What's Up Doc?
- Studio
- Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc.
- Distributor
- Warner Bros.
Synopsis
A "Disassociated Press" reporter asks Bugs for his life story.
Characters
Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Three Chorus Boys, Al Jolson, Jack Benny, Eddie Cantor, Bing Crosby, Director
Credits
Directing
- Director
- Robert McKimson
Producing
- Producer
- Edward Selzer
Writing
- Writer
- Warren Foster
Voices
- Voice
- Mel Blanc (Bugs Bunny, Director), Arthur Q. Bryan (Elmer Fudd), Dave Barry (Al Jolson, Jack Benny, Eddie Cantor, Bing Crosby)
Music
- Music
- Carl Stalling
Animation
Crew
- Layouts
- Cornett Wood
- Backgrounds
- Richard H. Thomas
Production notes
Released in 1950 to commemorate Bugs Bunny's 10th birthday.
Bugs makes his "debut" in "Girl of the Golden Vest," which he follows up with "Wearing of the Grin" and "Rosie's Cheeks." In each of these, he joins three chorus boys in the song:
Bugs turns down dozens of scripts, including one entitled "Life With Father." Bugs predicts: "Ehhh...this will never be a hit." It actually ran for 3,224 performances (1939-1947) on Broadway, making it the longest-running non-musical play in Broadway history.
Al Jolson, Jack Benny, Eddie Cantor and Bing Crosby are caricatured as park bums, who each do their routine when Elmer Fudd shows up. Elmer spots Bugs and asks, "Why are you hanging around these guys? They'll never amount to anything."
Bugs and Elmer perform the "What's Up Doc?" title song. This is the first cartoon in which its lyrics are heard. However, the song first was first released in "Bugs Bunny In Storyland," a Capitol Record Reader recorded on April 21 and 22, 1949.
In the final scene of the 1972 screwball comedy "What's Up, Doc?", the cartoon's title song is shown on an airplane flight when an exhausted Ryan O'Neal meets his ardent pursuer, Barbra Streisand.
Mel Blanc has also been credited with providing the voices of Jolson and Cantor, while Richard Bickenbach has also been credited with voicing Crosby.
Songs include: "What's Up, Doc?" (Carl Stalling), Bugs Bunny; "Hooray for Hollywood" (Richard Whiting-Johnny Mercer), Chorus; "Boys of the Chorus" (Carl Stalling), Bugs Bunny and Chorus.
Bugs makes his "debut" in "Girl of the Golden Vest," which he follows up with "Wearing of the Grin" and "Rosie's Cheeks." In each of these, he joins three chorus boys in the song:
"Oh, we are the boys of the chorus.
We hope you like our show.
We know you're rootin' for us,
But now we have to go."
Bugs turns down dozens of scripts, including one entitled "Life With Father." Bugs predicts: "Ehhh...this will never be a hit." It actually ran for 3,224 performances (1939-1947) on Broadway, making it the longest-running non-musical play in Broadway history.
Al Jolson, Jack Benny, Eddie Cantor and Bing Crosby are caricatured as park bums, who each do their routine when Elmer Fudd shows up. Elmer spots Bugs and asks, "Why are you hanging around these guys? They'll never amount to anything."
Bugs and Elmer perform the "What's Up Doc?" title song. This is the first cartoon in which its lyrics are heard. However, the song first was first released in "Bugs Bunny In Storyland," a Capitol Record Reader recorded on April 21 and 22, 1949.
In the final scene of the 1972 screwball comedy "What's Up, Doc?", the cartoon's title song is shown on an airplane flight when an exhausted Ryan O'Neal meets his ardent pursuer, Barbra Streisand.
Mel Blanc has also been credited with providing the voices of Jolson and Cantor, while Richard Bickenbach has also been credited with voicing Crosby.
Songs include: "What's Up, Doc?" (Carl Stalling), Bugs Bunny; "Hooray for Hollywood" (Richard Whiting-Johnny Mercer), Chorus; "Boys of the Chorus" (Carl Stalling), Bugs Bunny and Chorus.
Pictures
Reviews
What's Up Doc?
Robert McKimson is easily the most unsung of the trio of Looney Tunes' heyday (Friz Freleng and Chuck Jones being the others, of course). But this cartoon alone should cement McKimson's place among the greats. One of the great "origin" cartoons that supposedly tells of Bugs' rise to glory from his early days, when he had to hang out on park benches with losers like Jack Benny, Eddie Cantor, and Bing Crosby (all of whom make "cameos" here). Bugs and Elmer's rendition of the title tune is also one for the books. And Lawdy, you gotta love "the boys in chorus"! An unheralded great cartoon.
What's Up Doc?
Seeing a clip of this cartoon was the only good part of that Streisand movie of the same name.
Definitely a McKimson classic.