Foxy by Proxy

Foxy by Proxy is a 1952 Merrie Melodies short directed by I. Freleng. 
== Plot ==
Hunters on horses blow horns to awake the fox-hunting dogs. A number of smaller hounds come out of a giant dog house, followed by a large foxhound who is excited by the prospect of the hunt, especially the moment where the fox's tail is to be cut off. The hunters and dogs then pass over Bugs' hole, waking him, with the larger fox hound lagging behind. Once Bugs directs the larger fox hound to where the others went, Bugs digs out a fox costume he had from his hole and begins to play tricks with the large fox hound, leaving Bugs amazed at the dog's inability to recognize a rabbit from a fox. Once the large hound realizes the difference, he runs back to the tree where Bugs was standing, only to find Bugs undressed. The rabbit giggles at the dog's intelligence, declaring, "I've seen better heads on a glass of root beer!"
At this point, Bugs, with his fox costume back on, stamps fox tracks to mislead this hound, which lead to train tracks, which the dog continues to follow. When the dog finally reaches Bugs in costume and tries to get him, Bugs questions what kind of tracks the dog was following, which ends up putting the dog on the front of a locomotive, while the dog exclaims that he caught a train.
Meanwhile, the other dogs have caught up to Bugs in his costume, and he tries to evade them, but to no avail. When he reveals that he is a rabbit, one of the dogs declares that they are now after rabbits. After a short chase, which includes Bugs running through an open log, Bugs then runs back into the log, and while the dogs run into it, Bugs turns the log three times to ensure that the crowd of dogs always run off the cliff, with the crowd falling to the ground after the third turn. While Bugs is chuckling at their misfortune, the large fox hound sneaks up behind Bugs, cuts Bugs' tail off, and runs away with it. Bugs shrugs and says, "Just call me Stubby!" He walks away, his cottontail missing.
== Availability ==
lt vs13.jpg|(1984) VHS The Looney Tunes Video Show, Volume 13
ClassicCollection.jpg|(1995) VHS Classic Collection (WHSmith Exclusive Video)
BigTopBunny VHS.jpg|(1996) VHS Looney Tunes Presents Bugs Bunny: Big Top Bunny (1997 dubbed version)
Jlaser-bnt.jpg|(1997) LaserDisc Bugs and Tweety Watch the Birdie (1997 dubbed version) (only in PAL regions)
Bumper07.jpg|(1998) VHS Special Bumper Collection (Vol. 7)
SuperStars Bugs.jpg|(2010) DVD Looney Tunes Super Stars' Bugs Bunny: Hare Extraordinaire (restored)
lt ss3p.jpg|(2013) DVD Looney Tunes Super Stars 3-Pack, Disc 1
lt ssfm.jpg|(2014) DVD Looney Tunes Super Stars Family Multi-Feature, Disc 1
=== Streaming ===
Lt boomerang.jpg|Boomerang App (2017 - ) (restored)
Lt hbo max.jpg|HBO Max (2020 - 2022) (restored)
Lt max.jpg|Max (2024 - ) (restored)
== Censorship ==
* In some syndicated prints (particularly on ABC), the part where the large, dopey foxhound cuts Bugs' tail with a pair of scissors and runs off with it was deleted (though the actual cutting is implied, not shown), leaving the end joke where Bugs says, "Eh, just call me stubby," unclear.http://www.intanibase.com/gac/looneytunes/censored-e-f.aspx
== Notes ==
* This is a remake of "Of Fox and Hounds" from 1940. In fact, the opening sequence was "borrowed" directly from the original version.http://www.intanibase.com/gac/looneytunes/reused.aspx#50s
* The log-spinning gag where one end is shifted to face over a cliff, where land is checked for between the second and third times, only for the character chasing Bugs to run off the cliff all three times, was also used in the aforementioned "Of Fox and Hounds", "All This and Rabbit Stew", and "The Big Snooze", all Tex Avery or Bob Clampett-directed shorts. In return, the same gag was reused in Friz Freleng's "Person to Bunny" in 1960.
* The engine on the train is a 4-6-0 engine (four leading wheels, six driving wheels, and no trailing wheels). In the mid-19th century, this wheel arrangement became the second most popular configuration for new steam locomotives in the United States. This type of engine is commonly referred to as a ten-wheeler.
== Gallery ==
642-Credits1.png
642-Credits2.png
642-PB1.png|Production background with a Bugs Bunny cel from "Hare We Go"
File:Screenshot 2021-01-17 at 5.31.26 PM.png|Lobby card
=== TV Title Cards ===
lt tbbats foxy by proxy.jpg|The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show
== References ==
Category:Bugs Bunny Cartoons
Category:Shorts
Category:1952
Category:Merrie Melodies Shorts
Category:Cartoons directed by Friz Freleng
Category:Bugs Bunny Friz Freleng
Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Mel Blanc
Category:Cartoons written by Warren Foster
Category:Cartoons produced by Eddie Selzer
Category:Cartoons with layouts by Hawley Pratt
Category:Cartoons with backgrounds by Irv Wyner
Category:Cartoons with backgrounds by John Didrik Johnsen
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
Category:Cartoons that reuse footage from earlier cartoons