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Hare Lift is a 1952 Looney Tunes short directed by I. Freleng.

Title[]

The title is a play on the term "air lift," as expressed in the plotline.

Plot[]

A newspaper announces the test flight of the world's biggest airplane. The plane lands at an airport, its giant wheel covering Bugs Bunny's hole. Bugs struggles out and, impressed by the plane, decides to take a look inside. Meanwhile, in town, Yosemite Sam robs the Last National Bank ("...and keep reachin' for the ceilin'- till ya' reach it!!") and, after wiping off the assets, which read $4,562,321.08, leaving just the $0.08. He hears the police approach and drives off to the airport, with plans to hijack a plane and take refuge in another country where he won't be found.

Inside the plane, Bugs has started to pretend he's a World War II pilot, and when Sam boards, he assumes Bugs is the pilot and orders him to take off at once. Before Bugs can protest, Sam threatens to shoot him. Bugs succeeds in finding the ignition button, and the plane sets off down the runway and flies over a busy traffic intersection.

Racing toward a skyscraper, Bugs pulls the plane up into outer space, sending Sam falling to the plane's tail. When it seems as if the plane is about to crash into the moon, Bugs steers the plane back down toward Earth, sending Sam falling to the plane's nose. As Sam threatens to have Bugs's license revoked, he discovers the latter reading a flying manual. Noticing the Earth growing larger in the window, Sam orders Bugs to read faster, or else. Bugs, however, refuses to read any further in the manual because of Sam's mean talk and orders him to apologize. Sam slaps himself in the head. The United States appears in the window; Sam apologizes to Bugs, but not without insulting him. Bugs then orders Sam to "say you're sorry with sugar on it." Sam refuses and tries to act nonchalant by playing with a yo-yo and a set of jacks. As a farm appears in the window, Sam finally gives in and apologizes properly.

Bugs steers the plane straight back up into space and goes to radio the authorities to inform them that they're bringing the plane back. Sam then orders Bugs to give him the flying manual, but Bugs throws it out the open door. Sam runs out to retrieve it, but upon discovering how high he is, "runs" back in. Bugs then lets Sam slip on a banana peel and out the other door. When he hears Sam knocking at the door, Bugs pretends to be a grocer. "Nope, sorry, can't use any today! [slams door on him] Try next Wednesday." Burning with rage, Sam busts back in and threatens to blow Bugs to Kingdom Come. Since Sam happens to be standing on the bomb bay doors, Bugs pulls a cord and sends Sam falling out of the plane. Sam panics mid-air and scrambles back into the plane.

Fed up with Bugs' flying, Sam orders Bugs to turn the steering wheel over to him. Instead, Bugs breaks off the steering wheel and tosses it out of the plane. As a last resort, Sam activates the Robot Pilot. Upon assessing the situation, the Robot Pilot deduces that all hope is lost, then grabs ones of the parachutes from the parachute locker, and leaps out of the plane itself.

With just one parachute left, Bugs decides he and Sam should draw straws to see who gets it. Sam suggests that Bugs should prepare the straws. While Bugs is distracted with the straws, Sam grabs the last parachute and his bag of stolen money. Sam jumps out and, while shouting at Bugs, "So long, sucker! Ha-ha! Ha-ha! Ha-ha! Ha-ha... Wooooh," lands inside a cruiser full of police officers conveniently waiting below. Bugs manages to stop the plane in midair by pulling a lever. He's just thankful the plane comes with "air brakes".

Availability[]

Streaming[]

Notes[]

  • The plane's nosediving sequence is very similar to Bob Clampett's "Falling Hare" from 1943.
  • At the time this cartoon was made, the biggest airplanes in the world were Howard Hughes' "Spruce Goose" and the Saunders-Roe Princess flying boats.
  • Parts of this cartoon were used in the beginning of the 1963 Merrie Melodies cartoon "Devil's Feud Cake", while the "How to Fly" book and the control panel were used in the 1956 Looney Tunes cartoon, "A Star Is Bored".
  • Parts of this cartoon were also used in the 1980 TV Special The Bugs Bunny Mystery Special, but Sam's use of the giant plane is changed around, as is what happens to him after he parachutes out of the plane. Bugs also escapes the plane after it stops.
  • The animation of the robot pilot and Yosemite Sam opening the parachute is reused animation from the 1940 Merrie Melodies short, "Ceiling Hero".
  • Yosemite Sam last acted nonchalant in the 1948 Looney Tunes short, "Buccaneer Bunny".
  • The MPAA logo appears on the credits, but not its number.
  • This cartoon was originally slated to be included on the Looney Tunes Super Stars' Bugs Bunny: Hare Extraordinaire DVD, but was replaced early in development due to executive backlash from Warner Home Video.[1]

Gallery[]

TV Title Cards[]

References[]

External links[]


Bugs Bunny Shorts
1938 Porky's Hare Hunt
1939 Prest-O Change-OHare-um Scare-um
1940 Elmer's Candid CameraA Wild Hare
1941 Elmer's Pet RabbitTortoise Beats HareHiawatha's Rabbit HuntThe Heckling HareAll This and Rabbit StewWabbit Twouble
1942 The Wabbit Who Came to SupperAny Bonds Today?The Wacky WabbitHold the Lion, PleaseBugs Bunny Gets the BoidFresh HareThe Hare-Brained HypnotistCase of the Missing Hare
1943 Tortoise Wins by a HareSuper-RabbitJack-Wabbit and the BeanstalkWackiki WabbitFalling Hare
1944 Little Red Riding RabbitWhat's Cookin' Doc?Bugs Bunny and the Three BearsBugs Bunny Nips the NipsHare Ribbin'Hare ForceBuckaroo BugsThe Old Grey HareStage Door Cartoon
1945 Herr Meets HareThe Unruly HareHare TriggerHare ConditionedHare Tonic
1946 Baseball BugsHare RemoverHair-Raising HareAcrobatty BunnyRacketeer RabbitThe Big SnoozeRhapsody Rabbit
1947 Rabbit TransitA Hare Grows in ManhattanEaster YeggsSlick Hare
1948 Gorilla My DreamsA Feather in His HareRabbit PunchBuccaneer BunnyBugs Bunny Rides AgainHaredevil HareHot Cross BunnyHare SplitterA-Lad-In His LampMy Bunny Lies over the Sea
1949 Hare DoMississippi HareRebel RabbitHigh Diving HareBowery BugsLong-Haired HareKnights Must FallThe Grey Hounded HareThe Windblown HareFrigid HareWhich Is WitchRabbit Hood
1950 Hurdy-Gurdy HareMutiny on the BunnyHomeless HareBig House BunnyWhat's Up Doc?8 Ball BunnyHillbilly HareBunker Hill BunnyBushy HareRabbit of Seville
1951 Hare We GoRabbit Every MondayBunny HuggedThe Fair Haired HareRabbit FireFrench RarebitHis Hare Raising TaleBallot Box BunnyBig Top Bunny
1952 Operation: RabbitFoxy by Proxy14 Carrot RabbitWater, Water Every HareThe Hasty HareOily HareRabbit SeasoningRabbit's KinHare Lift
1953 Forward March HareUpswept HareSouthern Fried RabbitHare TrimmedBully for BugsLumber Jack-RabbitDuck! Rabbit, Duck!Robot Rabbit
1954 Captain HareblowerBugs and ThugsNo Parking HareDevil May HareBewitched BunnyYankee Doodle BugsBaby Buggy Bunny
1955 Beanstalk BunnySahara HareHare BrushRabbit RampageThis Is a Life?Hyde and HareKnight-Mare HareRoman Legion-Hare
1956 Bugs' BonnetsBroom-Stick BunnyRabbitson CrusoeNapoleon Bunny-PartBarbary-Coast BunnyHalf-Fare HareA Star Is BoredWideo WabbitTo Hare Is Human
1957 Ali Baba BunnyBedevilled RabbitPiker's PeakWhat's Opera, Doc?Bugsy and MugsyShow Biz BugsRabbit Romeo
1958 Hare-Less WolfHare-Way to the StarsNow, Hare ThisKnighty Knight BugsPre-Hysterical Hare
1959 Baton BunnyHare-abian NightsApes of WrathBackwoods BunnyWild and Woolly HareBonanza BunnyA Witch's Tangled HarePeople Are Bunny
1960 Horse HarePerson to BunnyRabbit's FeatFrom Hare to HeirLighter Than Hare
1961 The Abominable Snow RabbitCompressed HarePrince Violent
1962 Wet HareBill of HareShishkabugs
1963 Devil's Feud CakeThe Million HareHare-Breadth HurryThe UnmentionablesMad as a Mars HareTransylvania 6-5000
1964 Dumb PatrolDr. Devil and Mr. HareThe Iceman DuckethFalse Hare
1979 Bugs Bunny's Christmas CarolFright Before Christmas
1980 Portrait of the Artist as a Young BunnySpaced Out Bunny
1990 Box Office Bunny
1991 (Blooper) Bunny
1992 Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers
1995 Carrotblanca
1997 From Hare to Eternity
2004 Hare and Loathing in Las VegasDaffy Duck for President
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