Upswept Hare

Upswept Hare is a 1953 Merrie Melodies short directed by Robert McKimson. 
== Plot ==
At night, Bugs prepares to go to sleep. A highway is in the background, and immediately after Bugs retires, Elmer Fudd drives up because he has seen a rare desert flower next to Bugs' hole that he wants to put in his tropical garden. Elmer does not notice the rabbit hole and is unaware of Bugs' presence, but he is careful when digging up the flower to include lots of room so that the flower can "prosper in its native soil". Elmer does not realize is that he has unknowingly taken Bugs as well as the flower back to his penthouse apartment.
Bugs emerges from the hole still half-asleep. He obliviously goes into Elmer's penthouse thinking he is headed to his "bathing stream", which instead is a large Roman-styled bathroom with an indoor pool in the middle. Bugs gets into the pool and realizes that he is not in his stream but thinks his surroundings are a mirage so he plays along by splashing around and singing "There's no place like home" but instead substituting Rome for home. Bugs then sings the word "yearn" but, sensing that he might be signing out of tune, gets out of the pool and goes into the next room, where he plays and note on a piano and sings "yearn, fa la yearn" until he is in tune. Elmer sees Bugs go back into the "bathroom" and wonders why Bugs is there. Elmer then gets his shotgun and fires several shots into the pool. Bugs submerges under the water as if he has been killed but then hops out and sneaks behind Elmer, whispering into his ear: "You better plug him again, Mac, just to be sure." Elmer then inserts the barrel of the shotgun into the water and shoots, which results in him blowing a hole in the floor which causes the water to spill into the apartment underneath him. There is a knock on Elmer's door, and it is his downstairs neighbor, who is twice Elmer's size and soaking wet. The neighbor grabs the shotgun and ties the barrels around Elmer's head, then pulls the trigger before leaving.
Bugs is in the patio area of the penthouse when Elmer tries to shoot him, but constantly misses. Bugs asks if Elmer is trying to get rid of him and, when Elmer says that "rabbits don't belong in penthouses" accuses Elmer of thinking he is "better" than a rabbit and if Elmer can prove that he is better, Bugs will leave. Elmer accepts the challenge and Bugs fashions several contests around the penthouse that Elmer wins, but not before suffering large consequences. The first two events are a strength test and then a shooting test, both of which Bugs loses. He says that there is one more event, the "jump test". Bugs fails his test, which involves jumping over an outdoor bench, and sets up the bench for Elmer. However, Bugs positions the bench vertically and near the overlook of the penthouse so that when Elmer jumps over it, he is actually jumping off the edge of the building. Elmer flies over the edge and lands on the ground in a popcorn machine, and Bugs admits that Elmer is "a better man than I am, but only because I'm a rabbit" and then departs down the sidewalk with the flower that Elmer originally collected.
== Availability ==
ELMER FUDD'S SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS.jpg|(1993) VHS Elmer Fudd's School of Hard Knocks (with Blue Ribbon reissue titles)
Bugs Bunny 80th Anniversary Collection.jpg|(2020) Blu-ray Bugs Bunny 80th Anniversary Collection, Disc 2 (restored with original opening and ending rings and in HD)
=== Streaming ===
lt boomerang.jpg|Boomerang App (2017 - ) (with Blue Ribbon reissue titles)
lt hbo max.jpg|HBO Max (2020 - 2022) (restored with original titles)
Lt max.jpg|Max (2024 - ) (restored with original titles)
== Censorship ==
*On the ABC airing of this short, the following scenes were cut:http://www.intanibase.com/gac/looneytunes/censored-u-z.aspx
**Most of the part where Elmer is shooting his rifle at Bugs in the swimming pool.
**Some of the bullets shot by Elmer during the part where Bugs dances ballet.
**Starting in 1998, the entire scene where Elmer lifts a barbell, crashes through the floor of his apartment onto his downstairs neighbor's head, and staggers out with the barbell wrapped around his head.
== Notes ==
* This short was the latest Bugs Bunny short to be reissued to have its original opening and closing color rings replaced.
* This cartoon was originally slated to be included on the Looney Tunes Super Stars' Bugs Bunny: Hare Extraordinaire DVD, but was replaced early in development due to executive backlash from Warner Home Video.https://www.hometheaterforum.com/community/threads/whv-announcement-looney-tunes-super-stars.290816/#post-3537991
* On 8 November 2019, it was revealed that this short was being restored along with eleven other shorts for a future release.https://moviebill.com/stories/warner-bros-archive-guardians-of-oz/?fbclid=IwAR14tXKungmoxtaJ4rn9uRZnstNqll5e7Qsd4Y904vUkB0ueMS7yM2i2Hb0 The restored version was released 27 May 2020, with the launch of HBO Max, where it was presented with its original opening and closing rings.
== Gallery ==
UpsweptHareCredits.png
UpsweptHareDirectorCredit.png
UpsweptHare_Restoring_2019.jpg|The short being restored
UpsweptHareLeadSheet1.jpg
UpsweptHareLeadSheet2.jpg
UpsweptHareLeadSheet3.jpg
UpsweptHareLeadSheet4.jpg
Screenshot 2021-01-17 at 5.32.42 PM.png|Lobby card
UpsweptHareRestored.jpeg|Cropped screenshot of 2020 restoration
== References ==
Category:Merrie Melodies Shorts
Category:Cartoons directed by Robert McKimson
Category:Bugs Bunny Cartoons
Category:Elmer Fudd Cartoons
Category:Shorts
Category:1953
Category:Blue Ribbon reissues
Category:Bugs Bunny Robert McKimson
Category:Cartoons written by Tedd Pierce
Category:Cartoons animated by Charles McKimson
Category:Cartoons with layouts by Robert Givens
Category:Cartoons with backgrounds by Richard H. Thomas
Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Mel Blanc
Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Arthur Q. Bryan
Category:Cartoons with music by Carl W. Stalling
Category:Cartoons with orchestrations by Milt Franklyn
Category:Cartoons with film editing by Treg Brown
Category:Cartoons with sound effects edited by Treg Brown
Category:Cartoons produced by Eddie Selzer
Category:Re-released cartoons whose original titles are known to exist