The Grey Hounded Hare

The Grey Hounded Hare is a 1949 Looney Tunes short directed by Robert McKimson.
== Title ==
The title is a portmanteau of "greyhound," a type of dog breed, and "hounded," which means to pursue someone or something in a bothersome way.
== Plot ==
The short opens at a greyhound racetrack, in the closing moments of a dog race in progress. Disturbed by the announcer and the cheering crowd, Bugs Bunny emerges from the ground beneath the seats, demanding, "Neh, what's going on here? What's all the racket?" He realizes the location he is in when he hears the announcer telling the patrons they have time to make their selections for the next race, telling himself, "Dog race? That I gotta see!" After picking up a discarded program, he heads over to the kennels, telling himself, "Hmm... I don't seem to know any of these dogs. I'll go give them the once-over." After noting the welfare of a few dogs, saying one was a little undernourished, a second had no muscle tone, and a third much smaller runt didn't stand a chance, he comments positively on a large muscular greyhound numbered #7 (Gnawbone). After Bugs checks the dog's teeth and notes "a little shadow on that bicuspid" and suggests the dog see a dentist, the dog lashes out at him. When Bugs asks in response, "Neh, what's up, doc? Don't ya like rabbits?", the dog tries to attack him but ends up digging himself into a hole that gets deeper. Bugs nonetheless admires the performance, noting how much deeper the hole is getting, telling the audience "Hey, this kid's gonna leave his race down that hole!"
After hearing the starting bugle, Bugs leaves the kennels to watch the next race from trackside. After stating, as they are going into their starting boxes, that the competing dogs are on edge for this race, the announcer declares the names of some of the competitors in an homage to Spike Jones' William Tell Overture; Bill's Bunion, Pneumatic Tire, Father's Moustache, Motorman's Glove, Bride's Biscuit, and Grandpa's Folly, the latter of which has ended up being "scratched" from the race due to uncontrollable itching. A buzzer sounds and a mechanical rabbit lure is released, but Bugs, not realizing it is a fake, falls in love with it upon seeing it, declaring, "Wow! What a hunk of femenine pultchritoodee!" After seeing the dogs being released from their starting boxes, Bugs attempts to save "her" from the pursuing dogs, declaring, "What? Dogs chasing that cute little bunny? They can't do dis! Chivalry is not dead! I'll save you, sweetheart!" Just as the announcer begins his commentary, he spots Bugs chasing the dogs, stating each time what happens in this unheard-of spectacle. Bugs quickly grabs Bill's Bunion by the tail, beats him up and ties the dazed dog to the fence by the tail. Bugs then leaps up and lands on Pneumatic Tire and covering the dog's eyes, causing the dog to run all over the track and crash into a wall. Bugs leaps into the air again and lands on Bride's Biscuit, tackling the dog and tying up his legs with his tail. Bugs then tackles Motorman's Glove and lays the unconscious dog on the fence. The announcer, shocked at what he sees, kills himself off-screen as Bugs puts himself in front of the dogs, trying to stop them, but quickly ends up being run over. Getting himself up, he catches up with the dogs, taunts them, and then brakes suddenly, causing the dogs to end up in a pile-up.
Bugs then notices "Dreamboat" pursuing him and tries to embrace it. Instead, he is knocked skyward by the passing lure; once he lands, he asides, "She's playing hard to get!" After seeing the dogs pursue the lure again, he chases after them, swatting them with a carrot as he passes them, saying, "Gain way, gain way! One side, one side! Let a rabbit through!" Putting himself in front of the dogs again, Bugs taunts them into chasing him off the track and into a taxi, which he quickly sends off to the dog pound. Unfortunately for him, #7 (who hasn't forgotten Bugs and has a score to settle with him) doesn't fall for the trap, and Bugs runs back to the track, tripping up #7 with the fence upon returning. Bugs, wondering where "Dreamboat" is, gets disappointed, saying that one turns their back a minute and the apple of their eye's gone. He then sees the lure approaching again and tries to get its attention. Upon seeing #7 chasing after the lure, Bugs uses more trickery. First, he uses a balloon decoy, which the dog chases into the sky before falling back down to earth in a panic. The dog angrily tries to attack Bugs before noticing the real lure and chasing after it again. Bugs then lights a dynamite stick and tricks #7 into fetching it. The dynamite blows up in the dog's mouth, leaving him blackened. Finally, having had enough of this, the dog starts acting like a bull in a final attempt to kill Bugs. Bugs immediately picks up on the fact that "he's charging like a bull!" and grabs a matador's cape, causing the dog to charge into a fire hydrant and putting him out of commission for good, with a white flag of surrender appearing on the dog's tail.
After receiving thunderous applause, Bugs sees the lure approaching again. This time, he grabs it and tries to kiss it, but he ends up being electrocuted until the lure goes into the box at the finish line. Declaring "Baby! This looks like the beginning of a bee-yootiful friendship!" Bugs goes for another kiss but gets electrocuted again.
== Music Cues ==
* Fred Hager and Justin Ring - "Parade of the Animals" - plays during the opening credits.
* John Philip Sousa - "The Black Horse Troop" - plays when Bugs Bunny emerges in the greyhound racetrack.
* M.K. Jerome and Kim Gannon - "I Go For You" - plays when Bugs Bunny inspects the dogs.
* Harry Akst and Benny Davis - "Baby Face" - plays during the scenes where the mechanical rabbit appears.
* Floyd J. St. Clair - "Make It Snappy" - plays when Bugs Bunny asserts that he will save the mechanical rabbit.
* J.S. Zamecnik - "In the Stirrups" - plays when the dogs chase Bugs Bunny off the track.
== Availability ==
W UK10562 LooneyTunesVideoShowNo9The.jpg|(1984) VHS The Looney Tunes Video Show - Volume 9
Lt bbwa.jpg|(1985) VHS Bugs Bunny's Wacky Adventures
Lt bbwa beta.jpg|(1985) Beta Bugs Bunny's Wacky Adventures
Bugs Bunny (1990) (UK VHS).jpeg|(1990) VHS Bugs Bunny (1990)
Bumper01.jpg|(1994) VHS Special Bumper Collection (Vol. 1)
Lt collection bugs bunny.jpg|(1996) VHS Bugs Bunny
Bumper04.jpg|(1996) VHS Special Bumper Collection (Vol. 4)
51Rir IkqCL.jpg|(1997) VHS Classic Bumper Collection
lt ccmns.jpg|(1997) VHS Looney Tunes Classic Collection (Marks and Spencer UK VHS)
LTGC Vol.4.jpg|(2006) DVD Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 4, Disc One
LTSC4.jpg|(2006) DVD Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection: Volume 4 Disc 1
lt cbobb4.jpg|(2007) DVD Looney Tunes Collection Best of Bugs Bunny Volume 4
lt spotlight df2.jpg|(2014) DVD Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection Volumes 4-5 Repack
Looney Tunes Bugs Bunny Golden Carrot Collection.png|(2020) DVD Looney Tunes Bugs Bunny Golden Carrot Collection Disc 4
=== Streaming ===
lt boomerang.jpg|Boomerang App (2017 - )
lt hbo max.jpg|HBO Max (2020 - 2023)
lt max.jpg|Max (2023 - )
== Censorship ==
* On ABC, the scene after Gnawbone falls from the sky after chasing a rabbit balloon, where Gnawbone grabs Bugs' throat and prepares to punch him, but gets distracted by the mechanical rabbit, prompting Bugs to light a stick of dynamite and make Gnawbone fetch it, causing it to explode, was edited to make it look like Gnawbone exploded when he hit the ground from falling.http://www.intanibase.com/gac/looneytunes/censored-g.aspx
== Notes ==
* This cartoon was featured in Bugs Bunny's Valentine.
* When aired on Cartoon Network and Boomerang, this short plays in PAL audio.
* The working titles were "Bugs Bunny Dog Race" and "Racing Rabbit".
* The dialogue sessions were recorded on 1 March, 12 April, and 3 May 1947.
* The animator draft reveals five scenes were planned before the ending but were cut, presumably to shorten the running time.
== Gallery ==
TheGreyHoundedHareCredits1.png
TheGreyHoundedHareCredits2.png
LTMMLC3.jpg|Lobby card
The grey hounded hare 1.jpg
The grey hounded hare 2.jpg
TheGreyHoundedHareAnimatorDraft1.jpeg|Animator draft
TheGreyHoundedHareAnimatorDraft2.jpeg|Animator draft
TheGreyHoundedHareAnimatorDraft3.jpeg|Animator draft
Gahg46we8ygat.png|Part of the animator draft, along with two other drafts for "The Windblown Hare" and "A-Lad-In His Lamp".
== References ==
== External links ==
* "The Grey Hounded Hare" Animation Breakdown on Patreon
Category:Bugs Bunny Cartoons
Category:Looney Tunes Shorts
Category:Shorts
Category:1949
Category:Cartoons directed by Robert McKimson
Category:Blue Ribbon reissues
Category:Re-released cartoons whose original titles are known to exist
Category:Bugs Bunny Robert McKimson
Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Mel Blanc
Category:Cartoons written by Warren Foster
Category:Cartoons produced by Eddie Selzer
Category:Cartoons animated by Charles McKimson
Category:Cartoons with layouts by Cornett Wood
Category:Cartoons with backgrounds by Richard H. Thomas
Category:Cartoons with film editing by Treg Brown
Category:Cartoons with sound effects edited by Treg Brown
Category:Cartoons with music by Carl W. Stalling
Category:Cartoons with orchestrations by Milt Franklyn