Slick Hare
| Slick Hare | |
|---|---|
| Merrie Melodies (Bugs Bunny) series | |
| Directed by | I. Freleng |
| Produced by | Edward Selzer (uncredited) |
| Story by |
Tedd Pierce Michael Maltese |
| Voices by |
Mel Blanc Arthur Q. Bryan (uncredited) Dave Barry (uncredited) |
| Music by | Carl Stalling |
| Animation by |
Virgil Ross Gerry Chiniquy Manuel Perez Ken Champin |
| Layouts by | Hawley Pratt |
| Backgrounds by | Paul Julian |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Release date(s) | November 1, 1947 (USA) |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Running time | 8 minutes |
| Language | English |
Slick Hare is a 1947 Merrie Melodies Bugs Bunny cartoon, directed by Friz Freleng. It parodies the Mocambo nightclub in Los Angeles—in the cartoon referred to as "The Mocrumbo". Mel Blanc voices Bugs, Arthur Q. Bryan voices Elmer Fudd and impressionist Dave Barry portrays Humphrey Bogart. When Bogart comes to the Mocrumbo for dinner, waiter Elmer Fudd needs to serve him fried rabbit in 20 minutes— or else. When looking in the kitchen, Elmer finds Bugs Bunny, but Bugs is more interested in having fun with the celebrities than being served for dinner. The title is another pun on "hair", from an era when hair slicked down by oil was a popular fashion style for men.
Besides playing up many celebrities of the time (including a voiced cameo by Portuguese-Brazilian singer/actress Carmen Miranda), this cartoon is also noted for giving viewers an "inside look" at the kitchen of the Mocambo. The problem is, the view was not that flattering. According to a DVD commentary for this cartoon, one of the writers, Michael Maltese, managed to get a look at the kitchen of the Mocambo, and drew what he saw—including grease dripping from the refrigerators and crates of vegetables lying around on the ground. As Maltese put it in the DVD commentary, "I almost got my ass in a sling!" for this.
While the cartoon plays on Bogart's famous "tough guy" image, it also recognizes that Bogart was a softer man in real life, as he was more interested in Lauren Bacall's needs than resorting to violence.
The cartoon opens with various shots of 1940s celebrities dining and drinking at the Mocrumbo club—including such personalities as Ray Milland (in a spoof of The Lost Weekend, he pays for his drink with a typewriter and receives miniature typewriters as change) and Frank Sinatra (depicted exaggeratedly thin, so much so that he slips into his straw when trying to take a sip from his drink). Fudd is a waiter at the Mocrumbo and comes out to find that his next customer is Humphrey Bogart.
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