Bugs Bunny and his new Martian friend. Image: IMDB
Well, here’s a surprise.
Turns out we earthlings owe our planetary survival to Bugs Bunny.
You likely didn’t expect that, and we didn’t either. You can see the whole ordeal unfold in the Looney Tunes short, Haredevil Hare (1948).
It begins, as ordeals generally do, on a bright, sunny day. Scientists drag a reluctant Bugs Bunny from his home to the rocket launch site. As he frantically claws at the ground, Bugs says he doesn’t want to be a hero. “I don’t want to go. I’m too young to fly,” he cries.
This is a Historic event; it’s the first rocket to land on the moon. Although it’s miraculously powered by a single stick of dynamite, it has plenty o’ power. As the rocket nosedives onto the surface of the moon, a helpful sign flashes, “Fasten Safety Belt”.
On the moon, Bugs meets a tiny Martian who resembles Mars, the Roman war diety. (See below.) The Martian wears a helmet crowned by the business end of a push broom.
He’s one ambitious alien. He tells Bugs, “I’m going to blow up the earth,” as though it’s an everyday act, like making a sandwich.
Blowing up the earth requires a Uranium PU-36 Explosive Space Modulator. This, like Bugs’ rocket, is powered by a stick of dynamite.
The enormity of the Martian’s diabolical plan is, at first, lost on Bugs. “Now, there’s a brainy little guy,” he says, happily ensconced in denial.
Haredevil Hare is riddled with World War II references. This is understandable, given its release in 1948.
Let’s start with the Martian himself. Aside from his military-green costume, he is a black-white-red creature whose colours match those of the Nazi flag. The flag was adopted in 1935 and remained the national flag until the end of WWII. (You can learn more about the meaning behind the flag colours here.)
Next, when Bugs emerges from the rocket, he marvels that he’s “the first living creature to set foot on the moon.” As he strolls across the lunar surface, he wanders behind a rock upon which is scrawled, “Kilroy was here.”
According to the website, America Comes Alive, the Kilroy phenomenon began with a munitions inspector in Massachusetts during WWII. When he learned his inspection records were being altered, he started writing “Kilroy was here” to make his inspection marks more difficult to erase. This phrase quickly became famous, and soon it was appearing on landmarks throughout Europe and the South Pacific.¹
“Some believe that ‘Kilroy was here’ was a morale-builder,” says the site. “It seemed to give strength to the G.I.’s when they arrived at a new location and discovered that American soldiers already had been through the area.”²
There’s also the martian’s V-16 rocket, which transports him across the moon’s surface. This rocket loosely resembles the V-1 flying bomb used by Germany during the war. V-1 stands for Vergeltungswaffe Einz (Vengeance Weapon 1), and was first used in June, 1944.
The website ThoughtCo. says the V-1 was “largely a terror weapon and had little overall impact on the outcome of the war.”³
V-16 Rocket vs. the German V-1 flying bomb. Image of V-1: Fiddlers Green
Happily for us, Bugs Bunny does not allow the Martian to blow up the earth. “You can’t do that!” he says. “Why, all the people I know are on the earth. The nerve of this character.”
Like all of Bugs’ adversaries, the Martian does not know with whom he’s dealing. As you’ve noticed, Bugs is a crafty individual who easily manipulates those less savvy than himself.
Haredevil Hare is the debut appearance of the Martian, who would later be dubbed Marvin the Martian. As of today’s date, he has 22 (twenty-two!) screen appearances.
If it’s been too many years since you’ve seen this animated short, you can view it HERE for free.
Notes
Haredevil Hare: starring Mel Blanc. Directed by Charles M. Jones. Written by Michael Maltese. Warner Bros., 1948, Technicolour, 7 mins.
Silver Screenings 
🙂 Good memories. I remember this well! How many cartoons was Marvin the Martin in? He is still very beloved, although I don’t think he was in very many ‘toons. Thanks for the memories!
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Marvin the Martian is proof of the lasting power of a memorable character. A person may see him only once, but they’d never forget him.
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He’s still a fav! 🙂
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I LOVE this Bugs short! I watched it all the time when I was a kid. Of course back then I never noticed the WWII stuff (and probably didn’t even know what Kilroy was haha). I’ll have to watch it again now that I’m WWII-researched. What a great share, reminded me of many Saturday mornings running around the house shouting “The Uranium Pu-36 Explosive Space Modulator! He’s stolen the space modulator!”
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Haha! Great memories! And I’m impressed that as a youngster you could pronounce the full name of the space modulator. When I was a kid, I lamely referred to it as “the explosive thing”.
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LOL! Well, it took a lot of practice. Kind of like learning how to moonwalk.
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Thanks so much for the link to the cartoon and for all the information above.
Decades since I’ve seen BB – maybe even more fun now!
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If it’s been decades since you’ve seen Bugs Bunny, then you should treat yourself to some binge-watching. 😉
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I was thinking the device stolen was the X47 space modulator. “Who stole the X47 space modulator”.
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No prize, but can you guess what the voice in my head sounded like when I read Uranium PU-36 Explosive Space Modulator?
In his autobiography, Mel Blanc said that the little Marsmeister was supposed to be Marvin Martian, like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig. I guess he carries himself with such import that he deserved the “the”.
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Bahaha! Marvin the Martian has such a distinctive – and hilarious – voice.
Speaking of Marvin, I didn’t realize he was intended to be named without the “The”. But, like you said, he’s dignified little fellow and he deserves it.
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Turns out we earthlings owe our planetary survival to Bugs Bunny.
B-b-b-b-b-but I thought everyone knew this, Ruth!
Many thanks for bringing back happy memories of a favorite short.
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Haha! I’m always the last to hear about these things.
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I had no idea – what an interesting post.
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Thanks! That Bugs Bunny is certainly full of surprises, no?
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One of my first blogathon entries was for “Hareway to the Stars” one of the later Bugs Vs. Marvin cartoons. I love the ones were Bugs outwits that little pipsqueak.
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“Pipsqueak” is the perfect description of Marvin the Martian.
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This is one of my favourite Bugs Bunny shorts! I have to admit while I caught some of the WWII references, it never occurred to me that the colours of Marvin’s uniform match those of the Nazi flag!
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It never occurred to me before, either, but the last time I watched it, I said, “Hey, wait a minute!”
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Thanks for putting a smile on my face. Oh how I love those childhood memories watching bugs and company.
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Haha! I have great childhood memories of the Looney Tunes gang. They had endless quotable material.
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What a terrific review of a cartoon classic! I grew up on the Warner Bros. cartoons and have always admired their wit and occasional shots of cynicism. Plus, they were very amusing…heck, they still are!
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Haha! You’re right – Bugs Bunny & Co are always amusing.
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Along with Gossamer the orange monster, Marvin the Martian is one of my very favorite Looney Tunes characters, and this is one of my favorite Bugs Bunny shorts. I love how you included the meanings of the post war symbolism in the cartoon! I knew they snuck in a lot of patriotic symbols during the war, but amazing that they kept at it afterwards.
Thanks so much for participating in the blogathon!
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The Warner Bros shorts were al.ost always terrific, weren’t they? Smart & funny then, and just as much so today.
I’d forgotten about Gossamer! I’m going to have to look him up!
Thanks for organizing this Space blogathon. Like all your blogathons, it’s a terrific idea.
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Funny how easy it is to think these old cartoon characters sprang fully-formed from the minds of their creators. One would never imagine what outside forces shaped their creation.
At least I couldn’t.
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They were a talented bunch, those Warner Bros animators. They’re still making us laugh all these decades later.
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I’m loving those side-by-sides of what the shots were based on 🙂
Have you seen the 2003 Duck Dodgers tv-series with Marvin as the main baddie?
I loved that as a teenager 😀
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Thanks! Sadly, no, I haven’t seen the Duck Dodgers TV series. But it sounds great! Marvin the Martian as the main bad guy?! Awesome!
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Well, the main acting bad guy.
He answers to the martian queen 😀
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One of my fav BB toons, and yes, I too read “modulatoooor” in Marvin’s voice. Love the research and background you have here! Turns out there were memes long before the internet. I always knew Looney Tunes were a cultural education.
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Haha! You said it! Looney Tunes are a cultural education.
Six year-old me could have really used that argument on my parents when it came to bedtime…
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This is one of my favorite Bugs/Marvin cartoons! I didn’t realize just how many war references were in it though
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Those Warner Bros never shied afraid from that sort of thing. Even though they were cheap and played rough, they were the first Hollywood studio to call out the Nazi regime and its human rights abuses.
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You just brought back years of childhood!
Though I never even imagined that some thing as docile as a Bugs Bunny Cartoon could be thought of so intellectually!
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It’s surprising what’s in an old Warner Bros cartoon when you start examining.
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Indeed!
I do commend the art of cartoon making at Warner Bros even more now…
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Even uranium-PU 36 is a joke because Pu is the symbol for plutonium, a toxic synthetic element slightly heaver than heavy uranium and it is a “stinker” in that it’s very dangerous and like uranium, can be in bombs. 36 is the element number for krypton so there might even be a Superman/kryptonite joke tucked in there. A nice bit of cleverness in the explosive.
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That is clever. Thanks for the explanation! 🙂
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It was originally the “Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator” – at least that’s how Chuck Jones refers to it in his published memoirs.
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I didn’t know that – thanks. I like that word “illudium”.
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