Happy 69th birthday, Bugs Bunny!
On this day in 1940, A Wild Hare was released in theaters, which was written by Rich Hogan, animated by Virgil Ross, and directed by Tex Avery. It was in this cartoon that Bugs Bunny first emerged from his rabbit hole to ask Elmer Fudd, now a hunter, “What’s up, Doc?” It was also the first meeting of the two characters, and the first cartoon where Mel Blanc uses the version of Bugs voice that would become famous worldwide.
The film would go on to get an Academy Award nomination for best short film, alongside Puss Gets The Boot, which introduced Tom and Jerry. Both lost to Citizen Kane.
Citizen Kane was a short film?
Um, no. Sorry, Glenn. Citizen Kane was nominated (and lost) in the Best Picture category (in 1941). (It did win for Best Original Screenplay.)A Wild Hare and Puss Gets the Boot were beaten (in 1940) by MGM's The Milky Way.