rocket Squad Daffy Dilly Drip-Along Daffy January 17, 1961 Friz Freleng

Co-Directed by: Robert Transon and Maurice Noble

#1592[5]
8.40[6]
  • Bugs presents an all-Daffy Duck tribute, in which Mamma Bear performs "I'm Just Wild About Daffy".
16 The Leghorn Blows at Midnight Hot Cross Bunny His Bitter Half January 24, 1961 Robert McKimson

Co-Directed by: Maurice Noble

#1593[5]
9.66[6]
  • Foghorn Leghorn presents Miss Prissy, old-time actress, who re-enacts her favorite stage roles.
17 Lovelorn Leghorn Who's Kitten Who The Windblown Hare January 31, 1961 Robert McKimson #1594[5]
9.62[6]
  • A twist on Duck Amuck – an unseen animator draws Foghorn Leghorn with Rock Hudson's body. Foghorn gets even lassos the animator, Daffy Duck and beats him up.
18 High Diving Hare Don't Give Up the Sheep Stooge for a Mouse February 7, 1961 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng

Co-Directed by: Hawley Pratt

#1596[5]
10.37[6]
19 Mutiny on the Bunny Punch Trunk Fast and Furry-ous February 14, 1961 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng

Co-Directed by: Abe Levitow and Maurice Noble

#1597[5]
9.47[6]
  • Bugs Bunny demonstrates how to draw a cartoon- and how to draw Daffy Duck from a dumbbell.
20 Rabbit of Seville The Scarlet Pumpernickel Stop! Look! And Hasten! February 21, 1961 Friz Freleng #1598[5]
9.52[6]
  • A program on music with interruptions by hunter Elmer Fudd.
21 Hillbilly Hare Hippety Hopper You Were Never Duckier February 28, 1961 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng #1599[5]
9.29[6]
22 The Turn-Tale Wolf Paying the Piper Beanstalk Bunny March 7, 1961 Robert McKimson #1600[5]
7.79[6]
  • Sylvester hosts and tells his son, Junior, some fairy tales.
23 Big House Bunny Canned Feud Home Tweet Home March 14, 1961 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng #1601[5]
8.86[6]
  • More fun with Mac and Tosh, who spend their time arguing while Bugs introduces the cartoons.
24 Mississippi Hare Terrier Stricken Cheese Chasers March 21, 1961 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng

Co-Directed by: Abe Levitow

#1602[5]
8.21[6]
  • Pepe Lew Pew hosts the show. Yosemite Sam tries to use the Tasmanian Devil to get rid of him, but his scent defeats them.
25 Henhouse Henery Curtain Razor Devil May Hare March 28, 1961 Robert McKimson #1603[5]
8.21[6]
  • Bugs Bunny introduces host Daffy Duck, but Daffy is backstage being chased by the Tasmanian Devil.
26 Hare We Go The Foghorn Leghorn Little Red Rodent Hood April 4, 1961 Friz Freleng and Chuck Jones #1604[5]
9.38[6]
  • Rocky and Mugsy take over the show at gunpoint.

Season 2 (1961–1962)

# Title Cartoons Included Original air date Directed by Prod. No. U.S. households (in millions)
1 Bad Time Story Bewitched Bunny/Robin Hood Daffy/Tweety and the Beanstalk October 10, 1961 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng #1624[5]
6.94[7]
  • Bugs Bunny reads and reenacts fairy-tales.

NOTE: The bridging sequences for this episode were included as a bonus feature on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 5 DVD set.

2 Satain's Waitin' Hare Trimmed/Roman Legion Hare/Sahara Hare October 17, 1961 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng #1625[5]
N/A
  • An elaboration on the short Devil's Feud Cake, Sam dies and goes to hell- but the devil will spare him if he brings back the bunny.
3 Daffy Doodling Hoppy Go Lucky/Lumber Jerks/Weasel While You Work October 24, 1961 Robert McKimson #1626[5]
6.99[7]
  • Daffy outwits Bugs for the master of ceremonies job.
4 Omni-Puss Mouse-Taken Identity/Kiss Me Cat/Heaven Scent October 31, 1961 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng

Co-Directed by: Maurice Noble

#1627[5]
4.50[7]
  • Bugs Bunny lectures about cats.
5 Tired and Feathered Ready, Set, Zoom!/Two Crows from Tacos/Snow Business November 7, 1961 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng #1628[5]
6.47[7]
  • Bugs Bunny speaks about birds.
6 Man's Best Friend Sheep Ahoy/Chow Hound/Pappy's Puppy November 14, 1961 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng #1642[5]
7.69[7]
  • A look at dogs.
7 Ball Point Puns Duck! Rabbit! Duck!/Claws for Alarm/Cracked Quack November 21, 1961 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng #1629[5]
7.22[7]
  • Penelope and Penbrooke (the red and black pens) perform for the audience.

NOTE: the bridging sequences for this episode were included as a bonus feature on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 4 DVD set.

8 The Unfinished Sympathy Pizzicato Pussycat/Baton Bunny/Three Little Bops November 28, 1961 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng

Co-Directed by Maurice Noble and Robert Tronson

#1630[5]
8.11[7]
  • A program on music.
9 Prison to Prison Deduce, You Say/The Hole Idea/Bugsy and Mugsy December 5, 1961 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng

Co-Directed by Hawley Pratt

#1631[5]
6.85[7]
10 Go Man Go There Auto Be a Law/Wild Wife/No Parking Hare December 12, 1961 Robert McKimson #1632[5]
7.88[7]
  • Bugs lectures about men, women and life in general.
11 I'm Just Wild About Hare Stork Naked/Going! Going! Gosh!/Touche and Go December 19, 1961 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng

Co-directed by: Maurice Noble and Tom Ray

#1633[5]
N/A
  • Bugs has overslept, so he hosts the show from his home.
12 Stage Couch Gift Wrapped/Tweet Dreams/Tweety's Circus/A Street Cat Named Sylvester December 26, 1961 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng

Co-directed by Hawley Pratt

#1634[5]
7.55[7]
  • Sylvester tells psychiatrist Dr. Bugs of his obsession with Tweety.
13 Do or Diet Bedevilled Rabbit/Stupor Duck/Little Boy Boo January 16, 1962 Robert McKimson #1635[5]
8.23[7]
  • Bugs talks about a carrot diet while heckling the Tasmanian Devil.

NOTE: Bridging sequences for this episode were included as a bonus feature on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2 DVD set.

14 Hare Brush Feline Frame-Up/Much Ado About Nutting/Duck Amuck January 23, 1962 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng

Co-directed by Maurice Noble and Ken Harris

#1636[5]
7.50[7]
  • Bugs introduces Harry the Brush (from Duck Amuck) who explains his role in animation.
15 Is This a Life? 14 Carrot Rabbit/Robot Rabbit/High Diving Hare February 13, 1962 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng #1637[5]
7.50[7]
  • Bugs Bunny's life is reviewed with visits from his friends and foes.
16 De-Duck-Tive Story Boston Quackie/The Super Snooper/Dime to Retire February 20, 1962 Robert McKimson #1638[5]
7.94[7]
  • Features Daffy Duck in his greatest detective roles.
17 The Astro-Nuts Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century/Jumpin' Jupiter/Hare-Way to the Stars March 13, 1962 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng

Co-Directed by Maurice Noble and Ken Harris

#1639[5]
8.33[7]
  • Porky Pig in a space suit introduces sci-fi cartoons.
18 Vera's Cruise Dr. Jerkyl's Hide/Tweety's SOS/A Pizza Tweety Pie/All a Bir-r-r-rd March 20, 1962 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng #1640[5]
7.64[7]
  • Sylvester tells of his recent travels through Europe in pursuit of Tweety.
19 Foreign Legion Leghorn The Egg-Cited Rooster/Of Rice and Hen/Feather Dusted June 19, 1962 Robert McKimson #1641[5]
N/A
  • Foghorn is an inept soldier in the Foreign Legion. He explains to his sergeant what made him that way.
20 Watch My Line A Waggily Tale/Scrambled Aches/Rabbit Rampage June 26, 1962 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng

Co-directed by Hawley Pratt

#1643[5]
N/A
  • An elaboration on Rabbit Rampage, in which Bugs suffers various indignities from a mysterious animator, who turns out to be Elmer Fudd.
21 What's Up Dog? Awful Orphan/Don't Axe Me/Mixed Master July 3, 1962 Robert McKimson #1644[5]
N/A
  • More dog tales.
22 The Cat's Bah The Cat's Bah/Frigid Hare/Little Beau Pepe July 10, 1962 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng #1645[5]
N/A
  • Pepe Le Pew recalls the results of a broken romance.
23 No Business Like Slow Business Red Riding Hoodwinked/Barbary Coast Bunny/Double or Mutton July 17, 1962 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng #1646[5]
N/A
24 The Honey-Mousers Cheese It, the Cat!/Lighthouse Mouse/The Honey-Mousers July 24, 1962 Robert McKimson #1647[5]
N/A
  • Bugs invites us backstage, offers us drinks, and invites us to watch a high-rated TV show: The Honey-Mousers

NOTE: The bridging sequences for this episode were included as a bonus feature on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3 DVD set.

25 A Star is Bored Catty Cornered/There They Go-Go-Go!/A Star is Bored July 31, 1962 Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng

Co-directed by Maurice Noble and Tom Ray

#1648[5]
N/A
  • Bugs Bunny shows us how cartoons are made, telling the audience "Confidentially, I do Mel Blanc's voice."

NOTE: The bridging sequences for this episode were included as a bonus feature on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1 DVD set.

26 A Tale of Two Kitties The Slap-Hoppy Mouse/Gonzales' Tamales/Cats A-Weigh! August 7, 1962 Robert McKimson #1649[5]
N/A
  • Sylvester and Junior discuss mice, especially the "giant size" kind.

Broadcast

The Bugs Bunny Show originally premiered on ABC on October 11, 1960.

In the US

In primetime

The Bugs Bunny Show originally premiered on October 11, 1960, on ABC, and aired on the network until August 7, 1962.

In Saturday mornings

The Bugs Bunny Show first aired in Saturday mornings on April 7, 1962, on ABC. The list below contemplates the following iterations of the show airing in Saturday mornings:

  • The Bugs Bunny Show later reran in the same network from August 14, 1962 to September 8, 1968 (since ABC started airing in color format by September 10, 1966) and again from September 8, 1973 to August 30, 1975. On CBS, reruns of the same show occured from September 11, 1971 to September 1, 1973.
  • The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour first aired on CBS from September 14, 1968 to September 4, 1971. It later reran in the same network from September 6, 1975 to September 7, 1985.
  • The Bugs Bunny/Looney Tunes Comedy Hour aired on ABC from September 7, 1985 to September 6, 1986.
  • The Bugs Bunny & Tweety Show aired on ABC from September 13, 1986 to September 2, 2000. This was the last iteration of the series.

International broadcast

In Canada, the first network that aired the series was CBC Television, airing the series until 1975, followed by Global, airing the series twice: from 1978 to 1982 and from 1990 to 2000. Later in the same country, The Bugs Bunny & Tweety Show aired on Teletoon from 2000 and reran on Teletoon's sister channel, Teletoon Retro until 2015, when Teletoon Retro signed off the air.

In Australia, the series aired on Nine Network (most of the time) and also on Network Ten and Seven Network.

In Poland, the show aired twice on TVP1: from 1979 to 1980 and from 1991 to 1992.

In Asia, the show first aired in 1961 and the first countries from the continent that aired the series were Japan and South Korea. In the Philippines, the show aired on ABS-CBN and RPN. In Indonesia, the show aired on TPI (now MNCTV) from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s and on RCTI during the 2000s.

See also

References

  1. ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 98–99. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  2. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 163–164. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  3. ^ ""Looney Tunes on Television", a website dedicated to the Looney Tunes television broadcast history, and maintained by Kevin McCorry and Jon Cooke". Archived from the original on 2005-03-10. Retrieved 2022-07-18.[unreliable source?]
  4. ^ Beck, Jerry. "Cartoon Research FAQ". CartoonResearch.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. pp. 373–376. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x "1960-61 Primetime.pdf". Google Drive. August 24, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "1961-62 Primetime.pdf". Google Drive. August 27, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
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