Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears

Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears
The title card of Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears.
Directed by	Charles M. Jones
Produced by	Leon Schlesinger
Animation by	Robert Cannon Uncredited Ken Harris Shamus Culhane
Layouts by	Earl Klein
Backgrounds by	Robert Gribbroek
Color process	Technicolor
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures The Vitaphone Corporation
Running time	7:22

Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears is a 1944 Merrie Melodies cartoon short directed by Chuck Jones and written by Tedd Pierce. This short marks the first appearance of Jones' dysfunctional version of The Three Bears, and is a parody of the old fairy tale, Goldilocks and The Three Bears.

Mel Blanc provides the voices of Bugs and Papa Bear (for the latter using a raucous voice similar to Yosemite Sam only a little higher-pitched). Mama Bear is voiced by Bea Benaderet, while Kent Rogers voiced dim-witted Junior. Stan Freberg is often credited with voicing the character of Junyer Bear in this short, but Junyer was actually voiced by actor Kent Rogers. The cartoon was released four months before Rogers' death in the crash of a training flight at Pensacola, Florida, while he was in the military during World War II.

Plot

The Three Bears are hungry and want something to eat, and plan on luring Goldilocks to them with porridge. They find, however, that all they have is carrots, so they make carrot soup instead. The family then pretends to go on a walk through the woods, but quickly comes back to hide in the house and wait for Goldilocks to arrive. The aroma of the carrot soup literally brings Bugs Bunny out of his rabbit hole and into the Bears' home. A plot derived from that of the traditional Goldilocks and the Three Bears story unfolds, with Bugs Bunny as the unwitting guest in the home of the three bears.

Bugs Bunny eats the Bears' soup and goes to sleep in Junior's bed. The Bears attack Bugs, but he manages to escape and is seen standing next to Papa Bear's bed watching the Bears' fight. When Mama Bear approaches him with her fists raised, Bugs flatters her and tells her that she's beautiful, giving her a kiss before he flees. Mama Bear stops Papa Bear and Junior from chasing Bugs, and becomes amorous towards the rabbit, asking him to "Tell me more about my eyes!"

Bugs tries to ward off Mama Bear and attempts to flee the house, opening three doors that reveal Mama Bear in three different seductive poses (in a see-through nightgown, talking on the phone, then in a dress & blonde wig, smoking a cigarette, then in a bathtub). Bugs finally crashes through a wall and runs back into his hole. But Mama Bear (unseen) is in the hole and gives Bugs numerous kisses. Bugs comes up out of his hole with his face covered in lipstick kisses and runs away screaming, while Mama Bear also comes up, looking pleased with her make-out session.

Cast

• Mel Blanc as Bugs Bunny and Papa Bear
• Bea Benaderet as Mama Bear (uncredited)
• Kent Rogers as Junyer Bear (uncredited)

Availability

• VHS - Cartoon Moviestars: Bugs!
• Laserdisc - Cartoon Moviestars: Bugs! and Elmer!
• VHS - Bugs Bunny Collection: Bugs Bunny's Greatest Hits
• Laserdisc - The Golden Age of Looney Tunes: Vol. 3, Side 2: Bugs Bunny
• DVD - Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1, Disc Three

Sources

• Sandler, Kevin S. (1998), "Notes to Pages 162-165", in Sandler, Kevin S. (ed.), Reading the Rabbit: Explorations in Warner Bros. Animation, Rutgers University Press, ISBN 978-0813525389

See also

• List of American films of 1944

External links

• Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears at IMDb