Hillbilly Hare



Hillbilly Hare is a 1950 Merrie Melodies cartoon starring Bugs Bunny, produced and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was directed by Robert McKimson, with a story by Tedd Pierce and musical direction by Carl Stalling. Bugs as usual is voiced by Mel Blanc, as is Curt Martin; an uncredited Stan Freberg and John T. Smith voice Punkin'head Martin; Smith also voices the square dance caller before Bugs unplugs the machine.

This is only 1 of 3 WB cartoons released in 1950 not to bear the "all-green" ring scheme, the others being Dog Collared and Two's a Crowd.

Summary
In this cartoon, after having several of their hunting attempts foiled, hillbilly brothers Curt and Punkin'head Martin are determined to get revenge on Bugs Bunny for their humiliation. But Bugs easily outsmarts them and eventually leads them into a violent square dance involving repeated slapstick comedy gags.

Like Pete Puma, the hillbillies have gone on to enter pop culture among animation fans. They have made occasional cameos in the DC Looney Tunes comic book series, and they also make a brief cameo along with Bugs in the Histeria! episode "Great Heroes of France". They also make a brief cameo in Space Jam (they are briefly seen with the other Looney Tunes characters watching the basketball game between the Tune Squad and the Monstars).

Censorship

 * This cartoon saw major editing when aired on ABC due to violent content. The following scenes were edited:
 * The scene where Bugs mistakes Hillbilly #1's gun for a camera and has his carrot shot full of holes was cut.
 * The scene where Hillbilly #1 unties his rifle barrel, gets blasted in the face, was cut.
 * The scene where Bugs meets up with Hillbilly #2, and Bugs reverses the gun barrel so that the second hillbilly is blown up was cut.
 * The aftermath of the explosion in the dynamite shack sequence where Hillbilly #1 comes out with Bugs' lit lighter and says, "I think y'all are usin' too strong a fluid!" was also cut.
 * The line during the square-dance ending that goes: Grab a fence post/Hold it tight/Whomp yer partner/Wit' all yer might/Hit 'im in the shin/Hit 'im in the head/Hit 'im again/The critter ain't dead/Whomp 'im low and whomp 'im high/Stick yer finger in his eye/Pretty l'il rhythm/Pretty l'il sound/Bang yer head against the ground (and the ensuing comic violence that follows) was also cut.

Availability
Hillbilly Hare is available (uncensored and uncut) on Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3, Disc 1.