Hare Conditioned

Not being familiar with the subject of this parody - "The Great Gildersleeve," from the hit radio program "Fibber McGee and Molly," I guess I couldn't appreciate the humor in here. This guy - the store manager - wasn't funny to me.

Bugs is working in a department store and things are going fine until he's transferred to the taxidermy room where he's going to be the next animal stuffed. To no surprise, Bugs is not thrilled with that prospect and does what he can to outwit "Gildersleeve."

When the two start chasing each other all around the huge department store is when this cartoon gets funny....and very clever with the changing-clothes bits. That made up for slow first half.

Is it a good idea to use live animals for department store window displays?

No, and here's why....

In "Hare Conditioned" the sale that Bugs is helping promote is over and the store manager (Nelson) is transferring him to a new department: taxidermy. Naturally, Bugs objects and the fun begins.

using nearly every department in the store (children's wear, sports, shoes, costumes, women's nightgowns - don't ask.), Bugs comes out on top at every turn, even referring to the manager as "The Great GilderSNEEZE". Even when trapped in the confines of an elevator, Bugs makes the best of the situation.

Director Jones is on top of his pictorial game as always, as are Blanc (as Bugs, natch) and Nelson (the manager - who DOES sound like radio mainstay Gildersleeves - go ask your grand-parents).

And a sage word of advice: when confronted by a fuzzy-looking woman wanting to try on bathroom slippers, always check her ears.

Ten stars for "Hare Conditioner", the best argument yet for animal labor laws.

Chuck Jones's 'Hare Conditioned' is a fast paced, often hilarious cartoon. Pitting Bugs Bunny against a strange, yellow-skinned apartment store manager who wants to have him stuffed, 'Hare Conditioned' takes full advantage of its multi-purpose setting. The chase takes Bugs and his pursuer through a variety of departments, leading to an inspired gag in which they quickly emerge from various departments wearing whatever clothes are associated with that part of the store. This great gag is trumped, however, by a truly inspired sequence involving elevators in which Bugs, disguised as an elevator boy, tricks the store manager into relentlessly getting on or off elevators at the wrong time. It's a brilliant climactic set piece which unfortunately gives way to a not very funny final gag. By that time, however, 'Hare Conditioned' has made its mark as one of the great chase films, bursting with wild energy. As Bugs was becoming more refined in some of the other cartoons from this period, 'Hare Conditioned' showed that he could still be just as appealing as a more anarchic character.

Working as part of a `camping life' display in a shop window, Bugs is having a good time until his boss informs him he'll be changing the display. He plans to keep Bugs but put him in another display within the shop – the taxidermy display. Once he realises what this means, Bugs flees and uses his skills to evade the shop manager.

Opening with Bugs from the very first scene mean that this is a stronger example of his films and humour. In terms of action it's all business as usual although here it is a department store manager who Bugs has to outwit and evade to avoid the stuffing process. The gags come fast and will be liked by anyone who likes his other cartoons.

The character of the store manager is larger than life and works well as a foil for bugs to bounce off. He even has enough presence that Bugs takes a bit of punishment too! The two work well together on screen and there isn't really a moment that sags or is a disappointment in the whole thing.

Overall this is a good example of a strong Bugs cartoon. It shows that all he really ever needed was a strong foil or straight man to work with and his usual material and tricks are enough to keep you laughing.

Hare Conditioned isn't an absolute classic for me, but it is enormously entertaining and definitely worth watching more than once. The story is a well-constructed one, not the most effective one there is, but it works very well. But there were many other elements that made Hare Conditioned so enjoyable. The animation is wonderful, with lively backgrounds and imaginative colouring, and the music is fun and jaunty. The dialogue has a constant sense of fun, and the visual gags are very clever. The antagonist here is a strong(and big) one, while Bugs is still witty, intelligent and somewhat arrogant here as well, both are brilliantly voiced by Mel Blanc. Overall, if you love Bugs Bunny, I think you'll love this. 10/10 Bethany Cox