Customer Reviews

Bugs Bunny: 50 Years and Only One Grey Hare

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Quick quiz--who is the only cartoon character with a service record in the United States Marine Corps?

If you said "Bugs Bunny", you're right on target. Such was the "scwewy wabbit's" impact during the years of World War II, the Marines insisted that he "enlist," giving him dog tags and ID papers complete with paw prints. At the end of the war, he was honorably discharged as a master sergeant!

Such gestures are hardly surprising, according to Joe Adamson. Bugs' debut in 1940 marked the convergence of a rebellious spirit and a dire period in our history when just such an attitude was sorely needed. We needed to see Bugs nonchalantly thumb his nose at his adversaries when we were facing our most frightening adversaries of all--namely Germany and Japan.

He did not spring to life fully formed, however. Bugs, in seminal form, appeared in a number of cartoons in the late thirties, but was not the wabbit we know him to be. Crazy, out of control, and posessing a Goofy-like voice, he seemed more at home in Bob Clampett's Wackyland than facing the business end of Elmer Fudd's shotgun. Adamson takes us through these early incarnations of Bugs, and gives us a quick history of the Leon Schlesinger studio that spawned him. Schlesinger's outfit had been a decidedly low-rent operation producing second-rate imitations of Disney cartoons when the great "Tex" Avery arrived--and promptly stood the industry on its ear. To Avery, "cute" was out--and a manic, self-aware approach was in. Some two years after the first proto-Bugs cartoons, Avery restyled the embryonic rabbit to fit the new studio philosophy. When faced with a gun-toting hunter, Bugs did not scream or run away, but responded with a smart-alecky "What's up, Doc?"--and immediately shocked and delighted audiences.

Even at the height of his success, Adamson says, the rabbit continued to change and grow, most notably at the hands of his self-styled "analyist," Chuck Jones. Bugs under Jones became a thinking character, fighting only when provoked (and uttering the immortal words "Of course you realize this means war.") This Bugs was a winner, someone who seemed to know something his adversaries Elmer Fudd and Daffy Duck did not. And audiences loved him all the more for it.

Inevitably, as with all stars, Bugs underwent a period of decline, and Adamson takes us through this era as well. The long run on television, the ill-conceived specials and compilation movies are discussed (Chuck Jones' "Carnival Of The Animals" musical feature was the low point). Significant in its absence is Bugs' big-screen re-emergence in "Space Jam"--understandable since this book was first published in 1990 (the best possible excuse for an updated edition, Mr. Adamson.) A detailed background of Bugs and his various opponents takes up the back section of the book, and is quite interesting. There aren't as many behind-the-scenes stories as in Jones' "Chuck Amuck", but it also spares us the endless self-congratulation of Chuck's tome.

This book is a must read for anyone wanting to know the right way to run an animation studio--namely, leave the animators alone (free from interference from networks and parents' groups) and let the magic happen. Leon Schlesinger, who rarely supervised the animators' work if he could help it, unwittingly had the right approach all along.

Joe Adamson really hit the spot. I'm the world's biggest Bugs Bunny fan and I was thrilled to discover that somebody cared enough about this true American hero and his life to write a book about him! Even though it was pretty long, it held my attention to the end (when I nearly cried). Few people that are my age really know how important Bugs was to our country - after all, he gave us hope for victory during WWII. I'm really glad Adamson decided to write this book from the views of Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, and Mel Blanc - it was really good! The photos and paintings really added to it, too. Throughout the whole thing, I learned a ton about this "wascally wabbit". I now know I can confidently answer any question in the world about Bugs Bunny!

Any Bugs Bunny collector/enthusiast must have this book. The filmography alone at the end of the book is worth the price as a reference. I can compare it to my videos and Golden Collection DVDs and see what was covered. Great insights and sketches, big full color photos... you will not be disappointed.

Bugs Bunny is the greatest cartoon character of all time. I really love that rabbit ever since I got a Bugs Bunny stuffed animal.
I think with _Bugs Bunny 50 Years and Only One Grey Hare_, people will understand everyone's favorite rabbit, who has entertained Americans and people around the world.

Bugs Bunny's wit and wisdom has made him an icon for all ages. Bugs, a clever beast with long ears who always makes the wrong turn at Alberquerque, has become a hero of many. This rabbit has become a hero for me, like it has been for many.

I think with the book, we will understand that Bugs' wit and wisdom has made him an icon for all ages, especially for all rabbit lovers.

If Bugs Bunny is your personal role model, as he is for me, you have to have this book. If not, you might want it anyway. Just as an idea of what to strive for.

Joe Adamson does a fine job of bringing Bugs Bunny to "life" in this well-researched book. With a look at the evolution of the character, a breakdown of how the cartoons were received, and an admittedly subjective criticism of the author's 16 favorite Bugs Bunny shorts; the book has everything a Bugs' fan could hope for. Full of storyboards and clips from the cartoons this book is for any fan of animation and a must for the Bugs Bunny fanatic.

When I was 10, I loved Bugs Bunny. When I was 20, I was a film major in college and chose animation as my area of expertise. At that time, the books on American studio animation were non-existent. Leonard Maltin's OF MICE AND MAGIC was the first accurate compendium, focusing on all American studios. Then Steve Schneider's THAT'S ALL FOLKS focused on the Warner Bros. studio. In this book we mainly focus on the titular star, but the text is actually more analytical (but no less entertaining) than Mr Schneider's book (the footnotes reveal a dizzying variety of sources). Now I'm 37, and I'm intensely jealous that I could not have been the one to produce this book! I'm grateful for its existence, and I'm glad that in his "Bugs Bunny's Greatest Hits" section, he gives much credit to director Friz Freleng's contributions, frequently forgotten in the battle between the "Clampett-ites" and the "Jones-ites." I only would have added "Rabbitson Crusoe" somewhere!

i know i may be 13 but i read this front to back and i say its a very good book i t tells you about the life,story,and friends of bugs