Bedevilled Rabbit

Bedevilled Rabbit
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Airdate:	13 April 1957
Series:	Merrie Melodies
MPAA Number:	17987
Production Number:	1428
Copyright Renewed:	22 April 1985
Starring:	Bugs Bunny Tasmanian Devil Tasmanian She-Devil
Crew
Voice Characterizations:	Mel Blanc
Director:	Robert McKimson
Written By:	Tedd Pierce
Producer:	Eddie Selzer
Animated By:	George Grandpré Ted Bonnicksen Keith Darling
Layout Artist:	Robert Gribbroek
Background Artist:	Richard H. Thomas
Film Editor:	Treg Brown
Musician:	Milt Franklyn

Bedevilled Rabbit is a 1957 Merrie Melodies short directed by Robert McKimson.

Plot

A box of carrots is dropped into the middle of a jungle in Tasmania. Bugs pops out, wondering how he went from sleeping in a carrot plop to the middle of Tasmania. Suddenly, a group of animals (both wild and domesticated) come running through the woods, scared for their lives (Bugs mistakes it for “chow time at the zoo”). A crocodile (who turns himself inside out into a bag for a disguise) hands Bugs a booklet talking about the Tasmanian Devil and the many things it eats. Bugs reads “Eats Aardvarks, Ants, Elephants, Antelopes, Cats, Bats, Dogs, Hogs, Crocs, Gators, Eagles, Fish, Deer, Wolves, Chickens, Giraffes, Gazelles, Octopuses, Wildebeests, People, etc. — bet there's no such animal.” While Bugs is going through the list, the Tasmanian Devil comes roaring in and greedily says that it 'especially' eats rabbits as it turns to the page that says it and eats the booklet. Bugs is able to temporarily fool Taz into thinking he's a monkey, which Tasmanian Devils don't eat (though one of the animals seen running for its life was a monkey — ostensibly because all animals are scared of Taz). However, Taz soon starts chasing Bugs again. Bugs tricks "Baggy Eyes" into getting crushed under a tree but Taz manages to exit through a knothole in the tree. Bugs jokes around wondering what Tasmanian Devil pancakes would taste like, but he lets his guard down and Taz grabs Bugs by his ears and asks him "What for you say you monkey, when you got little powder puff tail like rabbit, Rabbit?!" Bugs ends up on a spit, trussed like a roast pig, as Taz puts salt and pepper on Bugs, which results in Bugs sneezing. Bugs is really nervous, because he is about to be eaten for lunch and has no escape plan, but luckily he sees Taz making a large salad to go with him. Bugs compliments Taz on his "mean salad" but informs him that the best thing to have with a salad is "wild turkey surprise," not rabbit. Taz, wanting to try it, unties Bugs. Bugs, wearing a chef hat and faking an Italian accent, throws some sticks of dynamite together, lights the fuses and dresses the 'legs' up to look like they're from a turkey. Taz gobbles the dish, but doesn't seem too harmed from the explosion in his stomach. When Taz starts chasing Bugs again, Bugs runs into a store owned by a "Trader Mac" and buys some random items. He then disguises himself as a Tasmanian She-Devil, whom Taz goes gaga over. Bugs 'makes out' with Taz and, with a bear trap for lips, gives him a big kiss, driving Taz wild. This causes the real she-devil (whom Taz married at the end of "Devil May Hare" in 1954) to come in and smack him across the head with her rolling pin. Bugs comments, "She's a nice lady. Yeesh!"

Availability

(1985) VHS
A Salute to Mel Blanc

(1994) LaserDisc
Bugs Bunny: Hare Beyond Compare: 14 More Bugs Bunny Classics

(1996) VHS
Stars of Space Jam: Tasmanian Devil

(1997) VHS
Special Bumper Collection (Vol. 5)

(1997) LaserDisc
Japanese Looney Tunes LaserDiscs Tasmanian Devil

(1997) VHS
Space Jam Double Feature

(1998) VHS
Looney Tunes Presents: Taz's Jungle Jams

(1999) VHS
Looney Tunes: The Collectors Edition, Vol. 1: All-Stars

(2010) DVD
Looney Tunes Super Stars' Bugs Bunny: Hare Extraordinaire (cropped to widescreen)

(2011) Blu-ray
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1, Disc Two (restored)

(2012) DVD
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1, Disc Two (restored)

(2013) DVD
Looney Tunes Super Stars 3-Pack, Disc 1

(2014) DVD
Looney Tunes Super Stars Family Multi-Feature, Disc 1

(2018) DVD
Stars of Space Jam: Tasmanian Devil

(2018) DVD
Stars of Space Jam Collection Volume 1

Streaming

HBO Max (2020 - ) (restored)

Censorship

The version of this cartoon shown on ABC's The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show had the following scenes cut:

• The scene of Bugs serving Taz "wild turkey surprise" was oddly cut to remove Taz eating it and the resulting explosion, but not Bugs actually constructing it out of dynamite and singing in a faux Italian voice, making Taz's "Pardon" a strange non sequitur.
• Taz's wife catching him allegedly cheating on her and beating Taz several times with a rolling pin was cut to remove the actual beatings, going from Taz's wife pinching his ear and yelling at him to Bugs taking off the rest of his Tasmanian She-Devil costume as the beatings happen off-screen.

Notes

• Working Title: "Hare Deviled"
• Most of this cartoon was used in the Thanksgiving special, Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet, but with a redubbed scene where Bugs tells Taz that he shouldn't serve rabbit on Thanksgiving, but instead serve Wild Turkey Surprise.
• Several elements of this cartoon (specifically the opening scene involving Taz's debut) were borrowed heavily from "Devil May Hare".
• The Tasmanian She-Devil calls Taz "Claude".
• This is the second and final classic era appearance of the Tasmanian She-Devil.
• The scene where Taz turns a page on Bugs' booklet, and eats it was also used in a "Now Available from Warner Home Video" bumper in 1999. Although, the page where it states that Tasmanian Devils eat rabbits was replaced with the aforementioned logo.
• Clips from this cartoon appear in a vignette on the 1996 VHS of "Twister" (by Warner Bros.)

Gallery

Title card (HD quality)

Title card (low quality)

Lobby card

Production cel with a production background from "The Abominable Snow Rabbit"

Layout drawing

External Links

• "Bedeviled Rabbit" at SuperCartoons.net
• "Bedeviled Rabbit" at B99.TV