The Bugs Bunny Show

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The Bugs Bunny Show
The Bugs Bunny Show Title Sequence.png
On-screen title card.
Network ABC (Season 1-2, re-airings)
CBS (re-airings)
Production company Warner Bros. Cartoons
Warner Bros. Television
Warner Bros. Animation
Distributor Warner Bros. Television
Original release October 11, 1960 - September 2, 2000
Starring Mel Blanc
June Foray
Stan Freberg
Hal Smith
Executive producer(s) David H. DePatie
Friz Freleng
William L. Hendricks
Producer(s) Friz Freleng
Chuck Jones
Music composed by Mack David & Jerry Livingston (theme music, 1960–2000)
Steve Zuckerman (theme music, 1984-85)
Director(s) Chuck Jones
Friz Freleng
Robert McKimson
Series navigation
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Second title card
TBBRRH Title Card.jpg
As The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour.
Third title card
TBBATS Title Card.png
As The Bugs Bunny & Tweety Show.

The Bugs Bunny Show is an American animated anthology television series originally produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons and Warner Bros. Television for ABC. It is the first compilation series that consists of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical shorts that ran from 1930 to 1969 in the golden age of animation. It initially ran in a prime time slot from 1960 to 1962, running for two seasons and 52 episodes.

After its initial run, ABC moved the program to Saturday mornings from 1962 until 1967, during which it was switched to CBS and merged with The Road Runner Show to create The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour. It would later continue to air through various iterations while switching between the two networks sporadically, including as The Bugs Bunny & Tweety Show from 1986 until the end of its run in 2000. Because of its four-decade run, it has become the longest-running cartoon program on broadcast television.

In its original 52-episode run, the show was hosted by Bugs Bunny and consisted of three theatrical cartoons with newly-created segments, featuring linking sequences of the characters interacting in a theatre setting. It was originally sponsored by General Mills, with animated commercials for products such as Tang and Post cereals.

Production

Development

Move to Saturday mornings

Aftermath

Music

This is It

The opening song, "This is It," was composed by Mac David and Jerry Livingston and was performed by Mel Blanc.

Opening Theme Lyrics

Overture, curtains, lights,
This is it, the night of nights
No more rehearsing and nursing a part
We know every part by heart
Overture, curtains, lights
This is it, you'll hit the heights
And oh what heights we'll hit
On with the show this is it!

Tonight what heights we'll hit
On with the show this is it!

It's Cartoon Gold

During the final season of The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show, the show introduced a new song that replaced the standard one used from The Bugs Bunny Show.

The new song, "It's Cartoon Gold," was composed by Steve Zuckerman, with lyrics written by John Klawitter.

Theme Lyrics

It's cartoon gold for young and old
It's The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show

Bugs is hot, but Coyote's not
And Road Runner's go-go-go

And they go, beep-beep-beep-beep
Boom mama-mama
Bu-bu-bu-bu-bu-Bugs!

There's Porky Pig...

Porky: Th-th-th-th-the name's Porky Pig!

And Daffy Duck...

Daffy: You're dispicable!

There's Tweety Bird...

Tweety: Ooh... I tawt I taw a puddy tat!

Bugs Bunny's luck...

Bugs: Ehh... What's up, doc?

And Elmer Fudd...

Elmer: Be vewy, vewy quiet...

Sylvester the Cat...

Sylvester: Thufferin' Thuccotash!

Speedy Gonzales...

Speedy: Arriba! Arriva! Yee-hah!

And then, there's Sam in the Hat...

Yosemite Sam: That snaggled-tooth varmint!

And they go, beep-beep-beep-beep
Boom mama-mama
Bu-bu-bu-bu-bu-Bugs!

The famous cartoon show, is the only way to go
It's The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show!

Episodes

The following is a list of episodes for the series' original prime-time run, which lasted for two seasons. In its second season, the episodes themselves are given proper title cards at the beginning.

Title Original air date
1x01 October 11, 1960
1x02 October 18, 1960
1x03 October 25, 1960
1x04 November 1, 1960
1x05 November 8, 1960
1x06 November 15, 1960
1x07 November 22, 1960
1x08 November 29, 1960
1x09 December 6, 1960
1x10 December 13, 1960
1x11 December 20, 1960
1x12 December 27, 1960
1x13 January 3, 1961
1x14 January 10, 1961
1x15 January 17, 1961
1x16 January 24, 1961
1x17 January 31, 1961
1x18 February 7, 1961
1x19 February 21, 1961
1x20 Feburary 27, 2016
1x21 February 28, 1961
1x22 March 7, 1961
1x23 March 14, 1961
1x24 March 21, 1961
1x25 March 28, 1961
1x26 April 4, 1961
2x01 October 10, 1961
2x02 October 17, 1961
2x03 October 24, 1961
2x04 October 31, 1961
2x05 November 7, 1961
2x06 November 14, 1961
2x07 November 21, 1961
2x08 November 28, 1961
2x09 December 5, 1961
2x10 December 12, 1961
2x11 December 19, 1961
2x12 December 26, 1961
2x13 January 16, 1961
2x14 January 23, 1962
2x15 February 13, 1962
2x16 February 20, 1962
2x17 March 13, 1962
2x18 March 20, 1962
2x19 June 19, 1962
2x20 June 26, 1962
2x21 July 3, 1962
2x22 July 10, 1962
2x23 July 17, 1962
2x24 July 24, 1962
2x25 July 31, 1962
2x26 August 7, 1962

Cast

Release

Premiere dates are in order of release

Promotion

Legacy

The show is credited for first introducing the Warner Bros. cartoons on television, and further exposed cartoons created during the Golden Age of animation a part of the American consciousness. In the four decades of its total run, it also helped inspiring animators, comedians, historians, and others who watched Saturday morning television.[1]

Following the popularity of the series' intial run, Warner Bros. Television went on to produce various television spin-offs with the Looney Tunes cast, all of which contain the same compilation format as The Bugs Bunny Show. The television series that followed include The Porky Pig Show, The Road Runner Show, The Merrie Melodies Show, The Daffy-Speedy Show, The Sylvester & Tweety, Daffy & Speedy Show, Merrie Melodies Starring Bugs Bunny & Friends, That's Warner Bros.!, and Bugs 'n' Daffy.

Beginning in 2021, MeTV used the "This is It" opening sequence of the show as part of Bugs Bunny and Friends, which aired as part of their Saturday Morning Cartoons block.

In popular culture

  • In The Golden Girls episode "Larceny and Old Lace," Blanche asks Rose what Mozart composition is a serande in G for two violins, viola, cello, and double base, in four movements, which the latter replies that was Ein klien Nachtmusic. When Blache asks her where she got it from, she says that it played in The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show, during a chase scene with Elmer Fudd and Bugs.
  • In the Seinfeld episode "The Opera," Jerry sings the "This is It" theme song while waiting for George and Kramer at the opera. Elain mockingly tells him it was sad that "all your knowledge of high culture comes from Bugs Bunny cartoons."

References