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This Is a Life? is a 1955 Merrie Melodies short directed by Friz Freleng.
Plot
In a parody of 1952's This Is Your Life, Elmer J. Fudd (aping Ralph Edwards) is the host and Bugs Bunny is the guest of honor, much to the disgust of Daffy Duck ("How do you like that?! Thith was thuppothed to be about my life! Tho what do they do? They take an unknown and of all things, a rabbit! Who's interethted in a rabbit?!"). On several occasions, Granny has to whack Daffy over the head to get him to be quiet. He mutters "Easy, stomach, don't turn over now. Easy does it." Meanwhile, Bugs reminisces with Elmer and Yosemite Sam about their previous encounters (reviewed via footage from past Bugs Bunny cartoons "A Hare Grows in Manhattan", "Buccaneer Bunny", and "Hare Do"). Elmer and Sam plan to present Bugs with a special gift — a time bomb — in appreciation of their "friendship," but Daffy, stubbornly refusing to believe that he was not the guest, grabs the gift and takes the resulting explosion. Naturally, Daffy tells the rabbit, "You're despicable!"
Availability
- VHS - Yosemite Sam's Yeller Fever
- DVD - Looney Tunes Super Stars' Daffy Duck: Frustrated Fowl (cropped to widescreen)
- Blu-ray - Bugs Bunny 80th Anniversary Collection, Disc 2 (remastered and HD)
Streaming
- HBO Max (2020 - )
Censorship
- When this cartoon aired on the syndicated version of The Merrie Melodies Show, the shipboard cannon blasts to Yosemite Sam's face (taken from "Buccaneer Bunny") was cut.[1]
- When this cartoon was shown on ABC, in addition to the Merrie Melodies Show cut, further cuts were made:
- Granny hitting Daffy with her umbrella (to keep him from ranting about not being chosen for "This is a Life?") after Daffy finds it on the ground[1]
- Daffy shouting, "Throw him out! Throw him out!" during the show and Granny hitting Daffy with her umbrella again ("SHUT UP!!").[1]
- Elmer and Sam placing a bomb in the gift package before giving it to Bugs.[1]
- Daffy returning on stage after foolishly taking the package for himself (and getting blown up by it) and growling, "You're despicable!" to Bugs.[1]
Notes
- Most of this cartoon was used in the TV special Bugs Bunny's Mad World of Television, but the clip from "Hare Do" of Elmer using an Army surplus radar to hunt Bugs has been replaced with Bugs and Elmer's vaudeville act from "What's Up Doc?"
- This is one of the few Bugs Bunny cartoons not to feature the "Bugs Bunny in" title card before the opening credits.
- This is the first Merrie Melodies short to feature the 1955-1956 green color rings with a red background (only at the end, the beginning uses the 1954-1955 red rings with a blue background). The end titles for some of the 1955-56 titles would have the red rings instead of the green rings.
- This cartoon has a special opening cue.
- This short is unusual in that the title card does not appear between the Merrie Melodies card and the credits card. Rather, it appears after the credits as part of the story.
- The introduction to This Is a Life? after the credits is also voiced by Mel Blanc, in a voice similar to that of Foghorn Leghorn, despite the fact that Foghorn Leghorn doesn't appear in this cartoon. ("Brought to you by the Wishy Washy Washing Machine Company of Walla Walla, Washington")
- This is the first time in which June Foray voices Granny. She would go on to voice the character for 59 years.
References
External Links
- This is a Life? at SuperCartoons.net
- This is a Life? at B99.TV
- This is a Life? on the SFX Resource
| Preceded by Rabbit Rampage |
Bugs Bunny Cartoons 1955 |
Succeeded by Hyde and Hare |
