Edgar Allan Pooh
. . . given the topical reference to the Battle of Gettysburg by rich widow "Emma" here, it was NOT too early to kick off Hollywood's decades-long campaign to cram Gay Marriage down America's throat. In the final scene of HARE TRIMMED, Bugs Bunny--in a wedding dress, no less!--is being pronounced Yosemite Sam's husband. When Sam leaves him at the altar, Bugs confesses it's not the first time he's had a groom bolt away. Bugs is pictured along the lines of a blushing bride, in a clearly feminine sense. Though the prospect of imminent honeymoon gay sex causes Sam to develop cold feet, and hot-foot it out of the wedding chapel at the last second possible, it's clear that Bugs is hot to trot, following the previous night's exercises in Sadomasochism with Sam, shown immediately prior to this cartoon's nuptials scene. At the time HARE TRIMMED was first released, many people might have pooh-poohed my frank recounting of its bold-faced Pro-Gay Agenda by saying something such as, "God made Adam and Eve--NOT Bugs and Sam: Hell will freeze over before any U.S. Court or Church will allow two males to marry each other!" Obviously, those people either underestimated the Power of Suggestion wielded by Warner Bros., or failed to understand how far down underground temperatures would plunge as global warming sucked all the hot air upwards!
TheLittleSongbird
I really liked the premise of Hare Trimmed; Yosemite Sam attempts to woo Granny for her inherited fortune and Bugs decides to make a good deed and stop it. This premise was intriguing and worked really well. Do I have any issues? Not really, perhaps a little too fast at times, but it is hugely enjoyable, but what was with the edited version? The original was fine as it was, why meddle with it. Very unnecessary if you ask me.Back on target, the animation is nicely done and sharp, the sort of colours that you may find in a Pepe Le Pew cartoon, nice, traditional and sweet-looking. I especially loved the use of the purples and the pinks. The music also has some lovely romantic flavour to it. The dialogue sparkles, the sight gags delight and the characters intrigue. Bugs is hilarious here, and Yosemite Sam is on top form too, even if he has never struck me as a marrying type. As ever, Mel Blanc is excellent and Bea Benaderet is suitably sweet as Granny. Overall, very entertaining and well animated, and I prefer to think the edited version doesn't exist. 9/10 Bethany Cox
Lee Eisenberg
As always, Yosemite Sam is itching to make a lot of money, even - make that especially - through dishonest means. When the loud-mouthed cowboy learns that Granny has inherited $50 million, he plots to marry her and cheat her out of the money. But Bugs Bunny overhears him and comes up with a neat way to interfere with the plan. Hint: it involves cross-dressing and the "How many lumps do you want?" routine.I get the feeling that the Yosemite Sam cartoons acted as placeholders between the really famous cartoons. But even so, "Hare Trimmed" is still really funny. What happens at the end just goes to show that Bugs will probably spend his life single. When you think about it, that scene almost looked as if it was implying gay marriage! Friz Freleng probably didn't intend that, though.Anyway, really funny.
Angel-Marie
**Spoilers are more than likely to be in here. Fair warning.When I was a kid, I remember seeing this cartoon. Of course, it was an edited version where many scenes of violence and sexual innuendo (and a short scene where Granny sees Yosemite Sam staggering and thinks he's drunk) were cut by the PC Gestapo that is the censors of the now-Disney owned channel, ABC. I went through life not knowing it was edited until I looked on a website about Looney Tunes cartoons being censored on TV, cable, and in syndication. That's when I found out that this very stylish, very comically sharp cartoon was ripped to shreds by those who are devoid of a sense of humor.When Cartoon Network started airing this as part of last year's "June Bugs" special, I was overjoyed, especially since CN did the smart thing and aired the "offensive" scenes.What really intrigues me about this cartoon is that it has the formula of a Pepe Le Pew cartoon, except it's done by Freleng, Sam and Bugs are more interested in Granny's money than her affections, and it doesn't seem like it's a Pepe cartoon at all (with the exception of Sam's so-called playful "I can see you through the keyhole!" which can be associated to the many innuendos that roll off the tongue of Pepe Le Pew). What disturbs me is the ending involving Bugs and Sam walking down the aisle.I would tell you more, but I don't wanna spoil it completely. Besides, Cartoon Network airs this a lot, so go see it if you haven't already.
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