Merrie Melodies Starring Bugs Bunny & Friends Censorship

Merrie Melodies: Starring Bugs Bunny & Friends (both the syndicated version and the version shown in the early 1990s on the FOX Network) have, like all other American networks that have aired the Warner Bros. shorts, edited scenes deemed "inappropriate" for children's television. These edits were mostly for violence, characters getting shot in the face (which was almost always covered up with still shots), and any activity considered dangerous or criminal (as seen with "Big House Bunny" and "The Turn-Tale Wolf").

Some edits are exclusive to either the syndicated version or the FOX version and will be noted as such on the list. It should also be noted that the syndicated version of The Merrie Melodies Show was more lenient in showing cartoons that had outdated racial stereotypes while the FOX version had those shorts either banned (as seen with Chuck Jones' Inki cartoons) or censored.

Censorship

Baby Buggy Bunny (1954)

• Much like the versions shown on ABC, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Boomerang, the scene of Baby Finster pulling a gun on Bugs, Bugs thinking it's a toy, and Bugs getting shot was cut.

Ballot Box Bunny (1951)

• The end where Yosemite Sam and Bugs play Russian Roulette after losing the mayoral election to a "Dark Horse" was cut after Sam and Bugs look at each other.

Barbary-Coast Bunny (1956)

• The scene of Nasty Canasta shooting himself in the face was replaced with a still shot of Bugs (from the last few seconds after this scene).

Big House Bunny (1950)

• The scene of Bugs posing as a corrupt prison warden and slipping Sam (who was tricked into getting in the cell) an escape kit, only for Sam to tunnel his way into his boss' office and get in trouble, was cut.
• Like most American TV versions of this short, the scene of Sam chasing Bugs into the gallows, with Sam getting hanged after Bugs presses the button to the platform and going down as if he were on an elevator, was cut.

Boston Quackie (1957)

• Some of the spy murder gags (such as a man getting murdered lowering the shades for privacy and Daffy shooting a man hiding under the table after he drugged Daffy's drink) on the train were cut.
• The scene of Daffy getting stuffed in a train mailbag and left to dangle by his neck on a noose was cut.

Cheese It, the Cat! (1957)

These cuts were also done when this cartoon aired on CBS in the 1980s:

• The part where Ralph and Morton slam the door and the cat's body gets flattened was cut.
• The part where Morton feeds the cat's tail into the garbage disposal which sucks the cat inside and shaves off most of his fur, and the subsequent scene of the cat sadly picking his fur from the drain was cut.

Claws for Alarm (1954)

• The scene where Sylvester places a noose around his neck to demonstrate to Porky what could've happened to him was cut.
• The part where the mice lower a noose around a sleeping Porky, Sylvester cutting it with a razor, and Porky accusing him of attempted murder, was also deleted.

A Coy Decoy (1941)

• During the scene where Daffy sings "I Can't Get Along Little Doggie", the part where he rides out of the book Black Beauty on the shoulders of a black mammy caricature was cut.

Curtain Razor (1949)

• The wolf drinking gasoline and swallowing a match during his act was cut (compare with Cartoon Network and Boomerang's versions, where only the gasoline drinking was cut).

The Dixie Fryer (1960)

• Elvis shooting Pappy in the face while Elvis chases Foghorn around the tree was replaced with a still image of Foghorn.

Dough Ray Me-ow (1948)

Much like the version shown on Nickelodeon, these two scenes of dangerous, imitable behavior were cut:

• Louie the parrot tricking Heathcliff into sticking electric wires in his ears by saying it's a radio, only for Heathcliff to actually get radio transmissions (while Louie does the same thing and gets electrocuted) was deleted.
• Louie then tricking Heathcliff into walking along railroad tracks with a can over his head -- and Heathcliff derailing the train and somehow surviving was also removed.

It should be noted that these edits only apply to the FOX version; the syndicated version is uncut.

Duck! Rabbit, Duck! (1953)

• All scenes of Daffy getting shot were replaced with still shots of Bugs.

Feather Dusted (1955)

• Much like the ABC and Cartoon Network/Boomerang version, the entire scene of Foghorn Leghorn and Egghead, Jr. playing at "Fort Pale-Face" and Foghorn getting shot after pulling the cork on Egghead's gun was cut.

Frigid Hare (1949)

• Bugs calling the Inuit hunter an "Eskimo pie head" was cut (but not the line about Bugs being happy that he doesn't have to go back to work until July of 1953).

Hippety Hopper (1949)

• The entire beginning with the mouse contemplating and attempting suicide by jumping off the docks into the water, only to be saved by Hippety Hopper, was cut (FOX version only).

His Bitter Half (1950)

• Wentworth pretending to die from a gunshot wound was cut (FOX version only). Coincidentally, the scene of Wentworth cautiously lighting a string of fireworks (a scene that was edited on Nickelodeon out of fear that kids will copy it and get hurt in real life) wasn't cut.

Horse Hare (1960)

• The whole scene where Bugs keeps a tally of how many Indians he has killed by singing "Ten Little Indians" was cut (a similar scene in Tom Tom Tomcat wasn't cut, though this could possibly be because the "Indians" getting shot at were cats and not people). Compare with Nickelodeon's version, which left in the sequence, but cut Bugs' line about one of the Indians he shot down being a "half-breed".

The Iceman Ducketh (1964)

Both the syndicated and FOX version of The Merrie Melodies Show edited this short for gun violence:

• The syndicated version cut Daffy pulling out Bugs' carrot from his gun and getting blasted in the face ("Ooh, I love him!") and the part after Daffy gets turned into an ice statue where Daffy climbs out of the statue, tugs on the gun that's still in there, and gets shot.
• The FOX version cut the same scenes, but did it slightly differently: the first scene is completely gone (rather than just cut after Bugs plugs Daffy's gun with his carrot) while the second scene ends after Daffy gets out of the ice statue and tugs on it to get his gun out (cutting out the statue "shooting" him).

Jeepers Creepers (1939)

• Much like the versions shown on Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network (in America and barring its appearance on The Bob Clampett Show), and Boomerang (also in America and also not counting its appearance on The Bob Clampett Show), the end where Porky backfires his car into the ghost and the ghost ends up in blackface, saying, "My, oh my! Tattletale gray!" a la Rochester was cut (though the Merrie Melodies Show version ended the short after Porky drives away from the ghost, whereas Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Boomerang cut out either after Porky shows the ghost his "No Hitchhikers" sign or just as the car backfires on the ghost).

Lighter Than Hare (1960)

• Much like the version shown on The WB, the end where Bugs listens in on Sam and his planet getting blown up was cut to remove Bugs laughing and wondering if Amos 'n Andy is on yet.

Little Boy Boo (1954)

• Similar to the version shown on ABC, the FOX version of The Merrie Melodies Show cut the part where Foghorn asks Egghead Jr. if he knows what a baseball bat is for and Egghead Jr. wallops Foghorn on the head with it.

The Lone Stranger and Porky (1939)

• The sequence where The Lone Stranger talks to his Indian partner Pronto in the mirror was cut on the FOX version of The Merrie Melodies Show (though, unlike Nickelodeon's version, the villain shooting the announcer after the announcer calls him a "plug shot" wasn't cut, even though gun violence has been edited on other shorts).

Mouse-Warming (1952)

• Claude getting shot in the face by the father mouse's gun was replaced with a still of the daughter mouse looking out the window. Compare with ABC's version, which cut the scene entirely and even removed the part where Claude the cat is licking his ashen face to further cover up the deleted scene.

Mouse Wreckers (1949)

• Claude being beaten up by the bulldog was shortened.

Notes to You (1941)

Both of these edits were done when this short aired on the FOX version of The Merrie Melodies Show:

• Porky threatening to shoot the singing cat, and the cat distracting Porky by singing a lullaby to him was cut.
• The end with Porky shooting the cat dead, followed by his nine lives singing Sextet was removed (with the cartoon now ending on Porky covering his ears as the cat sings "Make Love With a Guitar").

People Are Bunny (1959)

• In the syndicated version, the part where Daffy gets shot by the hunters was replaced with a still shot of Bugs.
• The FOX version left in Daffy getting shot, but cut the cartoon off after Bugs tells the audience, "Eh, they always shoot blanks on TV", removing Daffy walking back into frame after getting shot, spitting out several pellets, and saying, "'Blanks', he says. Have a handful of blanks! Yeesh!"

Person to Bunny (1960)

• Daffy getting blasted by Elmer's gun (which he thinks is a camera) had the blast replaced with a still of Bugs.

Prince Violent (1961)

• Like most television prints, this short was retitled as "Prince Varmint". Unlike most versions, the FOX version created a new title card where Bugs is dressed as a Viking and sitting on the side of a castle. Versions before that would have a generic title card (often just a solid color card or one with Bugs Bunny on it) with the new title on it. This new title card is the one shown on other channels that do allow Warner Bros cartoons to air with their original title cards, such as Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Boomerang.

Putty Tat Trouble (1951)

• The FOX version of The Merrie Melodies Show cut Sylvester and the orange cat hitting each other with a rifle and ashtray (similar to the CBS version, only the FOX version left in the gun and pipe gag).

Rabbit Fire (1951)

• All scenes of Daffy getting shot were replaced with still shots of Bugs.

Rabbit Romeo (1956)

• The goldfish killing itself after Bugs makes it kiss Millicent was deleted (though not the part that was cut on The WB where Bugs makes Millicent kiss a fan and Millicent destroys it)

Rabbit Seasoning (1952)

• All scenes of Daffy getting shot were replaced with stills of Bugs.

Rebel Rabbit (1949)

• Much like the versions shown on post-2002 Cartoon Network and Boomerang, the FOX version of The Merrie Melodies Show cuts the sequence where Bugs gives Manhattan back to the Indians during his rampage of destructive pranks across America.

The Rebel Without Claws (1963)

• Sylvester getting blasted in the face by the ship cannons was deleted on the FOX version of The Merrie Melodies Show (though it was shown uncut as a Hip Clip in a later installment). It should be noted that the two uses of the word "damn" ("Damn Yankees!" and "I tawt I taw a damn Yankee tat!") weren't cut.

Robot Rabbit (1953)

• Much like the version shown on CBS in the 1970s and 1980s, Elmer getting blasted by the robot's laser gun was replaced with a still shot of the mule looking at the camera (though, unlike CBS' version, the mule getting shot was left uncut and there was no use of still shots to cover up the censored scene in the CBS version).

The Scarlet Pumpernickel (1950)

• The ending where Daffy acts out the suicide of the Scarlet Pumpernickel was replaced with a still shot of the outside of J.L.'s office just as the gun goes off (much like the version shown on ABC).

Show Biz Bugs (1957)

• Daffy's final act was cut to remove Daffy drinking gasoline (similar to the ABC version and the version shown on The Looney, Looney, Looney, Looney Bugs Bunny Movie).

Southern Fried Rabbit (1953)

• Unlike the versions shown on The WB, Cartoon Network, and Boomerang, the sequence where Bugs poses as a runaway slave going back to the South, then blowing his cover by singing "Yankee Doodle" was mostly left in on the FOX and syndicated version of The Merrie Melodies Show. The Merrie Melodies Show version only cut Bugs putting a whip in Yosemite Sam's hand, pleading for Sam not to beat him, and Bugs posing as Abraham Lincoln and chastising him for whipping slaves before Bugs' cover is blown again and Bugs dives into a tree (the edited version goes from Bugs getting caught singing "Yankee Doodle" to Bugs diving into the tree, with the first few seconds of the whip part left in by mistake). It should be noted that, despite editing the slave part, Sam's introduction scene (which features the controversial Confederate "bars and stripes" flag) was not cut on either version of The Merrie Melodies Show. It should also be noted that a similar scene on "Wise Quackers" of a character (Bugs in "Southern Fried Rabbit"; Daffy in "Wise Quackers") making another character (Yosemite Sam in "Southern Fried Rabbit"; Elmer Fudd in "Wise Quackers") out to be a slave driver (with the former character dressing up as Abraham Lincoln and chastising the latter character for it) wasn't edited.
• Sam being blasted by a cannon was replaced with a still of Bugs (dressed as a Southern Belle) blocking a door (which was recycled from the next scene).

A Star is Bored (1956)

• All the scenes of Daffy getting shot (once when he replaces Bugs in a scene with Yosemite Sam and again when Daffy stars in his own movie near the end) were replaced with still shots of Bugs looking off-screen.

Strangled Eggs (1961)

• The whole scene of Foghorn Leghorn getting hanged on a noose and dropped into a cauldron of hot water by Henery Hawk was cut.

Stupor Duck (1956)

• Daffy getting blasted by a submarine's cannon was cut (though not the missile going after Daffy and blasting him again. It should also be noted that The Merrie Melodies Show version left in the part ABC cut where Daffy tries to save a building from falling -- not knowing that it was supposed to be demolished -- and getting punched in the face by an angry construction worker).

The Stupor Salesman (1948)

• Slug McSlug pointing a gun at Daffy and Daffy using a polish to make it go limp was cut on the FOX version of The Merrie Melodies Show (though the scene of Daffy turning on the stove's gas to demonstrate a cigarette lighter he's trying to sell to Slug McSlug wasn't cut like it was on The WB, despite being seen as a dangerous, imitable stunt)

This Is a Life? (1955)

• The clip from Buccaneer Bunny with Sam getting blasted by several cannons was cut short.

Tom Tom Tomcat (1953)

• The part where one of the Indian cats makes a hole in Granny and Tweety's fortress and attempts to shoot them with an arrow, only for a gun to emerge there and blast half of the cat's fur off, was cut

The Turn-Tale Wolf (1952)

• The FOX version of The Merrie Melodies Show cut the part where The Big Bad Wolf is bootlegging alcohol, then covers it up when his son comes home from school (though the part that was cut on The WB where one of the Three Little Pigs chides the Wolf with, "Ah, go blow yer brains out!" wasn't cut on FOX).

The Unmentionables (1963)

• The two times Rocky gets shot (one where Bugs uses his carrot as a gun and the other time when Rocky, Bugs, and Mugsy are in the cereal factory) were cut.

War and Pieces (1964)

• Wile E. getting shot in the face by the shotgun disguised as a peep-show called "Secrets of a Harem" was replaced with a still shot of the Road Runner looking down a cliff.

Wholly Smoke (1938)

• The beginning of the "Little Boys Shouldn't Smoke Song" where four matchsticks strike themselves and burn out to form blackface (while singing in the style of The Mills Brothers) was cut (compare with Cartoon Network/Boomerang's version, which leaves in that part, but, since they aired a redrawn colorized version of the short, the four matchsticks end up in red face rather than blackface).
• The part where a pipe cleaner sticks his head in a dirty pipe and comes out looking and singing like Cab Calloway was cut.

Wild and Woolly Hare (1959)

• The part where Bugs shows off his shooting prowess by tossing a can in the air, only to completely miss it and shoot Sam in the face was altered. Unlike most versions that have cut the scene completely, The Merrie Melodies Show version replaced Bugs shooting Sam in the face with footage from the 1978 TV special How Bugs Bunny Won the West where Bugs shoots corks in the bullet holes that Sam made in the can (which was also the version shown when clips from Wild and Woolly Hare were used on The Looney, Looney, Looney, Looney Bugs Bunny Movie). It should be noted that the other scenes of Sam getting shot in the face, as well as the early scene of Injun Joe giving his beer to a cowboy and going out to face Sam, only to get shot off-screen (and the cowboy drinking the beer and telling the audience he gets free beer this way) weren't cut on The Merrie Melodies Show.

Wise Quackers (1949)

• The scene of Daffy pretending to be an Uncle Tom to convince Elmer to let him stay with him was cut (though the end where Daffy puts a whip in Elmer's hands, begs Elmer not to beat him, then comes in as Abraham Lincoln and chastises him for whipping slaves -- a near-similar scene that would appear four years later on "Southern Fried Rabbit" and would be cut on The Merrie Melodies Show -- wasn't cut).