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Warner Brothers had ceased production on new Looney Tunes material by the mid-60s, but classic characters never die. Through repeated viewings on television, a series of compilation films highlighting their greatest directors, and the occasional lone out to other studios for limited use, the characters maintained their popularity. A series of TV specials began rolling out in the late 70s/early 80s, bringing back titans like Chuck Jones to take the characters out for original productions.
More commonly known as Bugs Bunny in King Arthur’s Court as subsequent airings gave it a brand new title, but no matter what you call it this is a solid thirty minutes of laughs. Here we find Chuck Jones taking Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court as building blocks for Bugs Bunny to let loose with his smarmy humor, with Daffy as the king, Elmer as a knight, and Yosemite Sam as Merlin. That’s quite a few stooges for Bugs to cause havoc upon, and so he does.
While there’s nothing here that’s anywhere near as funny as the heyday, but still worth a viewing for a series of good chuckles to be had. These guys really knew how to take some recycled jokes and material and make it play successfully. Bugs using his modern knowledge to trick everyone into thinking he has magical powers play right into his smartass charm. A scene during a knightly duel where he comes barreling out on a tiny horse plays like an inverse joke of the obese horse in “What’s Opera, Doc?” And Porky as a babbling squire is charming, as his stammering allows Bugs plenty of chances to deliver wry zingers and fourth-wall breaking humor. The joints may be a little stiff, but A Connecticut Rabbit in King Arthur’s Court still charms.
