When James Cagney wins the Oscar, Bugs shows a clip from "Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt" (1941) and demands a recount of the voting.When James Cagney wins the Oscar, Bugs shows a clip from "Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt" (1941) and demands a recount of the voting.When James Cagney wins the Oscar, Bugs shows a clip from "Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt" (1941) and demands a recount of the voting.
- Directors
- Writers
- Stars
Mel Blanc
- Bugs Bunny
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
- …
Robert C. Bruce
- Narrator
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
- Directors
- Robert Clampett
- Friz Freleng(archive footage) (uncredited)
- Writers
- Michael Sasanoff
- Michael Maltese(archive footage) (uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhen Bugs tosses the reels of his best scenes to the projectionist, he calls out "Okay, Smokey. Roll 'em." This is most likely a reference to Henry Garner, the cameraman and projectionist for the Leon Schlesinger studio, who was nicknamed Smokey.
- GoofsThe front page of The Hollywood Blah announcing the "Academy Award banquet to-night" is dated November 1, 1943. The Awards were actually held on March 4 in 1943. The next Awards, held on March 2, 1944, were the first not to feature a banquet.
- Quotes
Bugs Bunny: [hurls reels at the projectionist] Roll 'em, Smokey!
[a stag film appears]
Bugs Bunny: HEEYYY!
- ConnectionsEdited from A Star Is Born (1937)
- SoundtracksA Cup of Coffee, a Sandwich and You
(uncredited)
Music by Joseph Meyer
Played during the opening credits
Featured review
A great one-bunny show which is unfortunately marred by a poorly chosen Friz Freleng excerpt
Bob Clampett's 'What's Cookin', Doc?' is a brilliant cartoon with one major flaw. The premise here is that Bugs Bunny is attending the Oscars, confident that he will win a statuette for best performance. When the honour is instead bestowed upon James Cagney, Bugs blows his top and attempts to convince the voters to change their mind by showing a clip of one of his previous performances. This is where the problem comes in. Up to this point, 'What's Cookin', Doc?' has been a cartoon bursting with Clampett's trademark energy. The clip Bugs shows to the audience, however, is a poorly chosen extract from Friz Freleng's 'Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt' in which very little happens. While this perverse choice was likely an in-joke of some kind, the segment from Freleng's cartoon severely slows 'What's Cookin', Doc?' down.
This little niggle aside, 'What's Cookin', Doc?' is a marvellous short. After the success of Chuck Jones's one character Daffy Duck cartoon 'Duck Amuck', a few attempts were made to create a solo vehicle for Bugs, resulting in the lacklustre 'Rabbit Rampage' and 'Baton Bunny'. This was entirely unnecessary since Clampett had already made the great one-bunny show with 'What's Cookin', Doc?'. While other characters are seen in silhouette or heard off screen, Bugs carries the bulk of 'What's Cookin', Doc?' entirely by himself with a remarkably energetic, shape-shifting performance. He impersonates Hollywood stars and pantomimes various acting styles, he shifts from smug, laidback nonchalance to disbelieving, ego-driven frenzy. Clampett makes this all characteristically beautiful. Bugs looks amazing here and snaps from one pose to another with breathtaking smoothness. Clampett tosses in a few of his trademark dirty gags too, one of which is the closing joke of the cartoon. 'What's Cookin', Doc?' is, in part, a masterpiece but its partial brilliance makes the unfortunate interruption from Freleng's uneventful excerpt positively infuriating.
This little niggle aside, 'What's Cookin', Doc?' is a marvellous short. After the success of Chuck Jones's one character Daffy Duck cartoon 'Duck Amuck', a few attempts were made to create a solo vehicle for Bugs, resulting in the lacklustre 'Rabbit Rampage' and 'Baton Bunny'. This was entirely unnecessary since Clampett had already made the great one-bunny show with 'What's Cookin', Doc?'. While other characters are seen in silhouette or heard off screen, Bugs carries the bulk of 'What's Cookin', Doc?' entirely by himself with a remarkably energetic, shape-shifting performance. He impersonates Hollywood stars and pantomimes various acting styles, he shifts from smug, laidback nonchalance to disbelieving, ego-driven frenzy. Clampett makes this all characteristically beautiful. Bugs looks amazing here and snaps from one pose to another with breathtaking smoothness. Clampett tosses in a few of his trademark dirty gags too, one of which is the closing joke of the cartoon. 'What's Cookin', Doc?' is, in part, a masterpiece but its partial brilliance makes the unfortunate interruption from Freleng's uneventful excerpt positively infuriating.
helpful•44
- phantom_tollbooth
- Jan 9, 2009
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Merrie Melodies #26 (1942-1943 Season): What's Cookin' Doc?
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $14,753
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $12,285
- Feb 16, 1998
- Gross worldwide
- $14,753
- Runtime9 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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