Hare-Abian Nights

[Marty26]

What does everybody think of this Cheater Cartoon?

IMO, it's pretty "meh." It does get points for at least using unmodified footage (unlike in the awful Devil's Feud Cake), and Ken Harris did choose some good clips. But the remainder of the cartoon is pretty unfunny. Bugs looks and sounds rather strange, most of the jokes (particularly that Elvis Presley parody in the beginning) seem very forced, and the ending was way too predictable to be funny. Though at least Sam had the decency to get rid of that awful jazz band in the beginning.

I guess there's a reason why this was Ken Harris's first and only WB cartoon.

[Sogturtle]

What does everybody think of this Cheater Cartoon?

IMO, it's pretty "meh." It does get points for at least using unmodified footage (unlike in the awful Devil's Feud Cake), and Ken Harris did choose some good clips. But the remainder of the cartoon is pretty unfunny. Bugs looks and sounds rather strange, most of the jokes (particularly that Elvis Presley parody in the beginning) seem very forced, and the ending was way too predictable to be funny. Though at least Sam had the decency to get rid of that awful jazz band in the beginning.

I guess there's a reason why this was Ken Harris's first and only WB cartoon.

Marty~

I actually like the silly thing! (Didn't say it was super-classic;)). And since I always loved Elvis, the parody tickles my funny bone (and it DOES show that the Warner studio was aware of the gigantic sea-change that had just occurred in popular music :cool::cool:.

And really, Harris was happy as an animator (when you're great at something...).

[J Lee]

This was one of four late-50s cartoons to take a shot at Elvis -- McKimson's "Dog Tales" and Freleng's "A Waggly Tale" and "Apes of Wrath" were the others (and they'd do it again on "The Bugs Bunny Show").

It's kind of a bland cartoon for a cheater, but it did serve as the basis for the later "1001 Rabbit Tales" movie (with Junior from "A Waggly Tale" serving as the design for Sam's kid). And Harris' animation of Sultan Sam is probably the most elegant drawing of the character in all of the post-reopening WB shorts.

[Matthew Hunter]

I like the new animation by Harris of Bugs and Sam. Nicely done stuff...but I'd like it better if it had been a fully new cartoon instead of a cheater. Blech.

[angilbas]

I didn't see a bad moment in any of the new animation, and the classic footage was well-chosen. There were worse ways to cut costs than what Ken Harris and his team did.


-Tony

[Daffysleftfoot]

I like the new animation by Harris of Bugs and Sam.

Actually, I think Ben Washam did alot of the animation. I can see his handiwork in Bugs anyway.

[Sogturtle]

This was one of four late-50s cartoons to take a shot at Elvis -- McKimson's "Dog Tales" and Freleng's "A Waggly Tale" and "Apes of Wrath" were the others (and they'd do it again on "The Bugs Bunny Show").


John~

Very true... But "Hare-abian Nights" is the only one to do a full-fledged caricature of Elvis as human. :cool: And that was my real point, the others are just shots or gags, this one showed the young Elvis, guitar and all!

[J Lee]

John~

Very true... But "Hare-abian Nights" is the only one to do a full-fledged caricature of Elvis as human. :cool: And that was my real point, the others are just shots or gags, this one showed the young Elvis, guitar and all!

You're right about that, Tim. My point was Elivs got almost as bad a treatment as Friz gave Bing back in those mid-1930s cartoons -- McKimson's hound dog in "Dog Tales" with the swooning girls on the soundtrack, is the only positive referencing. All the others, from Harris' Sam dumping Elivis down to the crockodlies to Freleng's having Sam bust up Bugs' guitar during his Elivs impersonation (for the lead in to Jones' "Lomg-Haired Hare" on the Bugs Bunny Show), the going-on-50 staff at Warner Bros. cartoons tended not to portray The King or rock 'n roll in a really favorable light (and obviously by the two above references, it's not smart to bring Elvis anywhere near Yosemitie Sam). ;)

[Marty26]

You're right about that, Tim. My point was Elivs got almost as bad a treatment as Friz gave Bing back in those mid-1930s cartoons -- McKimson's hound dog in "Dog Tales" with the swooning girls on the soundtrack, is the only positive referencing. All the others, from Harris' Sam dumping Elivis down to the crockodlies to Freleng's having Sam bust up Bugs' guitar during his Elivs impersonation (for the lead in to Jones' "Lomg-Haired Hare" on the Bugs Bunny Show), the going-on-50 staff at Warner Bros. cartoons tended not to portray The King or rock 'n roll in a really favorable light (and obviously by the two above references, it's not smart to bring Elvis anywhere near Yosemitie Sam). ;)

WB has always railed on big name celebrities and musicians. The Central Park scene in What's Up, Doc?, in particular, was like the ultimate insult to such celebrities as Jack Benny and Eddie Cantor.

[Sogturtle]

You're right about that, Tim. My point was Elivs got almost as bad a treatment as Friz gave Bing back in those mid-1930s cartoons -- McKimson's hound dog in "Dog Tales" with the swooning girls on the soundtrack, is the only positive referencing. All the others, from Harris' Sam dumping Elivis down to the crockodlies to Freleng's having Sam bust up Bugs' guitar during his Elivs impersonation (for the lead in to Jones' "Lomg-Haired Hare" on the Bugs Bunny Show), the going-on-50 staff at Warner Bros. cartoons tended not to portray The King or rock 'n roll in a really favorable light (and obviously by the two above references, it's not smart to bring Elvis anywhere near Yosemitie Sam). ;)

WB has always railed on big name celebrities and musicians. The Central Park scene in What's Up, Doc?, in particular, was like the ultimate insult to such celebrities as Jack Benny and Eddie Cantor.

John and Marty~

Wellllll what we're really talking about is rather affectionate caricaturisation of the extremely-famous and mega-talented stars (Elvis, Crosby, Sinatra, Jack Benny, Cab Calloway) of the day (public figures are ALWAYS considered fair game). Virtually nowhere do we find the Warner directors (or those at MGM or Fleischer) depicting or saying that any of them were talentless bums.

The "What's Up Doc" Central Park scene does veer rather close, though it shows (for hearty laughs) how WILDLY off Elmer's estimation of them was ("these guys will NEVER amount to anything"):p and as such shows what a dummy Elmer really was!! I would distinguish between this and say, oh "Bingo Crosbyana" which DID definitely go charging across the line from affectionate caricature and gentle parody into what amounted to libel, and thus got the studio sued royally by the young Crosby.

And yeah, virtually no adults of the age to have teenage kids (or those in college) took kindly to the debut of the Elvis. Early rock and roll was seen as a complete foreign language to the musical tastes of the day. And the young Elvis was all-but irresistable on a number of levels to the early rock fans (his voice, his looks, his gentle manner but sharp wit, his funky clothes even). But the Warner directors reaction is really not much different to what they'd had to Sinatra a decade before. [And Sinatra seeing his livelihood threatened by Elvis et al, stupidly characterized him and them with the word "bum":eek:].

Iffffff you REALLY want to witness how an equally beloved master associated with Warner's cartoons reacted to Elvis, Little Richard etc., then hunt down and give a listen to a number of Stan Freberg's comedy/musical records of the middle and latter Fifties. I speak of HIS versions of "Heartbreak Hotel", "The Great Pretender", "Sh-boom", and his self-penned "The Great Payola Roll Blues". Despite all the laughs you DO definitely find that the line has been crossed from loving parody-satire over into a genuine judgmental area of "oh their music is sheer crap and I'll do what I can to help destroy it and them":eek::eek:.
[Freberg's earlier musical satires essentially would just lampoon a lone idiosyncratic song, NOT a whole musical genre, as he did with early Rock].

[Geezil]

He's writing novelettes again! Welcome home, Tim! :D

[J Lee]

John and Marty~

Wellllll what we're really talking about is rather affectionate caricaturisation of the extremely-famous and mega-talented stars (Elvis, Crosby, Sinatra, Jack Benny, Cab Calloway) of the day (public figures are ALWAYS considered fair game). Virtually nowhere do we find the Warner directors (or those at MGM or Fleischer) depicting or saying that any of them were talentless bums.

The "What's Up Doc" Central Park scene does veer rather close, though it shows (for hearty laughs) how WILDLY off Elmer's estimation of them was ("these guys will NEVER amount to anything"):p and as such shows what a dummy Elmer really was!! I would distinguish between this and say, oh "Bingo Crosbyana" which DID definitely go charging across the line from affectionate caricature and gentle parody into what amounted to libel, and thus got the studio sued royally by the young Crosby.

And yeah, virtually no adults of the age to have teenage kids (or those in college) took kindly to the debut of the Elvis. Early rock and roll was seen as a complete foreign language to the musical tastes of the day. And the young Elvis was all-but irresistable on a number of levels to the early rock fans (his voice, his looks, his gentle manor but sharp wit, his funky clothes even). But the Warner directors reaction is really not much different to what they'd had to Sinatra a decade before. [And Sinatra seeing his livelihood threatened by Elvis et al, stupidly characterized him and them with the word "bum":eek:].

Iffffff you REALLY want to witness how an equally beloved master associated with Warner's cartoons reacted to Elvis, Little Richard etc., then hunt down and give a listen to a number of Stan Freberg's comedy/musical records of the middle and latter Fifties. I speak of HIS versions of "Heartbreak Hotel", "The Great Pretender", "Sh-boom", and his self-penned "The Great Payola Roll Blues". Despite all the laughs you DO definitely find that the line has been crossed from loving parody-satire over into a genuine judgmental area of "oh their music is sheer crap and I'll do what I can to help destroy it and them":eek::eek:.
[Freberg's earlier musical satires essentially would just lampoon a lone idiosyncratic song, NOT a whole musical genre, as he did with early Rock].



Good extrapalation of the rock-vs-pop view. Warners' take on Sinatra was about as mixed a bag as Tashlin's portrayal of him was in "Swooner Crooner". Clampett and Freleng took pokes at his notorious thinness/unwellness that allegedly kept him out of the military in "Book Revue" and "Slick Hare", but Frankie the canary totallly befuddled Sylvester in Artie Davis' "Catch as Cats Can." Friz and Foster's decision to name a gorilla after Elvis, and Harris and Maltese's decision to throw him to the gators shows a little more vicious treatment of the then-current singing heartthrob than Frankie ever got (though not as bad as the way Freleng treated der Bingle in the mid-30s).

[Thad]

All of the celebrity caricatures were in good fun, and I highly doubt there was any 'hidden agenda'.

Adolf Hitler is another story.

THAD

[J Lee]

All of the celebrity caricatures were in good fun, and I highly doubt there was any 'hidden agenda'.

Adolf Hitler is another story.

THAD

Well, there is a difference between a suddenly mega-popular celebrity you like, and one that you either can't stand or can't figure out what all the fuss is about. Shamus Culhane related in his autobirography about how he and the other animators were warned beforehand not to put any unflattering charactures of Rudy Vallee into a Screen Song. "Let it Be Me" and "Bingo Crosbyana" certainly had a little more bite than what your average 1930s toon had in skewering a celebrity; the Elvis references weren't anywhere near as bad, but giving Elvis' name to a big, mean gorilla chasing Bugs Bunny certainly wasn't an effort to speak to the teens in the audiences of 1958.

As for the 'Doplher, give Friz, Hugh and Rudy some credit for probably being the first people in Hollywood to get him pegged, with the Hitler-chasing-Durante-with-an-axe gag in "Bosko's Picture Show", which came out only a few months after he assumed power in Germany (Hitler, not Durante ;)).

[Matthew Hunter]

It's really interesting to see how culture changes. I can imagine someone who grew up listening to the likes of Sinatra and Crosby would have been really taken aback by the likes of Elvis. Not to mention Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash. Then of course the Beatles came along, and THAT was a shock to everyone.

My mom remembers seeing the Beatles' TV appearance on the Ed Sullivan show, and remembers having a conversation back in the late 70's when she and my dad got engaged...with my late paternal grandfather about music. He claimed that rock and roll, particularly the Beatles, had just been a craze, and that Frank Sinatra was better music and would outlast all of it. My mom argued to the contrary and thought the Beatles would outlast Frankie...

Ironically, both are still selling records, even though Frank and half of the Beatles are now gone.

To draw parallels here...Classic and modern animation, though quite different at times, are sold side by side on the shelves and do just fine, equally!

[Jon Cooke]

Tim, J Lee, and all...

I just wanted to throw in the fact (since nobody else has yet) that McKimson used the name "Elvis" for the dimwitted hillbilly son of "Pappy" the buzzard/chicken hawk in both "Backwoods Bunny" and "The Dixie Fryer". :foggy:

[Sogturtle]

Well, there is a difference between a suddenly mega-popular celebrity you like, and one that you either can't stand or can't figure out what all the fuss is about. Shamus Culhane related in his autobiography about how he and the other animators were warned beforehand not to put any unflattering charactures of Rudy Vallee into a Screen Song. "Let it Be Me" and "Bingo Crosbyana" certainly had a little more bite than what your average 1930s toon had in skewering a celebrity; the Elvis references weren't anywhere near as bad, but giving Elvis' name to a big, mean gorilla chasing Bugs Bunny certainly wasn't an effort to speak to the teens in the audiences of 1958.


I just wanted to throw in the fact (since nobody else has yet) that McKimson used the name "Elvis" for the dimwitted hillbilly son of "Pappy" the buzzard/chicken hawk in both "Backwoods Bunny" and "The Dixie Fryer". :foggy:

John~

You covered almost the exact same points I was going to cover, right down to Culhane and Rudy Vallee, though you left out that the Fleischerites were going to draw Vallee in VERY unflattering and effeminate ways:eek:.

The one other point that I'd add would be this... That yes the idea of giving Elvis' name to a big, mean gorilla was EXTREMELY uncomplimentary (funny but uncomplimentary), however I'm not totally sure that it was aimed specifically at Elvis.

Here's why I say that... By the time "Apes Of Wrath" was made in 1957 (rel. '59) Rock and Elvis and all the great early rock stars had been in full swing since early '56. Friz Freleng and Warren Foster by Spring of 1957 would have HAD to have heard (and maybe seen on TV) not only Elvis, but Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins, Gene Vincent, and possibly the Everly Brothers and "Buddy" Holly. The only catch is that EVERY single one of those first names (Richard, Chuck, Carl, Gene, Don, Phil, Buddy) were quite bland and NEVER would've been recognized as a Rock and Roll joking-reference when applied to that big, ugly ape:eek:. Whereas Elvis' name was singular, instantly recognizable. So I sort of view that gag-usage as simply striving to name SOME rocker that all the audience would immediately know and thus get a hearty laugh. :cool:

AND this also applies to McKimson's Elvis reference as the dumbo buzzard in "Backwoods Bunny" etc. [Thanks Jon for the reminder!!:bugs2:]

[J Lee]

Tim, J Lee, and all...

I just wanted to throw in the fact (since nobody else has yet) that McKimson used the name "Elvis" for the dimwitted hillbilly son of "Pappy" the buzzard/chicken hawk in both "Backwoods Bunny" and "The Dixie Fryer". :foggy:

Yep, I plumb forgot about those two (to borrow a little from Daws' buzzard).

Mckimson also resued Bugs' rockabilly song from The Bugs Bunny Show for his beatnick rooster in "Banty Raids", but by 1963, that was probably more to save money and to avoid having to hear original William Lava bad rock-n-roll music than to take any shot at Elvis, who by then was more about annual motion pictures from Paramount than he was about new music (now Elvis' 1960s film roles -- THAT was something the Warners' crew really could have parodied, if only the studio had stayed open long enough. ;))

[J Lee]

John~

You covered almost the exact same points I was going to cover, right down to Culhane and Rudy Vallee, though you left out that the Fleischerites were going to draw Vallee in VERY unflattering and effeminate ways:eek:.

The one other point that I'd add would be this... That yes the idea of giving Elvis' name to a big, mean gorilla was EXTREMELY uncomplimentary (funny but uncomplimentary), however I'm not totally sure that it was aimed specifically at Elvis.

Here's why I say that... By the time "Apes Of Wrath" was made in 1957 (rel. '59) Rock and Elvis and all the great early rock stars had been in full swing since early '56. Friz Freleng and Warren Foster by Spring of 1957 would have HAD to have heard (and maybe seen on TV) not only Elvis, but Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins, Gene Vincent, and possibly the Everly Brothers and "Buddy" Holly. The only catch is that EVERY single one of those first names (Richard, Chuck, Carl, Gene, Don, Phil, Buddy) were quite bland and NEVER would've been recognized as a Rock and Roll joking-reference when applied to that big, ugly ape:eek:. Whereas Elvis' name was singular, instantly recognizable. So I sort of view that gag-usage as simply striving to name SOME rocker that all the audience would immediately know and thus get a hearty laugh. :cool:

AND this also applies to McKimson's Elvis reference as the dumbo buzzard in "Backwoods Bunny" etc. [Thanks Jon for the reminder!!:bugs2:]


You're probably right about Elvis' name being used as a generic poke at Rock N' Roll. They did the same thing over at Hanna-Barbera in 1965 after the Beatles' invasion in an episode of "The Flintstones" when Fred's annoying new hillbilly neighbors were driven out of Bedrock by "bug music", though by the mid-60s, the $$$ possibilities of the Baby Boomer demographic and the growing influence of network execs over story content meant the second wave of rock music was embraced far more in the cartoon world than Wave 1, from 1955-63, had been (which gets us back to Don Kirshner and The Archies, but we can keep that discussion confined to the Filmation thread... :rolleyes: )

[Matt the Y]

Getting back to the original topic of this thread... I rate "Hare-Abian Nights" a very large miss.

Seriously, financial reasons aside, this cartoon really had no reason for being made. It's nothing but a hastily put-together "cheater" and even the fine animation by Harris and Washam in the new footage (and the aforementioned Elvis parody) can't save the otherwise weak gags and overall weak cartoon.

It actually serves as one of the reasons why only Friz should direct cartoons that feature Yosemite Sam.
;)

[Sogturtle]

Getting back to the original topic of this thread... I rate "Hare-Abian Nights" a very large miss.

Seriously, financial reasons aside, this cartoon really had no reason for being made. It's nothing but a hastily put-together "cheater" and even the fine animation by Harris and Washam in the new footage (and the aforementioned Elvis parody) can't save the otherwise weak gags and overall weak cartoon.

It actually serves as one of the reasons why only Friz should direct cartoons that feature Yosemite Sam.
;)

Matt~

Well yeah it DID have a sound reason for being made...:) And that was to fulfill Chuck's share of the annual releases! Same thing applies to the several Levitow-directed cartoons... All this while Chuck was busy directing the ATT TV special "Gateways Of The Mind"

[Matt the Y]

Matt~

Well yeah it DID have a sound reason for being made...:) And that was to fulfill Chuck's share of the annual releases! Same thing applies to the several Levitow-directed cartoons... All this while Chuck was busy directing the ATT TV special "Gateways Of The Mind"

Point well taken... but they could have done a better job of filling for Chuck than a hastily made "clip job" like this. Also, it apparently didn't help to have Ken Harris direct the short... Greg Duffell recalls that Harris didn't rate this cartoon very highly himself. Harris was quite ashamed of this short and informed Duffell that briefly serving as director wasn't worth the extra money in his paycheck. Clearly, animating was his forte at the studio.

[Sogturtle]

Point well taken... but they could have done a better job of filling for Chuck than a hastily made "clip job" like this. Also, it apparently didn't help to have Ken Harris direct the short... Greg Duffell recalls that Harris didn't rate this cartoon very highly himself. Harris was quite ashamed of this short and informed Duffell that briefly serving as director wasn't worth the extra money in his paycheck. Clearly, animating was his forte at the studio.

Matt~

The choice of Harris to helm this short I'm sure was purely because of his seniority (and having only to direct a few new scenes meant much less pressure on Harris). To be honest Levitow's three cartoons turned out better, and for that matter Ben Washam's Tom and Jerrys were funnier than Harris' lone stab at directing. However, the BEST and most LOGICAL choice to temporarily fill Chuck's shoes would've been for him to have borrowed Art Davis to direct!:cool:

(Regardless I still like this cartoon, despite it's "cheater" nature:)).

[Matt the Y]

However, the BEST and most LOGICAL choice to temporarily fill Chuck's shoes would've been for him to have borrowed Art Davis to direct!:cool:



That makes sense. Davis filled in for Freleng as director in the 1960's and the result was "Quackodile Tears" which I think is one of the best of the 1960's WB shorts. I actually think Davis' "Quackodile Tears" is better and funnier than most of the Freleng shorts made during that time.