Hare Trigger

Lore & Background

Before this short, Friz Freleng felt Elmer Fudd was too soft and needed a smarter, tougher foe for Bugs Bunny. This need birthed Yosemite Sam in "Hare Trigger." The dynamic shifts from simple pursuit to explosive confrontations where Sam is loud, aggressive, and prone to dramatic introspections. In one memorable moment, after being tricked by Bugs, Sam asks with an offended tone, "Why did you pour ink on mah haid?" Another defining trait established here is Sam's grandiose self-introduction: "I'm Yosemite Sam, the meanest, toughest, rip-roarin'-est, ever-lovin' freight train that ever packed a six-shooter!" This pattern of introducing himself to both Bugs and the audience became a staple for the character. The short also utilized stock footage from the Warner Bros. Western film "The Oklahoma Kid" (1939) to depict a saloon fight, showcasing the studio's resourcefulness in blending live-action clips with animation.

In Their Own Story

The plot opens with an old-fashioned 2-4-0 train rolling through the desert as Bugs Bunny sings "Go Get the Axe" inside the mail car. A pint-sized bandit attempts to rob the train but misses, then uses a rolling step-stair to mount his horse and board. The bandit, who is actually Yosemite Sam, accidentally bags Bugs, mistaking him for the mail clerk wrapped in a package marked "DON'T OPEN 'TIL XMAS." When Bugs assumes Sam is Jesse James, Sam corrects him with his famous introduction. Later, Bugs tricks Sam into dashing into a lounge car filled with stock footage of a horrific saloon fight from "Dodge City," emerging later battered and bruised to the tune of "Rally 'Round the Flag." In a final twist, Sam ties Bugs up with an anvil over a gorge, but the narrator's ominous text is interrupted by Bugs walking across the screen in top hat and tails, dragging a tied-up Sam. The short ends with Bugs quoting Red Skelton: "He don't know me vewy well, do he?"

Reader's Guide

Viewers should note the specific musical cues that drive this narrative, such as the use of "Cheyenne" for opening credits and "Erlkönig" during Sam's first attempt to board. The climax subverts expectations when the screen fills with text asking if Bugs will be dashed to bits, only for him to appear unharmed with a bag of gold. Pay attention to the voice acting nuances; Mel Blanc voices both characters, but also provides the narrator's close-to-natural voice for the on-screen text reading. The short features a unique gag where Bugs impersonates an African-American train porter in a stereotyped voice to persuade Sam to disembark, complete with Sam tipping him a silver coin. This scene leads to Sam being whisked off by a mail-drop hook while Bugs yells, "So long, screwy, see ya in Saint Louie!"—a line later echoed in other cartoons like "Wild and Woolly Hare." The ending iris-out plays a bar of "Kingdom Coming."

Did You Know?

• Yosemite Sam was created because director Friz Freleng felt Elmer Fudd was too stupid and soft.
• Stock film footage of a saloon fight was taken directly from the Warner Bros. Western film "The Oklahoma Kid" (1939).
• Yosemite Sam's famous introduction includes the line "I'm Yosemite Sam, the meanest, toughest, rip-roarin'-est, ever-lovin' freight train that ever packed a six-shooter!"