Yankee Doodle Bugs

Voices of: Mel Blanc
Directed by: Friz Freleng
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Short, Animation, Comedy
Length: 7 minutes
1954

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Bugs' nephew Clyde struggles with American history, so Bugs tells him historical stories that don't quite match up with the history.

Review:

Tim: Yankee Doodle Bugs is an interesting short film, as it blends Looney Tunes humor with a pretty poor history lesson. Bugs' nephew, Clyde (I don't remember him from watching these as a kid, but okay) is struggling to remember all the dates, names, and places that go with American history. So, Bugs decides to give him a history lesson by telling stories of various major American historical events. The gag is that each one of them is slightly bent, either through puns or Bugs inserting himself into the story. It all adds up to a fine 7 minutes, but I wouldn't consider this one of my favorite Warner Brothers shorts.

The biggest appeal is seeing how Bugs will twist each story. For example, the Boston Tea Party came about because of the Tacks (literally, sharp tacks) that the King put in Boston's tea. The way Betsy Ross added the stars to the American flag is because Bugs stepped on a rake, saw stars, and inspired her. George Washington's famous crossing of the Delaware was steered by Bugs in a rowboat. There's no truly hilarious gags, but it is somewhat humorous to see how he changes each historical event. The idea was a very good one, but the execution was slightly lacking.

I'm a big fan of Bugs Bunny, but what I like most about the character is when he's significantly smarter than those around him. That didn't really happen here, as he's depicted in a bit of an unfavorable light. While it's all in good humor, his history lessons are completely untrue and actually end up hurting his nephew, who takes his stories as gospel when he heads to school. This results in him being forced to wear a dunce cap (something that might have happened in the 1950s but would never happen in today's schools). If you think about it, Bugs either willfully or unintentionally through ignorance misleads his nephew. That's not the coolest thing.

This short film isn't a bad way to spend 7 minutes. Some of the gags made me smile, but none were especially funny. I'd consider this an average Looney Tunes short. You can do worse, but there's significantly better ones out there.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Yankee Doodle Daffy, The Wise Quacking Duck