Everything I needed to know about classical music I learned from Bugs Bunny. The economic orchestrations of those classic Warner Bros. cartoons distilled the classical repertoire so brilliantly into bite-sized versions, from Liszt’s "Hungarian Rhapsody" to Rossini’s Barber of Seville, that by the time I was exposed to those pieces in the concert hall, they were already fondly familiar to me, having been imprinted on my DNA by countless repeat viewings on Saturday mornings. Best, of course, was "What’s Opera, Doc," which condensed the vastness of Wagner down to seven concise minutes, all to accompany a mythic Bugs-and-Elmer epic, lavishly illustrated, featuring an outrageous drag-romance interlude and a tragic-yet-hilarious twist ending.
This 1957 short, often called the greatest cartoon ever made, celebrates its 50th anniversary this week. The Toronto Star pays tribute here with a making-of backstory and a link to the full cartoon itself, posted on YouTube and embedded below. Watch, enjoy, and see if you can ever hear Wagner’s majestic "Ride of the Valkyries" again without thinking, "Kill da wab-bit, kill da wab-bit…"
Thank you for posting the video. This was seriously one of the reasons I got into listening to and later, singing classical music. They don’t make them like they used to. (By the way, Brunhilde’s big horse cracks me up every time!)
This made my day – I’m gonna walk around the office all morning singing “Kill da Wabbit.”
Man, Elmer has got quite the tenor voice! I about fell out of my chair with the “Nowth winds bwowh! Souwth winds bwowh!” Barbara Walters could not have done it better.
I almost forgot:
Garth: “Did you ever find Bugs Bunny attractive when he dressed up like a girl bunny?”
(long pause, and then a chuckle) Wayne: “No, he he, no, a ha ha ha ha ha ha…. No.”
Garth: “Neither did I, I was, uh, just asking.”
I grew up on Bugs and all the great classical music that went with many of these cartoons. A little comedy mixed with culture goes a long way. People will still enjoy these gems a hundred years from now and onward.
Great nostalgia!
I’ll always remember this exchange:
Elmer: Ooooh, wait till I kill the waaaaaaabitt!
Bugs(dressed in drag): Whaaaaaat, would you want with a waaaaaaabitt?/Can’t you seeeeeeee that I’m much sweeter/I’mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, you’re little senorita!
Lol! I won’t get this tune out of my head all day!
Personally I prefer The Rabbit of Seville. The Hunter’s Trilogy is great too.
this was great… elmer makes me laugh every time he talks. what’s with the horse being SO FAT?
Now I remember a Buggs bunny cartoon were Buggs sought revenge on a Opera singer who was disturbing his sleep. He posed as the famous conducter Leopold and had the guy sing a note for about 5mins(to torturous effect). I can’t for the life of me remember what the name of that number. who can help me out?
Almost as good as “The Dot and the Line.”
I really need to get the Looney Toons dvds. Do they even play the cartoons on TV anymore? I grew up on these and couldn’t imagine my kids not doing the same. Oh and I too prefer Rabbit of Seville.
harry, the cartoon you are looking for is called Long-Haired Hare.
Many thanks GT. What a hoot! Long Haired Hare unleashes the great talents of writers and the extraordinary voice talents of Mel Blanc.
Now this is how you do funny!!
We gamer geeks reference many things. Many a D&D session include references to things like Monty Python or Tarantino movies. Yes, even Bugs and Elmer don’t escape our net. It’s a call-and-response thing – - “Spear and magic helmet?” Someone must respond affirmatively: “Spear and magic helmet!” Thank you, Chuck Jones.
Kill the waaabit, kill the waaabit, kill the waabit, kill the wabit! lol! This is one of the funniest Looney Tunes cartoons of all time. lol!