Bunker Hill Bunny (1950) User Reviews (14)

Bugs And Sam Fight It Out In 1776

[ccthemovieman-1 · 8/10 · 5 February 2007]

It's 1776 and the Revolutionary War is on. No, it's not "Bunker Hill," as the graphic first shows. It's not "Yorktown," it's the "Battle of Bagle Heights." (Okaaay.)

Anyway, the "battle" is strictly between two contestants, the only ones at each fort. Yosemite Sam, known in this picture as "Sam Von Schmamm, the Hussion," battles Bugs Bunny.

Most of the cartoon features the two adversaries firing cannons at one another or charging each other with bayonets. Needless to say, ole Sam takes the worst of it on each occasion. Although it's strictly a one-joke cartoon, I enjoyed it. I laughed at some of the old-time clichés and expressions Sam used while yelling at Bugs, such as: "You ornery, fur-bearing rebel! You'll pay for this! You better say your prayers, you flea-bitten varmit!"

Bugs has only one reply: "Ah, your mother blows bubble gum!"

What you would expect from a Yosemite Sam and Bugs Bunny cartoon, but it still has its moments.

[Mightyzebra · 8/10 · 29 June 2009]

"Bunker Hill Bunny" has quite an old-fashioned appeal about it. It is one of the slightly older Looney Tunes cartoons and it is vaguely set in 1776. The jokes are usual for a YS and BB short, but there is the occasional witty speaking or slapstick joke.

Basically, Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam are two separate sides of the "Bagel" battle and they have their own forts and their own cannons and guns within their forts. Bugs Bunny, of course, fights against Yosemite Sam and the consequences are not overly surprising, but nevertheless pretty amusing to watch.

This cartoon moved along a little slowly, which may put off certain viewers. Bugs Bunny was particularly good in this episode (usually he is anyway when paired with Yosemite Sam - sometimes he is not). Also, the balance between the slapstick and speaking jokes is surprisingly similar. I might not watch it again, but it was good for a single viewing.

I recommend this to people who like traditional Yosemite Sam and Bugs Bunny Looney Tunes and to people who like a good balance of slapstick and speaking jokes. Enjoy "Bunker Hill Bunny"! :-)

very fun

[movieman_kev · 8/10 · 2 November 2005]

Yosemite Sam battles it out with Bugs Bunny in the little known "Battle of Bagel Heights" in the American War of Independence. I've seen this one on TV so often growing up that I could quote the whole thing word for word by the time I was nine. My head tells me there are way better Looney Tunes shorts out there, but my heart tells me that this is one of the most fun. My heart wins out for the most part and this short never fails to bring a smile upon my face no matter what mood that I'm in. This animated short can be found on disc 4 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 1.

My Grade: A

"I'm a Hessian without no aggression. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em"

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 11 June 2016]

Not Bugs Bunny or Yosemite Sam at their best, but anybody who loves the two characters whether individually or together will find much to like here in 'Bunker Hill Bunny'.

A couple of the gags do drag on a little longer than they should do, and as 'Bunker Hill Bunny' is pretty one-joke it's a tad repetitive (inevitable for one-joke cartoons). However even when Bugs and Sam were not at their best, they still were always watchable and even their weaker cartoons (not saying this is) are better than those of most other Looney Tunes partnerships.

The animation is as ever excellent, made during a period when Looney Tunes were at their peak in quality (which was a long time until they went into decline around the mid-60s). As said in my review for 'Hare Lift' from two years later, the animation is drawn absolutely beautifully, the colours are vibrant but never garish and there is a lot of meticulous detail here. Both Bugs and Yosemite Sam are well drawn and their movements move easily, Sam here being more kinetic in movement is a touch more expressive.

Carl Stalling is my favourite of the regular Looney Tunes composers and one of few cartoon composers to never put a foot wrong. His music score for 'Bunker Hill Bunny' is no exception. As always with Stalling, the music is supremely characterful and energetic, the orchestration is lush and clever and most importantly aside from that it's very memorable it fits with to the action and adds to it, Stalling also showing his perhaps unmatched ability at that time to enhance the action, especially when scenes get more energised and desperate.

If anybody is looking for good dialogue and gags in a Bugs Bunny/Yosemite Sam cartoon, they won't be disappointed. There are some very witty and hilarious lines here, both from Bugs and Sam that show off their character traits brilliantly. Despite 'Bunker Hill Bunny' being a one-joke cartoon there is enough variation in most of the gags to make them funny and most are timed very well, with Sam getting the worst of it. The part with the gunpowder in Sam's pants is just priceless.

Both Bugs and Sam demonstrate what makes them such great characters in the first place, and their chemistry is gleefully enjoyable. Mel Blanc provides some bravura voice work for both characters, especially as abrasive Sam.

Overall, very solid, well-made and fun but not among the best Bugs and Yosemite Sam outings. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Great entertainment value.

[lukeneedssand · 8/10 · 8 July 2021]

And that's all this cartoon has really got for it. It's highly amusing, Probably some of Sam and Bugs's Best jokes take place in this cartoon, but it's just a little plain and simple with that discarded, and to be honest Is really just bugs and sam fighting over and over again. Maybe I should have watched this in History class!!

There's really not much to expand on this cartoon, just watch the Cartoon for yourself if you haven't seen it.

"Ya better say your prayers, ya flea-bitten varmint! I'm a gonna blow ya to smithereenies!"

[utgard14 · 7/10 · 29 December 2014]

Set in the Revolutionary War, this short pits minuteman Bugs Bunny against Hessian Sam von Schamm (Yosemite Sam). The two charge at each other a lot, exchanging cannon fire and even swapping forts. It's all fast-paced and funny. You know what you're getting from a Bugs vs Sam short and this one doesn't disappoint. The jokes and gags are all funny. Even the baseball gags, which are hardly fresh, are fun to watch. At one point Sam tells Bugs he has him "outnumbered one to one." I'm not sure if that was the first time Sam used this line but it wouldn't be the last. My favorite bit was when Sam was carrying the barrel of gunpowder from his fort to Bugs' and not realizing it was leaking into his pants. You can predict what will happen next but it's still hilarious to watch.

"You better say your prayers, you flea-bitten varmint!"

[slymusic · 28 May 2009]

1776. The American Revolution. And two of the most unlikely characters ever to participate: Bugs Bunny and Sam Von Schmamm the Hessian (Yosemite Sam). This becomes the setting for "Bunker Hill Bunny", directed by Friz Freleng.

The true delight of this cartoon is the repetition of Sam getting himself blasted by cannon fire. Three examples that stand out are: Sam and Bugs repeatedly exchanging cannonballs; Sam charging inside Bugs' cannon, then getting blasted into the air and landing back inside his own fort with another explosion; and Sam marching towards Bugs' fort while playing a snare drum, then getting blasted by a cannon, turning around, and quickly marching back to his own fort with the drum cadence sped up.

One of the other advantages of "Bunker Hill Bunny" is Bugs' nonchalant attitude as Sam attacks his fort. This only adds to the humor of Sam's ineptitude; Bugs always seems to KNOW that he, Bugs, is in control and that Sam will never outwit him.

Bunker Hill Bunny is another Bugs Bunny-Yosemite Sam cartoon

[tavm · 9/10 · 8 January 2008]

Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam are at it again! This time, it's the Revolutionary War at the Battle of Bagel Heights. The rabbit and the ornery short guy are the only people at their respective forts and neither wants to give up their base of operations. As they keep charging into each other's forts, flags saying "We" with a carrot (Bugs', of course) and "They" (Sam's) change places inside each. They also charge cannon balls at each other with the rabbit always catching his inside the cannon and Sam doing the same until Bugs plugs a cork on Sam's cannon. Wanna guess what happens when Sam pulls the cork from his? I'll stop here and say this was another funny cartoon short from Friz Freling. And remember, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

We.... They

[StrictlyConfidential · 6/10 · 1 November 2020]

(*Bugs Bunny/Yosemite Sam quote*) - "CHARGE!!!"

The year is 1776 and Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam (as Sam Von Schamm) are battling it out from separate camps on Bagle Heights.

As you can well-imagine (among all of the bombing and blasting) some really outrageously comical situations take place between these 2 opposing camps.

Patriotism as it should be!

[lee_eisenberg · 8/10 · 24 October 2006]

More of Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam facing off, this time set during the Revolutionary War (in the Battle of Bagle Heights; go figure!). As always, Sam - in this case his name is Sam Von Schamm the Hessian - tries to get Bugs but Bugs always outsmarts him. Much of the humor involves explosives (well duh, they're at war). I will say that some of the scenes drug on a little too long, but the whole end gag pretty much makes up for any shortcomings.

So, "Bunker Hill Bunny" may not be the best Looney Tunes cartoon ever, but it certainly has its moments. It's not cannon fodder (pun intended) in any way.

"If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." Well, there are certain groups whom I would never join.

The usual hijinks...

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 6/10 · 25 November 2004]

...only this time not up to the usual high standard. It's a one-joke cartoon that kinda stretches it's premise too thin.

Bugs is his usual self but Yosemite Sam is now Sam Von Schamm The Hessian and during the American Revolutionary War they have a face-off in the Battle of Bagel Heights. Basically, this involves Bugs doing his usual outsmarting of Sam and torturing him, blowing him up etc. Most of the time this never gets tiring.

Though some of the jokes drag on bit but the others have that sense of perfect timing only Looney Tunes are capable of. Not their best work but still good for a few silly laughs.

When nuclear weapons are outlawed . . .

[oscaralbert · 8/10 · 28 January 2016]

. . . only outlaws will have nukes, Warner Bros. argues with its animated short, BUNKER HILL BUNNY. Bugs Bunny turns his giant cannon here into an "Iron Dome" defense shield, catching all of Yosemite Sam's cannonballs and lobbing them back into the muzzle from which they issued. Sam is playing the part of a Hessian terrorist here, but he could just as easily be North Korean, Persian, or Kentuckian in this timeless tale. Warner's bottom line is that Bugs must fight fire with fire, so why shouldn't America have a National Nuke Association (NNA) for anyone who can afford the dues? After all, nukes don't kill people--people do. If you're a corporate CEO making 10,000 times the median annual American wage, WHY should you need to pay 100 employees to guard your stuff with assault rifles? What if your security staff is attacked by 200 shotgun-wielding socialists bent upon income redistribution? BUNKER HILL BUNNY contends that if you can afford to defend your stuff with private nukes, who is the government to tell you "No!"? Bugs and Sam have their own private cannons here. You and I and Bill Gates should not be denied our nukes!

A well-rounded but occasionally dull cartoon

[phantom_tollbooth · 6/10 · 18 August 2008]

Friz Freleng's 'Bunker Hill Bunny' literally opens with a bang as a series of explosions frame captions informing us that it is 1776 and our setting is the battle of Bagle Heights. Two opposing forts (with the beautifully satirical identifying flags "They" and "We") exchange cannon fire. The inhabitants of these forts turn out to be Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam a.k.a. Sam Von Schamme the Hessian. So the scene is set for battle. As a child I always enjoyed these cartoons in which the characters fight from a distance and I still think it puts an interesting spin of the formula. Bugs has to do all his heckling across the constant large space between him and Sam. This results in a different style of comedy than in the majority of cartoons in which Bugs can be more hands-on. Unfortunately, it also results in a couple of lengthy back-and-forth gags involving flags and cannonballs that quickly become repetitive and tedious. These moments aside (admittedly, the cannonball routine has a very funny punchline) 'Bunker Hill Bunny' is a reliably enjoyable if unremarkable short. There's enough good lines ("I've got you outnumbered one to one") and sight gags ("He Got It!") to counter the dull or predictable jokes and keep most cartoon fans contented until the neatly wrapped-up climax.

Bugs and Sam

[Michael_Elliott · 19 April 2009]

Bunker Hill Bunny (1950)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Set during the Revolutionary War, Bugs Bunny must protect his fort from the mean-spirited Sam Von Schamm The Hessian (Yosemite Sam). The two are constantly at battle but poor old Sam always finds a way to be out smarted. This is yet another winning film that takes the Bugs and Sam characters and does wonders with them. The movie contains action from the opening to closing scenes and there are plenty of laughs sprinkled in as well. I'm not sure what it is but there's just something special about seeing poor Sam constantly getting blown up. The toughness that his character talks just seems all the more funny because he's never tough enough to win. The scene with the gunpowder in Sam's pants is a classic.