Broom-Stick Bunny

Broom-Stick Bunny
Lobby card.
Production company	Warner Bros. Cartoons
Distributor	Warner Bros. Pictures The Vitaphone Corporation
Release date	February 25, 1956
Run time	7:09
Starring	Mel Blanc June Foray
Producer(s)	Edward Selzer John W. Burton
Music composed by	Milt Franklyn
Story by	Tedd Pierce
Animation	Ted Bonnicksen Russ Dyson Keith Darling
Director(s)	Chuck Jones
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Broom-Stick Bunny is a three hundred and fifty-seventh Looney Tunes theatrical short. It was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and The Vitaphone Corporation on February 25, 1956. It was written by Tedd Pierce, produced by Edward Selzer and John W. Burton, and directed by Chuck Jones.

On Halloween night, Witch Hazel is greeted by another witch who is far uglier than her. However, she soon realizes that the fellow "witch" is Bugs Bunny in costume, who turns out to be the ingredient needed for her brew.

Memorable quotes

Hazel: Magic mirror on the wall, who is the ugliest one them all?
Genie: By my troth, I do avow, there's none that's uglier than thou.
Hazel: I'm so badly afraid of getting pretty as I grow older... Pretty? (laughs maniacally)

Bugs: Boy, dis trick-or-treatin' is a pretty nice racket. Pity it only comes once a year.

Bugs: Evening, granny. Do you have any goodies for a Halloween witch?
Hazel: Witch? I don't remember seeing her at any of the union meetings. But my, isn't she the ugliest little thing...? Ugly?

Hazel: Magic mirror on the wall, who is the ugliest one of all?
Genie: Thou WERT the ugliest one, 'tis true. But that creep is uglier far than you!

Hazel: There, that's sharp enough to split a hare... Split a hare? (laughs maniacally)

Bugs: What's the matter, dearie?
Hazel: You remind me... of Paul!
Bugs: Paul?
Hazel: My pet tarantula.
Bugs: Look, granny. We can't carry the torch for our loved ones forever. You got to pull yourself together.

Hazel: Magic mirror on the wall, who is the ugliest one of all?
Genie: RAWR-RAWR!

Bugs: Hello, air-raid headquarters? Well, you're not gonna believe dis, but I just saw a genie with light brown hair chasin' a flying sorceress.

Characters

Legend
Character debut	Speaking debut	Ep. debut	No lines	Mentioned

In order of appearance:

Character	Actor
Witch Hazel	June Foray
Genie	Mel Blanc
Bugs Bunny	Mel Blanc
Paul

Organizations

• Malevolent Order of Witches

Locations

• Earth
  • United States
    • Hazel residence

Objects

• Poison ivy
• Magic mirror
• Beauty potion
• Cleaver
• Magic broom
• Carrot
• Telephone

Production

Casting

A layout drawing used for the film.

The short is notable for being June Foray's first time working with Jones, although she previously worked in a couple of shorts for other directors. Specifically, it is the first cartoon where Foray voices Witch Hazel, as the character was previously portrayed by Bea Benaderet in her 1954 debut Bewitched Bunny. Foray would continue to collaborate with Jones after Warners' closed their animation department, though she did collaborate with the company up until her retirement in 2014.

Filming

The short was copyrighted in 1955 (MCMLV).

Music

The music was composed by Milt Franklyn.

Hazel signs a version of "A Cup of Coffee, a Sandwich and You" by Joseph Millar, with modified lyrics. She also hums the tune of it when she prepares the beauty potion for Bugs.

Crew credits

• Layouts: Ernie Nordli
• Backgrounds: Philip De Guard

Release

Dates are in order of release:

• United States: February 25, 1956

Behind the scenes

• The MPAA certificate number is 17546.
• According to the production notes, the short's title went through several drafts:
  • "I'm Witch You" (pun of "I'm With You")
  • "Hare Witch You" (pun on "Here With You")
  • "Hare-O-Ween" (pun on "Halloween")
  • "Hobgoblin Hare"
  • "Which Hare Has the Toni?" (title pun based on an old magazine ad, which the headline quotes, "Which twin has the Toni?")
• Witch Hazel is revealed to have a bachelor's degree for the Malevolent Order of Witches, A.F. of Elves.
• The magic mirror Hazel uses is inspired by the same character from the 1937 Walt Disney feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, although it is later revealed to be an unnamed genie who resides inside of a mirror.
  • Hazel's recurring question to her magic mirror is also a parody of the line the Queen uses in the film, "Magic Mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?"
• Hazel summons her broom by shouting, "Hi-yo, Flivver!", in parody of the Lone Ranger's catchphrase, "Hi-yo, Silver!"
• Bugs Bunny's physical description of the genie is a reference to the song "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair" by Stephen Foster.
• It is the only Witch Hazel cartoon to not receive a Blue Ribbon reissue, in addition to being the first Bugs Bunny short and second overall short to be reissued after the closure of the original cartoon studio.

Errors

• The poison ivy Hazel picks at the beginning is red, as opposed to their actual coloring as green.

Legacy

• Some scenes were reanimated in the 1966 short A-Haunting We Will Go, the last classic era short to feature Witch Hazel.
• The short was featured in the television special Bugs Bunny's Howl-oween Special.

Home availability

• In the United States:
  • March 2, 1993: Warner Home Video releases Looney Tunes After Dark on VHS.
  • November 2, 2004: Warner Home Video releases Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2 on DVD.
  • November 15, 2011: Warner Home Video releases Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1 on Blu-ray Disc.
  • Jun 3, 2012: Warner Home Video releases Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1 on DVD.
  • April 14, 2020: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment releases Bugs Bunny: Golden Carrot Collection on DVD.