Music, Humor and "The Long Haired-Hare," Part 2 of 2

The first crack in the system occurs when Jones overhears Bugs’ singing and finds himself dancing and singing Bugs’ song instead of the aria. Jones sets out to silence the rabbit through a series of violent, exaggerated actions. Music is employed to caricature and amplify the violence that befalls Bugs as Jones assails him. For example, Jones crushes Bugs’ banjo and the musical accompaniment imitates strings pulled almost to a breaking point and then finally breaking. As the banjo is destroyed on screen, percussion “Mickey Mouses” the sound of the banjo’s neck snapped in two, and low-register bass notes imitate Jones’ heavy, angry steps back to his house. Bugs doesn’t take this action lying down, and after he utters his trademark “of course you know, this means war,” line, the spoof begins in earnest.

Bugs goes to the Hollywood Bowl and wreaks havoc with Jones’ performance by sneaking into the concert disguised as a great conductor, “Leopold,” and leading Jones through a set of operatic histrionics in which Jones is commanded to sing at the lowest and highest registers of his range in short succession at the whim of Bugs. Jones is forced to hold a high note for an excruciatingly long time (so long that Bugs has time to order and receive ear muffs), and in so doing pops all the buttons of his tuxedo and bursts out of his clothes. The film ends as Jones’ sustained, high note finally cracks the Hollywood Bowl, reducing it to rubble. As Bugs takes his bow, Jones emerges from the wreckage to take his bow as well. Bugs, one more trick up his sleeve, spies a precariously perched boulder perched on a beam above Jones’ head, and he motions for the Jones to hit the note again. Jones sings his final note and is brained by the boulder. Bugs then whips out his banjo and strums a ditty to end the film. The common man and his music has symbolically undressed and destroyed the elitists and opera, just as effectively as a Soupy Sales’ pie in the face.