Hollywood Avalon episode 9 - Four Bugs Bunny Cartoons

Mary Versus the Movies

We're surveying a selection of Bugs Bunny cartoons, all with a medieval theme, some of which are explicitly Arthurian. The earliest, "Knights Must Fall", is a pretty generic burlesque of Bugs Bunny versus a powerful knight, but draws some inspiration from A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, especially in Bugs's use of locomotives and whatnot. "Knight Mare Hare" is a pretty unfocused take on Connecticut Yankee, complete with framing device, and while it's not a particularly tight cartoon, it has some classic Chuck Jones abstract backgrounds, and some pretty good gags. "Knighty Knight Bugs" is a much more tightly-constructed story, with Bugs being sent by King Arthur to recover the Singing Sword, only to encounter Yosemite Sam as the Black Knight. This won the Academy Award for best animated short, and it's not hard to understand why. "Bugs Bunny in King Arthur's Court" is an oddity--a 20-minute retelling of Connecticut Yankee made in 1978, it's sometimes surprisingly faithful to Twain's novel--like Bugs setting up factories like Hank Morgan--while at other times making extremely strange choices, like having Daffy Duck as King Arthur. Voices by Mel Blanc. "Knights Must Fall" and "Knighty Knight Bugs" directed by Fritz Freleng, "Knight Mare Hare" and "King Arthur's Court" directed by Chuck Jones.

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