Warner Brothers Cartoons fans have another reason to get the latest
"Looney Toons" DVD set: they fixed the ending of Bob Clampett's final
Bugs Bunny cartoon, "The Old Grey Hare" (1994).
In the original edition of the cartoon, the action continues over the
final "That's all Folks!" end title card, where they do one of the
funniest gags in the cartoon. (To say anything more would be a spoiler).
This gag was seen on television with this gag intact. Even TV
stations that routinely cut the end titles left it on "The Old Grey
Hare" so the viewers could enjoy the final gag.
A few years ago, the Warner Brother cartoon were subtitled in Spanish,
and hence a credit had to be added for the Spanish version. In the case
of "The Old Grey Hare", they cut the final gag to accommodate the new
credit! And so for years, viewers saw this cartoon completely unaware
that it used to have a funnier ending.
This sad situation has ended with the latest "Looney Toons" DVD set,
where "The Old Grey Hare" is presented with the original gag ending
intact. This is worth celebrating even if you are not a Bob Clampett
fan, for it is victory for the belief that an artist's original vision
should be preserved.
As to those people at WB who felt that it was OK to arbitrarily cut a
gag short before the end, I'd say that I consider each and every one of
them to be a son of a
--
"All things extant in this world,
Gods of Heaven, gods of Earth,
Let everything be as it should be;
Thus shall it be!"
- Magical chant from "Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi"
"Drizzle, Drazzle, Drozzle, Drome,
Time for this one to come home!"
- Mr. Wizard from "Tooter Turtle"
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