Greetings, Boils & Ghouls...
...and welcome to 'Day Nineteen' of "Abnor Mal's Guide To Creepy Cartoon Classics on Roku" where I aim to bring you another creepy cartoon classic from the plethora of spooky animated short films that have been released throughout the course of animation history - any of which can be streamed on TV via the magic of Roku players - so let's dim those lights, for more fun & frights! :-O
If you read my special hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - that I published nineteen days ago, you will know I plan to post a Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, featuring one vintage cartoon classic with spooky overtones each and every time. With recommendations for thirty-one of the most spook-tacular shorts I can find, by the end of the month, this means you'll have plenty of great choices for your creepy cartoon viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en... as well as ensuring lots of laughs & screams come October 31st! :-D
Likewise... if you read my previous post on 'Day Eighteen' of this month-long blogathon, you might recall that it featured a vampire who was constantly transforming into a bat (and back again) while he tried (in vain) to sink his teeth into "The Pink Panther" who had wandered into his castle believing it to be a boarding house of some description. Anyhow, by way of coincidence, today's creepy cartoon classic also features a being who transforms into another creature... only this time it's a hideous green monster, with bright red eyes, and to make matters worse - he's got a pretty mean swing with an axe!
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Released on 27th August, and directed by Isadore "Friz" Freleng (credited as 'I. Freleng' in this case), the vintage 'Looney Tunes' cartoon which is the focus of today's post featured voice characterisations by Mel Blanc, along with the musical direction of Carl Stalling. Animation duties were handled with expert care, and attention to detail, by Germain Adolph "Gerry" Chiniquy, together with Virgil Ross, Arthur "Art" Davis, and Ted Bonnicksen, while the fantastic 1950's "modern" style backgrounds were produced by Irv Wyner. The short was produced by Warner Bros. Pictures Inc. and released in 1955.
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With a screenplay written by Warren Foster, today's creepy cartoon classic was loosely based upon (and inspired by) an earlier work of fiction entitled "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" that was written by Robert Louis Stevenson and first published as a novella in 1886. For anyone who may not be familiar with that original story, 'Horrorpedia' published an excellent overview of it around five years ago which also includes some excellent images of the artwork used for the book covers! ;-) :-)
The title used, "Hyde And Hare", was (itself) a play on the expression "neither hide nor hair" but you can't say that about 'Bugs' when he pops-up right in the middle of a public park at the start of this tale and observes the "little old ladies with their bags of popcorn and breadcrumbs for the pigeons" before taking a look at his watch to see if it's time for his own "little benefactor", who feeds him carrots each morning, to arrive... and sure enough he does, right on cue! At this point, 'Bugs' shrugs to himself and says, "Well, here I go again with the timid little rabbit routine... it's shameful but-uh, eh, it's a living!"
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So off goes 'Bugs', to the park bench where the "Little Guy" is waiting with a carrot for him, and after doing the "hopping along on all fours" bit - for the sake of appearances - he hops-up on the little guy's lap to suggest that, rather than have both of them continue with this routine, it would be better for the man to adopt 'Bugs' as a pet... so that then, he could be fed in bed - then adds "Whaddya say, Doc?", to which he replies: "Oh, that would make me so happy... come, let me show you your new home!"
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Having persuaded his "little benefactor" to carry him all the way home, the little guy comments that "It's strange that you should call me 'Doc'... I happen to be a doctor" - at which point we get a glimpse of a sign on the building they are about to enter, which says: "Dr. Jekyll" - but, blissfully unaware that he might be setting himself up for a whole heap of trouble, 'Bugs' goes into the little guys house! :-O
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While 'Bugs' makes himself at home, by playing Chopin's "Minute Waltz" on the piano, the little guy goes-off to try and find another carrot for his new pet but, on entering his laboratory, he spots a glass of his latest concoction bubbling away on the table. Wrestling with "that failing" of his, he tries to go on... vowing, "No, no... I won't weaken!" - but, in a flash, he is back at the table with the glass in his hand, admitting to us all: "Oh... I'm So Ashamed!", before turning his back and gulping it all down!
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The "concoction" he drinks causes Dr. Jekyll to experience an adverse reaction, which results in his physical appearance being changed from the mild-mannered "little guy", we know as Dr. Jekyll, into his grotesque monster of an alter-ego, "Mr. Hyde", as can be seen in the still frame images below:-
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Meanwhile, as 'Bugs' does his best 'Liberace' impression... placing a candelabra on top of the piano, and saying: "I wish my brother, George, was here!" and proceeding to play like a virtuoso, we see the hideous 'Mr. Hyde' exit the laboratory in search of 'Bugs'... and it isn't long before he finds him! :-O
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From here on in, things only get worse for 'Bugs' who is constantly fleeing from 'Mr. Hyde' while, at the same time, trying to find 'Dr. Jekyll' so that he can put an end to the problem. However, instead of revealing any more of the plot, I thought why not discover the outcome yourselves by watching it!?!!
Unlike many of the previous videos that I've shared in this series of posts, "Hyde And Hare" did not seem to be available via 'YouTube' or 'Vimeo' and, as a result, the version I am sharing with you today is hosted on the 'Dailymotion' website. Of course, in addition to watching the embedded video of this cartoon right here on my blog, you can also choose to stream it on your phone or tablet by using the 'Dailymotion' app(s) for both the iOS (Apple) plus Android platforms on your mobile devices. For those who prefer to watch on their big screen television, there is also a private channel for 'Daily Motion' which is available using the "Add channel with a code" option, that can be found in the 'Manage Account' section of the Roku website. Just use ACCESS CODE: dailymotion to install it
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DAILY MOTION PRIVATE CHANNEL..........................................ACCESS CODE: dailymotion
*** N.B. this channel can not be found within the built-in channel store on Roku devices !! ***
HINT: If you are uncertain as to how you go about installing a private channel on your Roku device, you will find full instructions in my "SPECIAL MONTH-LONG BLOGATHON PREVIEW" post as to what needs to be done. For those who may be worried about things being too "tech-y", there's not really much to it... and, once you have signed-in to your Roku account via a desktop web browser, it is quite a simple procedure to type in the (above) access code and have the app automatically added to the selection of channels found under the 'Home' screen of your Roku device(s). Should you have any difficulty, and are unable to finish the process with the instructions from my blogathon preview, just leave a comment below - saying what stage of the process you are stuck on - and I'll do my best to offer some further suggestions as to where you may be going wrong. If you're unable to install the 'Daily Motion' private channel, for whatever reason, you can always just watch the cartoon here! :-D
EXTRA TIP: The built-in 'Search' function within the private channel for 'Daily Motion' is a fairly basic affair and does not permit you to search easily by 'Username' - in this case: "bugs-bunny1", also known as "Bugs Bunny" - or the unique identifier (which is "x2oqdls" for the video above) - so your best hope of finding "Hyde And Hare" within the 'Daily Motion' private channel on your Roku device is to use the exact title provided by the uploader... so, in this case, you would need to type in all (or part) of the following text: "Bugs Bunny - Hyde And Hare" which is shown (in full) across the centre of the embedded video included in this post. Experience has taught me that not all the video titles will be included within the 'Daily Motion' search results so, if you adopt the same method when searching for another video from their website, your chosen title may not show-up at all. That said, having personally tested this one myself, I can confirm that you will see it listed and that you should be able to stream it on Roku device(s) in it's entirety, without issues! :-)
On whichever platform you decide to watch this video, be sure to look-out for the scene in which the 'Mr. Hyde' character sneaks-up on 'Bugs' while he's playing the piano... only to have him turn around, get one look at his hideous features and say: "You are a mental case!", adding "You Don't Look Good" and "It's about time you came to see the doctor!", because (at this stage in the proceedings) poor old 'Bugs' had yet to figure-out that "Dr. Jekyll" and "Mr. Hyde" were really two sides of the same man!
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Not long after, even if 'Bugs' might not have realised it yet, we (the viewers) witness the instability of the concoction created by 'Dr. Jekyll', as the effects wear-off and then come-back at random intervals, causing 'Mr. Hyde' to transform into 'Dr. Jekyll' (and vice versa) several times over. Despite being in a (slightly) varying situation, each time this happens, the joke does start to wear a little thin at times. That said, the animation is beautifully done and the backgrounds are superb, with the colours looking vivid throughout. Add to that the "surprise" ending, the energetic music (from Carl W. Stalling) that never lets-up, plus the afore-mentioned "Liberace" gag thrown-in for good measure, and you have a spooky short that is as fun and entertaining as anything Mel Blanc has put his name to in this series.
Once again, I'm afraid to say I came-up short on the film poster front... but, as can sometimes be the case, I did manage to find some decent images of production drawings for the 'Mr. Hyde' character, as well as one of the production backgrounds. So, in the absence of anything else, I'd like to round-off this article by sharing some screenshots of those with you. Hope you like them as much as I do! :-D
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The 'Heritage Auctions' website, from where the above screenshot originates, describes it as follows:
Likewise, the same source provided the following info for the background drawing shown below:-
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I'd also like to remind readers of this blog that there are now just twelve days to go until Halloween !!
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If you read my special hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - that I published nineteen days ago, you will know I plan to post a Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, featuring one vintage cartoon classic with spooky overtones each and every time. With recommendations for thirty-one of the most spook-tacular shorts I can find, by the end of the month, this means you'll have plenty of great choices for your creepy cartoon viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en... as well as ensuring lots of laughs & screams come October 31st! :-D
Likewise... if you read my previous post on 'Day Eighteen' of this month-long blogathon, you might recall that it featured a vampire who was constantly transforming into a bat (and back again) while he tried (in vain) to sink his teeth into "The Pink Panther" who had wandered into his castle believing it to be a boarding house of some description. Anyhow, by way of coincidence, today's creepy cartoon classic also features a being who transforms into another creature... only this time it's a hideous green monster, with bright red eyes, and to make matters worse - he's got a pretty mean swing with an axe!
Released on 27th August, and directed by Isadore "Friz" Freleng (credited as 'I. Freleng' in this case), the vintage 'Looney Tunes' cartoon which is the focus of today's post featured voice characterisations by Mel Blanc, along with the musical direction of Carl Stalling. Animation duties were handled with expert care, and attention to detail, by Germain Adolph "Gerry" Chiniquy, together with Virgil Ross, Arthur "Art" Davis, and Ted Bonnicksen, while the fantastic 1950's "modern" style backgrounds were produced by Irv Wyner. The short was produced by Warner Bros. Pictures Inc. and released in 1955.
With a screenplay written by Warren Foster, today's creepy cartoon classic was loosely based upon (and inspired by) an earlier work of fiction entitled "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" that was written by Robert Louis Stevenson and first published as a novella in 1886. For anyone who may not be familiar with that original story, 'Horrorpedia' published an excellent overview of it around five years ago which also includes some excellent images of the artwork used for the book covers! ;-) :-)
The title used, "Hyde And Hare", was (itself) a play on the expression "neither hide nor hair" but you can't say that about 'Bugs' when he pops-up right in the middle of a public park at the start of this tale and observes the "little old ladies with their bags of popcorn and breadcrumbs for the pigeons" before taking a look at his watch to see if it's time for his own "little benefactor", who feeds him carrots each morning, to arrive... and sure enough he does, right on cue! At this point, 'Bugs' shrugs to himself and says, "Well, here I go again with the timid little rabbit routine... it's shameful but-uh, eh, it's a living!"
Little Old Ladies Feed The Pigeons With Their Bags Of Popcorn And Breadcrumbs...
...While 'Bugs' Looks At His Watch, Wondering Where The Little Guy Is With His Carrots!?!!
Then, Right On Cue, His "Little Benefactor" Shows-Up With A Bag Of Carrots...
"Here I go again with the timid little rabbit routine... it's shameful but-uh, eh, it's a living!"
So off goes 'Bugs', to the park bench where the "Little Guy" is waiting with a carrot for him, and after doing the "hopping along on all fours" bit - for the sake of appearances - he hops-up on the little guy's lap to suggest that, rather than have both of them continue with this routine, it would be better for the man to adopt 'Bugs' as a pet... so that then, he could be fed in bed - then adds "Whaddya say, Doc?", to which he replies: "Oh, that would make me so happy... come, let me show you your new home!"
The Little Guy Says: "Come, Little Rabbit... Come And Get Your Carrot!"
But 'Bugs' Is Tired Of This Routine... And Proposes Adoption, So He Can Be Fed At Home
The Little Guy Agrees... And Takes 'Bugs' To Show Him His New Home!
Having persuaded his "little benefactor" to carry him all the way home, the little guy comments that "It's strange that you should call me 'Doc'... I happen to be a doctor" - at which point we get a glimpse of a sign on the building they are about to enter, which says: "Dr. Jekyll" - but, blissfully unaware that he might be setting himself up for a whole heap of trouble, 'Bugs' goes into the little guys house! :-O
"It's strange that you should call me 'Doc'... I happen to be a doctor"
The Sign Above The Door Says "Dr. Jekyll" - Maybe You've Read About Him!?!!
Undeterred, 'Bugs' Enters The House, To Get Acquainted With His New Surroundings...
"Mmm... Oak Panelling, Wall-To-Wall Carpeting - Hey, I'm Gonna Like This!"
While 'Bugs' makes himself at home, by playing Chopin's "Minute Waltz" on the piano, the little guy goes-off to try and find another carrot for his new pet but, on entering his laboratory, he spots a glass of his latest concoction bubbling away on the table. Wrestling with "that failing" of his, he tries to go on... vowing, "No, no... I won't weaken!" - but, in a flash, he is back at the table with the glass in his hand, admitting to us all: "Oh... I'm So Ashamed!", before turning his back and gulping it all down!
Bugs Shows His Class, By Reading This As: "My Newt Waltz by Choppin"...
...Fortunately For Him, 'Bugs' Plays Piano Far Better Than He Reads The Written Word!
Meanwhile, Dr. Jekyll Goes To His Laboratory... To Look For More Carrots!
But His Head Is Turned, When He Sees His Latest "Concoction" On The Table...
Wrestling With "That Failing" Of His... He Vows, "No, No... I Won't Weaken!"
Before Grabbing The Glass, Saying: "Oh... I'm So Ashamed", Then Gulps It Down!
The "concoction" he drinks causes Dr. Jekyll to experience an adverse reaction, which results in his physical appearance being changed from the mild-mannered "little guy", we know as Dr. Jekyll, into his grotesque monster of an alter-ego, "Mr. Hyde", as can be seen in the still frame images below:-
Meanwhile, as 'Bugs' does his best 'Liberace' impression... placing a candelabra on top of the piano, and saying: "I wish my brother, George, was here!" and proceeding to play like a virtuoso, we see the hideous 'Mr. Hyde' exit the laboratory in search of 'Bugs'... and it isn't long before he finds him! :-O
Doing His Best 'Liberace' Impression, 'Bugs' Says: "I wish my brother, George, was here!"
...Then Proceeds To Play The Piano Like A Virtuoso!
Meanwhile, The Hideous 'Mr. Hyde' Exits The Laboratory To Search For 'Bugs'!
...And It Doesn't Take Long Before He Succeeds In Finding Him!
From here on in, things only get worse for 'Bugs' who is constantly fleeing from 'Mr. Hyde' while, at the same time, trying to find 'Dr. Jekyll' so that he can put an end to the problem. However, instead of revealing any more of the plot, I thought why not discover the outcome yourselves by watching it!?!!
Unlike many of the previous videos that I've shared in this series of posts, "Hyde And Hare" did not seem to be available via 'YouTube' or 'Vimeo' and, as a result, the version I am sharing with you today is hosted on the 'Dailymotion' website. Of course, in addition to watching the embedded video of this cartoon right here on my blog, you can also choose to stream it on your phone or tablet by using the 'Dailymotion' app(s) for both the iOS (Apple) plus Android platforms on your mobile devices. For those who prefer to watch on their big screen television, there is also a private channel for 'Daily Motion' which is available using the "Add channel with a code" option, that can be found in the 'Manage Account' section of the Roku website. Just use ACCESS CODE: dailymotion to install it
DAILY MOTION PRIVATE CHANNEL..........................................ACCESS CODE: dailymotion
*** N.B. this channel can not be found within the built-in channel store on Roku devices !! ***
HINT: If you are uncertain as to how you go about installing a private channel on your Roku device, you will find full instructions in my "SPECIAL MONTH-LONG BLOGATHON PREVIEW" post as to what needs to be done. For those who may be worried about things being too "tech-y", there's not really much to it... and, once you have signed-in to your Roku account via a desktop web browser, it is quite a simple procedure to type in the (above) access code and have the app automatically added to the selection of channels found under the 'Home' screen of your Roku device(s). Should you have any difficulty, and are unable to finish the process with the instructions from my blogathon preview, just leave a comment below - saying what stage of the process you are stuck on - and I'll do my best to offer some further suggestions as to where you may be going wrong. If you're unable to install the 'Daily Motion' private channel, for whatever reason, you can always just watch the cartoon here! :-D
EXTRA TIP: The built-in 'Search' function within the private channel for 'Daily Motion' is a fairly basic affair and does not permit you to search easily by 'Username' - in this case: "bugs-bunny1", also known as "Bugs Bunny" - or the unique identifier (which is "x2oqdls" for the video above) - so your best hope of finding "Hyde And Hare" within the 'Daily Motion' private channel on your Roku device is to use the exact title provided by the uploader... so, in this case, you would need to type in all (or part) of the following text: "Bugs Bunny - Hyde And Hare" which is shown (in full) across the centre of the embedded video included in this post. Experience has taught me that not all the video titles will be included within the 'Daily Motion' search results so, if you adopt the same method when searching for another video from their website, your chosen title may not show-up at all. That said, having personally tested this one myself, I can confirm that you will see it listed and that you should be able to stream it on Roku device(s) in it's entirety, without issues! :-)
On whichever platform you decide to watch this video, be sure to look-out for the scene in which the 'Mr. Hyde' character sneaks-up on 'Bugs' while he's playing the piano... only to have him turn around, get one look at his hideous features and say: "You are a mental case!", adding "You Don't Look Good" and "It's about time you came to see the doctor!", because (at this stage in the proceedings) poor old 'Bugs' had yet to figure-out that "Dr. Jekyll" and "Mr. Hyde" were really two sides of the same man!
'Mr. Hyde' Sneaks-Up On 'Bugs' While He's Playing The Piano...
'Bugs' Takes One Look At Him, And Says: "You Are A Mental Case!"
Then Adds: "You Don't Look Good... It's About Time You Came To See The Doctor!"
"Here, You Better Sit Down... I'll Get The Doc!"
Not long after, even if 'Bugs' might not have realised it yet, we (the viewers) witness the instability of the concoction created by 'Dr. Jekyll', as the effects wear-off and then come-back at random intervals, causing 'Mr. Hyde' to transform into 'Dr. Jekyll' (and vice versa) several times over. Despite being in a (slightly) varying situation, each time this happens, the joke does start to wear a little thin at times. That said, the animation is beautifully done and the backgrounds are superb, with the colours looking vivid throughout. Add to that the "surprise" ending, the energetic music (from Carl W. Stalling) that never lets-up, plus the afore-mentioned "Liberace" gag thrown-in for good measure, and you have a spooky short that is as fun and entertaining as anything Mel Blanc has put his name to in this series.
Once again, I'm afraid to say I came-up short on the film poster front... but, as can sometimes be the case, I did manage to find some decent images of production drawings for the 'Mr. Hyde' character, as well as one of the production backgrounds. So, in the absence of anything else, I'd like to round-off this article by sharing some screenshots of those with you. Hope you like them as much as I do! :-D
Bugs Bunny - Hyde and Hare (1955) - Mr. Hyde [Production Drawing]
The 'Heritage Auctions' website, from where the above screenshot originates, describes it as follows:
"An original trimmed animation drawing of the Doctor Jekyll character (as Mr. Hyde!) done for the Friz Freleng-directed theatrical short, staring Bugs Bunny. A truly great drawing. Trimmed to 7.5" x 10", with no pegholes. Rare 1950's studio artwork done in graphite, with the character standing 6.5" tall. From the Don Foster Collection."
Likewise, the same source provided the following info for the background drawing shown below:-
"This is a one-of-a-kind, hand-painted production background for scene 21 of the Bugs Bunny theatrical short directed by Friz Freleng, which featured a Doctor Jekyll & Mr. Hyde theme. The pan is signed by artist Irv Wyner along the lower edge, and the top border reads "Sc 21 1339." The background is approximately 40" x 10".
Bugs Bunny - Hyde and Hare (1955) [Production Background]
I'd also like to remind readers of this blog that there are now just twelve days to go until Halloween !!
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Anyhow, that's all I've got time for today... but do remember to come back again tomorrow, for my next creepy cartoon recommendation from the archives of animated film history, when I will suggest another spooky short for 'Day 20' of "Abnor Mal's Guide To Creepy Cartoon Classics on Roku" that you can stream right here on this blog - as well as through the equivalent channel on your Roku player(s). Meanwhile... please be sure to visit the "Countdown To Hallowe'en" website and show your support for this annual online Hallowe'en extravaganza PLUS don't forget to use the links you find there and check out all the other 'Cryptkeepers' taking part this year. I know they'll appreciate it, if you visit their blogs and share your thoughts on the contribution(s) they've made.
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ONE LAST THING, BEFORE I GO: Don't forget that, aside from the Hallowe'en / Horror-themed ghastliness going on around these parts for the next month, you can also keep up with the UK Roku action (as it happens) by checking-out my regular 'Weekly RoundUp' posts each weekend where you will find up-to-the-minute info on all things Roku-related is posted on a weekly basis (well, almost).
Until the next time, then...
That's all folks !!
