Bugs Bunny's near-misses

[speedy fast]

Although Bugs Bunny can take care of himself when fighting enemies, there have been times when a predator tried to kill or capture Bugs, and Bugs just barely missed getting hurt. In these cases Bugs seemed oblivious to what was to happen, but do you think he didn't know what was about to happen to him, or could he be such a good "actor" that on occassion when he barely misses an injury that he can make sus believe that he isn't aware of what could have happened?

A few examples of what I'm talking about:

"No Parking Hare" - at one point Bugs sings and plays the banjo, looking at sheet music. The construction worker drops a big bomb into the rabbit hole, but Bugs just happens to get up and turn the page of sheet music when this happens, and the bomb falls on the bed and bounces back up.
To Hare is Human - Wile E. Coyote drops gernades into Bugs' toaster, and when it pops up, the gernades shoot up out of the hole and blow Wile E. up.
Show Biz Bugs and Ballot Box Bunny - Bugs seems to honestly miss the notes on the xylophone/ piano that the explosives are rigged to.
From Hare to Heir - Bugs didn't seem aware that Yosimite Sam was trying to kill him when Sam posed as a knight, or when Sam put a hole under the rug.

[J. B. Warner]

The first example that came to mind is from "Bugs and Thugs", where Bugs crosses the street with his nose buried in a newspaper and narrowly avoids getting hit by three or four cars without even realizing it.

You know, it's sort of like they're saying that even when he doesn't realize it, Bugs still comes out on top. He's just that good.

[LooneyFan]

I always feel Bugs is just playing "stupid". There's some other characters that I also feel like they are just playing "stupid" whenever something like this happens.
I can defintely explain "To Hare is To Human" for you, Bugs was giving Wile E. those silly plans all the time. So, wouldn't he have know about those gernades?

[larriva9/11]

Then there's something a little more "genuine", like his dream-walking sequence after getting hit by the steel beam in "Homeless Hare".

[Daffysleftfoot]

One of the earliest examples of this is in The Heckling Hare. Bugs walks casually along while Willoughby is charging after him. Bugs just as casually drops into a hole nanoseconds before the dog appears.

[Brandon Panther]

From "Devil May Hare"...

[quack-up]

From "Devil May Hare"...

Was that animated by Schribner?

[kaseykockroach]

Was that animated by Schribner?
I think that was actually Herman Cohen's animation, if I recall correctly.

[larriva9/11]

4F
http://frame.revver.com/frame/120x90/827817.jpg

[Matt the Y]

The entire Bugs cartoon, "Hyde and Hare" [Freleng/1955], is nothing but near-misses for Bugs. He almost gets his head chopped off by an axe, at another time, almost gets his head shot off by a rifle, and is generally almost ripped to shreds by a psychopathic, homicidal monster throughout the entire cartoon..... never catching on that the "monster" in question is also the kindly old man who brought him home in the first place, only transformed.

[Glowworm]

Bugs almost gets chopped by an axe thrown by the mad scientist in "Water,Water Every Hare" but ducks at the last second-and the axe hits a bottle of Ether instead.
Also in "Racketeer Rabbit" Bugs nonchalently ducks under Rocky and Mugsy's machine gun fire to get a drink of water. "Low Bridge"

[larriva9/11]

Bugs almost gets chopped by an axe thrown by the mad scientist in "Water,Water Every Hare" but ducks at the last second-and the axe hits a bottle of Ether instead.

And of course, his tiptoeing away praying after nearly falling into the pit of crocodiles...

[Matt the Y]

And of course, his tiptoeing away praying after nearly falling into the pit of crocodiles...

He also almost fell into a pit of crocodiles (doing the same tiptoeing away praying bit) in the previously-themed "Hair Raising Hare" [Jones/1946] as well.

[Matt the Y]

There's a bit in "Hold the Lion Please" [Jones/1942] which I think is absolutely priceless..... the "door gag" where Leo runs really hard to break down the door that Bugs has "locked" with Bugs directly behind the door. Leo runs back really far to build up as much forward momentum as possible and then runs like a fiery comet. Bugs just relaxes against the side of the door humming to himself without moving a muscle even though he knows that Leo is charging straight toward the door at rapid top speed. This goes on with back-and-forth intercuts between both Bugs and Leo and, just when it looks like both Bugs and the door are going to get bashed down, Bugs FINALLY calmly moves aside and opens the door causing Leo to zoom straight through and crash off-camera. That scene perfectly shows Bugs' unflappable cunning in the face of danger; he knew that he had to plan that just right because, even if he opened the door as much as one second too late, Leo could easily have flattened him so his timing would have to be just right and it was. Only Bugs could have foiled a villain in such a precise manner. :D:bugs2:

He similarly foils Yosemite Sam in "High Diving Hare" [Freleng/1949] when he puts the propped-up door up on the high diving board for Sam to break down (again, he opens the door at the very last minute and Sam runs off the diving board). I don't think the timing is as good in this short, though, just because here it goes by too fast as opposed to the previous short where the gag is deliciously timed to the last possible second (which I can't say I blame Freleng for since, in order for the gag to fit in with the timing of all the succeeding "Sam-falling-off-the-diving-board" gags in the cartoon, the gag would have to go by that much faster but still.....).

[larriva9/11]

There's a bit in "Hold the Lion Please" [Jones/1942] which I think is absolutely priceless..... the "door gag" where Leo runs really hard to break down the door that Bugs has "locked" with Bugs directly behind the door. Leo runs back really far to build up as much forward momentum as possible and then runs like a fiery comet. Bugs just relaxes against the side of the door humming to himself without moving a muscle even though he knows that Leo is charging straight toward the door at rapid top speed. This goes on with back-and-forth intercuts between both Bugs and Leo and, just when it looks like both Bugs and the door are going to get bashed down, Bugs FINALLY calmly moves aside and opens the door causing Leo to zoom straight through and crash off-camera. That scene perfectly shows Bugs' unflappable cunning in the face of danger; he knew that he had to plan that just right because, even if he opened the door as much as one second too late, Leo could easily have flattened him so his timing would have to be just right and it was. Only Bugs could have foiled a villain in such a precise manner. :D:bugs2:


And when it comes to Jones, there's the later "Bully For Bugs" thing where he's writing his will and saying his prayers before opening the door for Toro to run out of the arena...