As this short opens Bugs is reading part of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem Hiawatha; it concerns the eponymous Indian hunting a rabbit in the forest. At this point Bugs realises that he is himself a rabbit! He also soon realises that he is being hunted by an Indian. The Indian searches for bugs and eventually finds him bathing in his own cook pot; when he attempts to light a fire under the pot Bugs helps him; commenting that he hasn't had a hot bath for a while! It isn't until some time later that bugs realises that his nice hot bath is intended to become a rabbit stew! He runs off and the Indian keeps trying to catch him with the inevitable lack of success.
This early Bugs Bunny cartoon was pretty funny in places; the Indian hunter bears a clear resemblance to Elmer Fudd. I didn't think the portrayal of the Indian was particularly offensive although Bug's mimicry of stereotypes of Native Americans could be seen as offensive to some I suspect. The best gag was the cook pot scene although the time Bugs lures her pursuer over a cliff was pretty funny too. The appearance of Bugs may seem odd to people who are more used to the way he looks in later shorts but I quite like the way he looks here.
This early Bugs Bunny cartoon was pretty funny in places; the Indian hunter bears a clear resemblance to Elmer Fudd. I didn't think the portrayal of the Indian was particularly offensive although Bug's mimicry of stereotypes of Native Americans could be seen as offensive to some I suspect. The best gag was the cook pot scene although the time Bugs lures her pursuer over a cliff was pretty funny too. The appearance of Bugs may seem odd to people who are more used to the way he looks in later shorts but I quite like the way he looks here.