Rabbit of Seville
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| Rabbit of Seville | |
| Looney Tunes/Bugs Bunny series | |
 Bugs Bunny forces Elmer Fudd into a barber's chair for a series of outlandish treatments. |
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| Directed by | Charles M. Jones |
|---|---|
| Story by | Michael Maltese |
| Animation by | Phil Monroe Ben Washam Lloyd Vaughan Ken Harris Emery Hawkins |
| Voices by | Mel Blanc |
| Music by | Carl Stalling |
| Produced by | Eddie Selzer |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures The Vitaphone Corporation |
| Release date | December 16, 1950 (USA) |
| Format | Technicolor, 7 min (one reel) |
| Language | English |
| IMDb page | |
Rabbit of Seville is a Warner Brothers Looney Tunes theatrical cartoon short released in 1950. It was directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese.
The cartoon, in a plotline reminiscent of Stage Door Cartoon, features Bugs Bunny being chased by Elmer Fudd into the stage door of the Hollywood Bowl, whereupon Bugs tricks Elmer into going onstage, and participating in a break-neck operatic production of their chase punctuated with gags and accompanied by musical arrangements by Carl Stalling, focusing on Rossini's overture to The Barber of Seville.
Stalling's arrangement is remarkable in that the overture's basic structure is kept relatively intact; some repeated passages are removed and the overall piece is conducted at a faster tempo to accommodate the cartoon's standard running length.
In 1994 it was voted #12 of the 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time by members of the animation field.
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[edit] Summary
Much as in What's Opera, Doc?, the cartoon's only dialog (other than the ending line) is sung as lyrics during the cartoon. The cartoon opens with people filing in to see "The Barber of Seville". In the back of the theater, Bugs is chased by Elmer and runs through an open back door. Elmer, now behind the curtain, doesn't see it rise when Bugs raises the curtain. The conductor, after a brief confused look at his watch, starts the orchestra, which causes Elmer to turn wide-eyed towards the audience. Bugs then steps out from behind a stage door, dressed in a barber's outfit and ropes Elmer into getting a shave.
After recovering from the shave he got, Elmer starts the chase again, but is stopped by Bugs dressed as a temptress, who snips off Elmer's pants and ties his shotgun into a bow. When Elmer sees through Bugs' disguise, he tries shooting him, but is blown back into the barber's chair. Bugs has another go with Elmer's scalp, turning his head into a fruit salad bowl (complete with cherry on top). Elmer chases Bugs again, but after Bugs attempts to play a snake charmer to get a shaver to chase Elmer, Elmer chases Bugs back to the barber's chairs. Bugs and Elmer raise their chairs to high heights, and Bugs cuts loose a stage sandbag, causing Elmer to wander around in a daze until he's back (yet again) in Bugs' barber chair.
Bugs plays around with Elmer's scalp for a third time (this time causing flowers to sprout from Elmer's head), and a short 'arms chase' ensues, where Bugs and Elmer chase each other off stage with bigger weapons (first axes, then guns, then cannons). Finally, Bugs ends the chase by offering chocolates and a ring to Elmer, who ducks offstage and comes back as the blushing bride. The tune then briefly switches to the "Wedding March" by Mendelssohn, before finishing with Bugs carrying his 'bride' up a long flight of stairs, through a doorway, and down into a wedding cake labeled "The marriage of Figaro". Bugs then looks at the camera, smirks, and says, "Next?"
[edit] Lyrics
HOW DO?
Welcome to my shop,
Let me cut your mop,
Let me shave your crop,
Dain-ti-ly,
Dain-ti-ly...
(Turns to Elmer)
HEY YOU!
Don't look so perplexed,
Why must you be vexed,
Can't you see you're next?
Yes, you're next, (Carries him into the barber shop set)
You're so next... (Seats him in the barber's chair)
(Zips over to the "Shaving Cream Smoothie" part)
How about a nice close shave? (Spoons in 2 scoops of cream into a glass)
Teach your whiskers to behave;
Lots of lather, lots of soap, (Puts glass under a beater until it foams)
Please hold still don't be a dope;
Now we're ready for the scraping, (Applies the whole thing onto Elmer's face)
There's no use to try escaping;
Yell and scream and rant and rave,
It's no use, you need sha-a-ve...
(Starts shaving Elmer's face with razor, to which the latter yells out "oof-ouch-ouch-oof-ouch-oof-ouch")
There, you're nice and clean...
Although your face looks-like-it-might-have-gone-through a ma-chine...
(Elmer runs out and grabs his hat and shotgun)
Oh, where do I get the wa-bbit?
(Bugs appears dressed up as a woman)
Wha-t would you want with a wa-bbit?
Can't you see that I'm much swee-ter?
I'm your little se-no-ri-ter, you...
Are my type of guy...
Let me straighten your tie, (Ties up the shotgun barrels)
And I shall dance for you...
(Proceeds to humiliation part, and so on and so forth)
[edit] Trivia
- The "Barber of Seville" poster that appears at the start of the film features three names: Eduardo Selzeri, Michele Maltese and Carlo Jonzi, which are Italianized versions of the names of the producer (Eddie Selzer), writer (Michael Maltese) and director (Chuck Jones) of the film.
- In one shot of the scene where Bugs massages Elmer's head in time to the piano melody, his hands are drawn with five digits instead of the usual four.
