Lighter Than Hare: hit or miss?

[larriva9/11]

"YOSEMITE SAM OF OUTER...***BLAM***...space?"

What's the opinion on this one?

Personally, I find it to be more enjoyable than it has any right to be--after all, it was the turn of the 60s for WB, and the notion of making Sam a space alien just screams out "jumping the shark" (not to mention its being unflatteringly overshadowed by Chuck Jones' Bugs/Marvin pairings). Instead, it's more like an audacious last hurrah for the series...

[Marty26]

In-between for me. But probably closer to "Hit." I agree that "Yosemite Sam! Of Outer ::BLAM:: ...space?" is hilarious. As was the fake Bugs's exploding after being asked by Sam's commander and chief if he had any last words. But there were a couple other jokes, such as Sam's robot confronting Bugs's robot (and delivering a terrible "oppressor" joke), that fell flat IMO. And I agree that making Yosemite Sam a space alien was conceptually a little too far-out.

[absolutpaul]

I'll say 'hit', if only because the incongruity of "Yosemite Sam of Outer Space", is a role only Sam could pull off. His personality was so strong that you could change his outfit and he is still the same. Bugs living in a junkyard was a twist, too. Best line: "I knew I shouldn't have sent BX29B. He's the most STUPIDIST robot I've got!"

[Stanislav]

I like this one, and don't think it jumps the shark at all. Let's face it -- even Friz and his creative cohorts could only milk gags for so long out of Sam as a Western bad guy. I enjoy the silliness of Sam in increasingly bizarre personas, like a sheik ("Sahara Hare"), the Black Knight ("Knighty Knight Bugs") and, of course here, "Yosemite Sam of Outer Space!!" (There is a "Yosemite" somewhere out in space?). :confused: I like the running gag of him absurdly having to "announce" himself before every move (much like Daffy in "Duck Dodgers") and the gag where he gets blown up mid-sentence is a classic. Another thread running through these cartoons is that Sam always has a recalcitrant or incompetent "animal" sidekick like a dragon ("Dragons is SOOOO stoopid!"), a camel and, appropriately here, a robot.

[larriva9/11]

Or rather, a series of robots.

[Speedy Boris]

I actually watched this one recently but I can't remember much about it, outside of the unique junkyard backdrops. So I'll have to vote inbetween.

[AardvarkDog]

Definate Hit from me and the last of the better "Bugs 'n' Sam" shorts to be made. Ironically, Friz wrote the story himself so that would explain the different twists and turns of this cartoon.


In-between for me. But probably closer to "Hit." I agree that "Yosemite Sam! Of Outer ::BLAM:: ...space?" is hilarious. As was the fake Bugs's exploding after being asked by Sam's commander and chief if he had any last words. But there were a couple other jokes, such as Sam's robot confronting Bugs's robot (and delivering a terrible "oppressor" joke), that fell flat IMO. And I agree that making Yosemite Sam a space alien was conceptually a little too far-out.

Granted, the mid-sentence explosion was great (Perhaps Chuck should have used that for Duck Dogers, methinks) but personally I love the robot confrontation. Can't really explain why but that made me laugh so hard the first time I watched it, possibly due to the monotonic voices and Sam's robot saying: "I'm a pressin'!" right before he gets it!

[larriva9/11]

Granted, the mid-sentence explosion was great (Perhaps Chuck should have used that for Duck Dogers, methinks)
Though didn't Sam use the "exclamation into question" elsewhere? Seems like a personal hallmark...

but personally I love the robot confrontation. Can't really explain why but that made me laugh so hard the first time I watched it, possibly due to the monotonic voices and Sam's robot saying: "I'm a pressin'!" right before he gets it!

Implicit, of course, is that that particular robot's a personification of Sam himself--to go with the Bugs robot.