French Rarebit

French Rarebit

Directed By: Robert McKimson Produced By: Eddie Selzer (uncredited) Released: 30 June 1951 Series: Merrie Melodies Story: Tedd Pierce Animation: Charles McKimson Rod Scribner Phil DeLara Emery Hawkins John Carey (uncredited) Layouts: Cornett Wood Backgrounds: Richard H. Thomas Film Editor: Treg Brown (uncredited) Voiced By: Mel Blanc Tedd Pierce (uncredited) Music: Eugene Poddany Orchestrator Milt Franklyn Starring: Bugs Bunny Louis François Preceded By: Chow Hound Succeeded By: The Wearing of the Grin French Rarebit (1951) - Original Titles Recreation

French Rarebit is a 1951 Merrie Melodies short directed by Robert McKimson.

Title

The title is a takeoff on "Welsh rarebit", which is also known as "Welsh rabbit".

Plot

Two French chefs, Louis (the red-haired chef) and François (the black-haired chef) , both want to cook dinner specials for their restaurants, and both their dishes involve rabbits. They both spot Bugs and fight over who gets to cook him until Bugs outwits both of them. Bugs tricks the chefs into believing he has a recipe from the famed Antoine's of New Orleans; allowed to demonstrate it on them, he places them both in a bowl of vegetables, then places this into an oven with a stick of dynamite. After the dynamite explodes, the chefs, having survived the blast, sing "Alouette". Bugs then comments "Ehh, personally I prefer hamburger."

Censorship

The version of this cartoon that aired as part of ABC's "The Bugs Bunny & Tweety Show" was edited to tone down violence:

• the part where Louis and François (the two French chefs) clobber each other with cookery (that Bugs provides for both of them) was shortened.
• Bugs inserting a stick of dynamite into a carrot before placing it in the pot with the two chefs inside.

Notes

• Production Number: 1167
• MPAA Number: 14194
• Unlike most cartoons reissued during the time, the original closing title card was kept. However the original "Bugs Bunny In" title was plastered over by the 1955-1964 version.
• Francois would later appear near the end of the direct-to-video film "Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas" as Wile E. Coyote's personal chef which Daffy Duck had hired for him as his Christmas present.
• This is the final short to have a fade in on the orange color rings before Bugs Bunny's headshot appears in the rings.^{[citation needed|date=]}

• The copyright was renewed on December 27, 1977.

Availability

• VHS - The Looney Tunes Video Show Volume 15
• VHS - Looney Tunes: The Collectors Edition Volume 4: Daffy Doodles
• DVD - Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2, Disc One
• DVD - Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection: Volume 8 Disc 1
• Streaming – Boomerang
• Streaming - HBO Max

Gallery

Part of the Animator Draft along with two other drafts for "Hillbilly Hare" and "What's Up Doc?"

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TV Title Cards

The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show

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External Links

• French Rarebit at SuperCartoons.net
• French Rarebit at B99.TV