Knight-mare Hare

Infobox Hollywood cartoon
cartoon_name = Knight-mare Hare
series = Merrie Melodies


caption =
director = Chuck Jones
story_artist = Tedd Pierce
animator = Ken Harris
Ben Washam
Abe Levitow
Richard Thompson
layout_artist = Ernie Nordli
background_artist = Philip De Guard
voice_actor = Mel Blanc
musician = Milt Franklyn
producer = Edward Selzer
distributor = Warner Bros. Pictures
The Vitaphone Corporation
release_date = October 1, 1955 (USA premiere)
color_process = Technicolor
runtime = 7 min (one reel)
movie_language = English
imdb_id = 0048263

Knight-mare Hare is a 1955 animated cartoon short released by Warner Bros. Cartoons in the "Merrie Melodies" series, directed by Chuck Jones and written by Tedd Pierce. The cartoon stars Bugs Bunny in medieval times. It was released theatrically on October 1, 1955.

Plot

The cartoon begins with Bugs Bunny reading a book on the Knights of the Round Table. While reading, an apple hits his head and he finds himself in the times of King Arthur. When he wakes up he finds himself at the pointy end of a knight's lance. Bugs asks him, "What's up, Duke?" and the knight commands Bugs to surrender as prisoner of his lance. The knight identifies himself as "Sir O of Kay, Earl of Watercress, Sir Osis of The Liver, Knight of the Garter, and Baron of Wooster-cester-shister-shyster-schuster-shister-sister-shire...sher." Ready to take Bugs' challenge to tilt with him for the insult of Bugs' friends Duke of Ellington, Count of Basie, Earl of Hines, Cab of Calloway and Satchmo of Armstrong, the knight (whom Bugs calls "Pressure Cooker" and "Sir Rupp of Figgs") offers Bugs a too-heavy sword, then begins to charge at him, during several comedic attempts by Bugs to get the sword off the ground. At the last second, Bugs puts his leg out tripping the knight's horse. The horse falls and the knight pole vaults on his lance over the castle wall and into a high window of a castle tower, falling to the bottom inside the tower.

Bugs is later chased by a dragon who breaths fire at him. He later stops it by spraying water into the dragon's mouth. The dragon loses it's fire breath and runs away.

Bugs later goes to another castle, the residence of a warlock named Merlin of Monroe. He later tricks the warlock into becoming a horse. To try to return to the present, Bugs Bunny throws an apple in the air to hit him on the head. He later wakes up and walks thinking it was a dream until he hears a man call a horse Merlin.

Facts

*This was the first film in which the director was credited as Chuck Jones, rather than Charles or Charles M. Jones.

Availability

The cartoon is available on the "" DVD box set.

References

* Beck, Jerry and Friedwald, Will (1989): "Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons". Henry Holt and Company.

External links

*imdb title|id=0048263|title=Knight-mare Hare
* [http://www.bcdb.com/cartoon/462-Knight-Mare_Hare.html "Knight-mare Hare"] at the Big Cartoon DataBase
* [http://www.kevinmccorrytv.com/1955bugsbunny.html "Deconstructing" Bugs: The Bugs Bunny Cartoons of 1955] - Written by Kevin McCorry