Captain Hareblower (1954) Online

While sometimes a little too reliant on slapstick, particularly in the middle half, and one or two of the sight gags are executed a little predictably, this cartoon is enormous fun. Just plain Looney fun with a lot of battle- of- the- wits just as I like it. The animation is excellent really colourful and expressive, the music is beautiful and rousing, the vocal characterisations are spot on as pretty much always and the writing is very funny and imaginative. Both Bugs and Yosemite Sam are on top form, and the story is engaging enough for both kids and adults.

In conclusion, this is a lot of rollicking fun. 9/10 Bethany Cox

I first saw "Captain Hareblower" in the compilation film "Daffy Duck's Movie: Fantastic Island". After all these years, I've finally seen the cartoon on its own. I almost never stopped laughing, as pirate Yosemite Sam (in full aggressive form) scares the crew off of a ship and then tries to get Bugs Bunny to surrender but Bugs always has a trick up his sleeve. With perfectly timed gags, I might add.

It's always so great to contrast the calm but acerbic Bugs with the violent but incompetent Sam. As I once read, Friz Freleng wanted a character who could take on Bugs. For Friz, it wasn't Elmer Fudd, a total sap. So, Friz came up with the smallest person imaginable and gave him the biggest voice imaginable. As a result, the roughest, toughest, he-man stuffest hombre as ever crossed the Rio Grande - and he ain't no namby-pamby - has always been a hoot, including in this cartoon.

Short and wonderfully sweet. Every gag is timed and animated to perfection and there is even a good punchline (usually a cartoon short's most obvious problem). This is essentially a re-animated version of 1947's Buccaneer Bunny but the gags are timed even better.

Popular Bugs Bunny lampoon of Warners’ own CAPTAIN HORATIO HORNBLOWER (1951) – though already released on one of their various “Looney Tunes” sets, it makes for an ideal extra on the live-action epic’s DVD edition.

The film is virtually a 7-minute battle of wits between Bugs and his frequent sparring partner, the diminutive but pompous Yosemite Sam – here dubbed “Pirate Sam”. Typically, the former is a stowaway on a ship which is attacked by the latter – singlehandedly! The crew of its targeted vessel abandons ship, and the laidback but wily rabbit is then pushed into assuming command by Sam’s obstinate provocation…at which, naturally, he’s instantly adept (much to the pirate’s chagrin)! Of course, the amount of physical violence – predictably, endured mostly by Sam (being constantly surprised by Bugs’ cannonballs fired virtually at point-blank range) – wouldn’t pass muster in a ‘normal’ film from this era. Incidentally, while the cartoon retains the 19th century setting of the real Hornblower adventures, the script-writers couldn’t help inserting gags involving modern commodities – such as an electric fan (even when put under pressure, Bugs’ resourcefulness never seems to fail him) and an underwater costume (complete with flippers and goggles) for the characteristically underhanded Sam.

The finale, then, sees the two nonchalantly lighting a match – which they throw in the powder room of their respective opponent’s ship, daring one another to pick it up before the inevitable explosion. Of course, Sam’s vessel is blown to “smithereenies” first but, when Bugs’ turn comes, he doesn’t budge – the pirate loses his nerve and jumps overboard, a reaction which baffles the rabbit…given that his “powder” is of an entirely different sort i.e. the make-up variety (which is a classically absurdist “Looney Tunes” twist).

To my knowledge, "Captain Hareblower", the excellent re-hash of "Buccaneer Bunny" is NOT a part of the 6 volume Looney Tunes Golden Collection and is only available on DVD as an extra on the "Captain Horatio Hornblower"DVD. "Buccaneer Bunny" is available on LTGT Volume 5. There is yet a 3rd cartoon very similar in nature starring Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam set at sea titled "Mutiny on the Bunny". The twist on the premise is that Sam shanghai's would-be cruise passenger Bugs to replace his deserted crew. The hilarious running gag in this one is the repeated sinking and subsequent relaunching of Sam's ship, "The Sad Sack - Formerly the Jolly Roger."

. . . Bugs Bunny defiantly retorts to "Pirate Sam" after the rest of the men on his freighter have abandoned the vessel like rodents fleeing a sinking political party. During the remainder of this offering from Warner Bros.' always prophetic Animated Shorts Seers division (aka, the Looney Tuners) , the title hare and diminutive Sam go back and forth for control of Bugs' endangered sloop, which certainly may constitute a nautical analogy for America's Ship of State. As long-time Looney Tunes director Chuck Jones has said many times during his DVD "Bonus" interviews included with Warner Bros. Looney Tunes collections, all of these animated shorts must be seen in the context of Current Events. Because personnel working for the eponymous Warner Bros. seldom failed to embed warnings for We Americans of (The Then) far future within all of their film output, 21st Century folks enjoying CAPTAIN HAREBLOWER doubtless will try to read between the lines, and fathom out whether the stalwart rabbit is once again representing We True Blue Loyal Patriotic Normal Average 99 Per Center Progressive Union Label Citizens. Since it's clearly evident that this is Bugs' valiant role during CAPTAIN HAREBLOWER, consumers are left with the question of "Who does Pirate Sam represent?" Certainly, minus the red beard Sam is virtually the spitting image of Red Commie KGB Chief Vlad "The Mad Russian" Putin. Furthermore, it seems likely that the better angels of the clairvoyant Looney Tuners' natures added the RED beard to Pirate Sam's face to emphasize the aforesaid link.

Very funny Bugs Bunny short where he plays a stowaway on a ship whose entire crew flees when confronted by pirate Yosemite Sam. Bugs isn't afraid of the diminutive buccaneer so he tells Sam if he wants the ship, he'll have to take it from him. This leads to a battle (and lots of cannon fire) between the two. Nothing particularly deep here, just lots of verbal back & forth and violent gags. Sam gets the worst of it, of course. Sam also has the best lines. Mel Blanc is great, as I'm sure you expect. The music is good. The animation is nice and colorful. I liked the last bit a lot. It's fun to see Bugs thrown a curveball from time to time. Not the funniest Bugs & Sam short that I've seen but a good one.

Yosemite Sam and Bugs Bunny are the main stars of this short, Yosemite Sam is Pirate Sam and Bugs Bunny is the only surviving crew member when he confronts him (as all the other crew members and captain have drowned themselves). Pirate Sam battles with Bugs to try and win the ship - but Bugs is not going to make it easy for him..!

This short contains a great deal of slapstick, especially for the time (around 1954 most of the directors/writers were quite sensible in their amounts of slapstick). There are also some very good lines and the animation is good. Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam are both good characters, it seems they work as a team, even though they are battling against each other.

This cartoon is based on "Bucaneer Bunny" made a few years before. "Bucaneer Bunny" is slightly better, with more jokes, but because I had watched this first, the jokes in "Bucaneer Bunny" were more predictable.

Hope you like this episode! I recommend this short to people who like old fashioned ships, Looney Tunes and amusing slapstick. Enjoy "Captain Hareblower"! :-)