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Rhapsody Rabbit

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Rhapsody Rabbit
Directed byI. Freleng
Story by
StarringMel Blanc
Music byCarl W. Stalling
Animation by
Layouts byHawley Pratt
Backgrounds byTerry Lind
Color processTechnicolor
Production
company
Distributed by
Release date
  • November 9, 1946 (1946-11-09)
Running time
7:33
LanguageEnglish

Rhapsody Rabbit is a 1946 American animated comedy short film in the Merrie Melodies series, directed by Friz Freleng and featuring Bugs Bunny.[1] The movie was originally released to theaters by Warner Bros. Pictures on November 9, 1946.[2] This short is a follow-up of sorts to Freleng's 1941 Academy Award-nominated Rhapsody in Rivets, which featured the "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2" by Franz Liszt. The "instrument" used to perform the "Hungarian Rhapsody" in Rhapsody in Rivets is a skyscraper under construction, while this short features Bugs playing the piece at a piano while being pestered by a mouse.

In 1946, film critic James Agee wrote in The Nation that the short is "the funniest thing I have seen since the decline of sociological dancing," saying, "The best of it goes two ways: one, very observant parody of concert-pianistic affectations, elegantly thought out and synchronized; the other, brutality keyed into the spirit of the music to reach greater subtlety than I have ever seen brutality reach before."[3]

Rhapsody Rabbit was the first cartoon to be broadcast on Cartoon Network when the channel launched on October 1, 1992.[4]

Plot

Set against a backdrop of Richard Wagner's Siegfried funeral march, Bugs Bunny takes center stage as a piano virtuoso. Amidst thunderous applause, Bugs embarks on a performance of Franz Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2".

The opening scene sees Bugs poised at the piano, only to be interrupted by a persistent cough from an unseen audience member. Unfazed, Bugs resorts to unconventional means to silence the disturbance, humorously wielding a revolver from his tailcoat.

Throughout the performance, Bugs engages in playful banter, responding to a ringing phone inside the piano with his trademark catchphrase, "Eh, what's up, doc?" He cleverly incorporates musical references, such as singing "Fi-ga-ro!" during a familiar three-note sequence, adding a comedic twist to his piano playing.

As Bugs navigates through the piece, he encounters a pesky mouse that becomes a persistent nuisance. The encounter escalates into a musical duel, culminating in a boogie-woogie showdown. Despite momentarily trapping the mouse, Bugs is ultimately outwitted as the mouse reemerges, performing a surprise finale on a miniature piano.

In a comedic climax, Bugs confronts the final frenzied pages of the Rhapsody, culminating in exasperation as the mouse steals the spotlight with its unexpected performance. Frustrated yet undeterred, Bugs delivers the closing notes with characteristic wit, concluding the performance with a humorous flourish.

Voice cast

Home media

The short is available on Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2, with an optional commentary track by musical historian Daniel Goldmark. It is also available on volume 2 of Looney Tunes: Spotlight Collection, as well as Warner Bros. Discovery's two video streaming services, the Boomerang SVOD app and Max.

Plagiarism dispute

The same year Warner released Rhapsody Rabbit, MGM produced a very similar Tom and Jerry cartoon called The Cat Concerto, which features Tom being distracted by Jerry while playing in a concert.[5] Several gags are identical, and both use Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 as the primary piece.[6] The Cat Concerto won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.[5]

Both MGM and Warner accused each other of plagiarism after both films were shown in the 19th Academy Awards Ceremony.[5] Technicolor was accused of sending a print of either cartoon to a competing studio, who then plagiarized their rival's work.[5] Even today, this remains uncertain: though Rhapsody Rabbit has an earlier MPAA approval number and release date, MGM's cartoons had a longer production period.[5] The massive similarities could also be coincidental.[5] The controversy was addressed in an episode of the Cartoon Network anthology series ToonHeads.[7][8]

See also

References

  1. ^ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 173. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
  2. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 60–61. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  3. ^ Agee, James (September 14, 1946). "Films". The Nation: 305.
  4. ^ "The Cartoon Network launch 1992". YouTube. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Pianist Envy, Thad Komorowski, February 26, 2013
  6. ^ Rhapsody Rabbit (1946) Trivia, imdb.com
  7. ^ Rhapsody Rabbit VS The Cat Concerto
  8. ^ The Great Cartoon Controversy Archived August 9, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, tv.com
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Preceded by Bugs Bunny Cartoons
1946 		Succeeded by
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