The Grey Hounded Hare

Infobox Hollywood cartoon
cartoon_name = The Grey Hounded Hare
series = Looney Tunes/Bugs Bunny


caption = Title card for "The Grey Hounded Hare"
director = Robert McKimson
story_artist =
animator = John Carey
Phil DeLara
Manny Gould
Charles McKimson
Layout Artist
Cornett Wood
background_artist = Richard H. Thomas
voice_actor = Mel Blanc
musician = Carl W. Stalling
producer = Eddie Selzer
studio = Warner Bros. Pictures
distributor = Warner Bros. Pictures
release_date = August 6, 1949
color_process = Technicolor
runtime = 7 minutes (one reel)
preceded_by = "Knights Must Fall"
followed_by = "The Windblown Hare"
movie_language = English
imdb_id = 0041434

"The Grey Hounded Hare" is a 1948-produced, 1949-released Looney Tunes short film made by Warner Bros. Pictures and starring the voice talent of Mel Blanc. It was directed by Robert McKimson, and animated by John Carey, Phil DeLara, Manny Gould and Charles McKimson, with music scored by Carl Stalling. The title refers to the greyhounds of the plot as well as "hounded" meaning pestered or pursued relentlessly.

Plot

Bugs Bunny pops out of a hole, wondering what all the 'racket' is. He quickly finds out that he's at a greyhound track. Bugs decides to check out the dogs, commenting positively on 'number 7' ("That's me lucky number"), a large grey greyhound named Gnawbone, even though he lunges at Bugs in anger.

Wanting to see the race (including announcement of the dogs such as "Father's Mustache - looks a little droopy" and "Motorman's Glove will have a hand in it"), Bugs watches as a rabbit lure is led out, followed by the pack of dogs chasing the rabbit. Not realizing that the rabbit is a fake, Bugs jumps into the track, taking down some of the dogs one at a time. Bugs eventually teases the dogs enough that they start chasing him out of the track and into a taxi, which speeds off towards the Dog Pound. However, Gnawbone #7 wasn't fooled and is waiting for Bugs. Bugs soon trips the dog up and tries to 'talk' to the rabbit lure. Number 7 gets back on his feet and chases the rabbit lure. Bugs continues to thwart #7 from chasing his "dreamboat", eventually luring the dog to charge headfirst into a fire hydrant (at which point, the dog's tail raises the white flag of surrender).

Now free to pursue "Dreamboat" unhindered, Bugs gives the lure a kiss, getting a large shock, just before the lure goes back into it's starting box. Stating that "it could be the beginning of a be-yoo-tiful friendship", Bugs opens the door to the box and gives another kiss, getting another shock.

Censorship

*On the ABC airing of this cartoon, the part after the dog falls from the sky after chasing the balloon rabbit, where the greyhound goes to punch Bugs, but gets distracted by the electric rabbit on the track and Bugs sidetracking the dog by using a dynamite stick to play fetch with him (resulting in the dog getting blown up), was cut, making the cut seem like the dog blew up after he fell from the sky ( [http://looney.goldenagecartoons.com/ltcuts/ltcutsg.html] ).

External links

*
* [http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/131-Grey_Hounded_Hare.html The Grey Hounded Hare] at The Big Cartoon Database
* [http://looney.goldenagecartoons.com/ltcuts/ltcutsg.html Description of edited scene] on The Censored Cartoon Page