Baseball Bugs (1946)
Directed by: I. Freleng
At the polo grounds, a baseball game is going on between the rough Gashouse Gorillas and the scrawny old Tea Totalers. ("I'm only 93½ years old," says one player.)
A screaming liner into left field literally is a screaming baseball.
"Ball!" yells the umpire.
"Yeah?" says a Gashouse Gorilla, threateningly. The umpire backs down.
"I don't know what could have come over me. I meant to say strike."
A conga line of Gashouse Gorillas crosses home plate one after another after another.
Bugs is watching from his hole in the outfield.
"Boo! Boo! Nah, the Gashouse Gorillas are nuttin' but a bunch o' dirty players. Why I could likc them all by myself with both hands tied behind my back. I'd get up there and WHAM! A homer! WHAM! Another homer! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!"
"Oh, so you think you could beat us, huh?" asks a Gashouse Gorilla. He hands Bugs a uniform.
"Announcing a change in the line up. Now pitching for the Tea Totalers: Bugs Bunny. Playing first base: Bugs Bunny. Second base: Bugs Bunny. Third base: Bugs Bunny. Catching: Bugs Bunny."
As the catcher, Bugs shouts out encouragement to Bugs the pitcher.
"That's the old pepper, boy. That's the old pitchin'. Come on, ol' boy, ol' boy, ol' boy."
As the pitcher, Bugs tells us, "Eh, I think I'll perplex him with my slowball."
The ball moves so slow, three Gorillas in a row can't hit it.
"One. Two. Three strikes, you're out. One. Two. Three strikes, you're out. One. Two. Three strikes, you're out."
"Oh, bat boy," calls Bugs. A uniformed boy with bat wings flies to Bugs with bats to choose from.
Bugs hits the ball and runs the bases. At home he unfurls a pinup poster to distract the catcher and score a run. Another time he has such a heated, in-your-face argument with the umpire that he winds up inside the ump's face mask, chewing the ump's cigar. He pulls the classic swtich, tricking the umpire: "Out - safe - out - safe - out - out - safe - out - I say you're safe! If you don't like it, you can go to the showers!"
Bugs the catcher continues to cheer on Bugs the pitcher.
"Atta boy. That's the only pitchin' it. Come on. Right down the old alley!"
The baseball diamond becomes a pinball machine, with the ball hitting each player, who lights up and makes noise, just like a game. A sign lights up saying, "TILTED".
Bugs scores two runs. He hits a long fly ball and one of the other team's players is convinced he can catch it.
"I got it! I got it! I got it!" he shouts. The ball slams into him so hard it drives him underground. A tombstone pops up that says, "He got it".
One balls hits a cigar-smoking player in the mouth, shredding his cigar. A billboard reads, "Does your tobacco taste different lately?"
"You're out!" shouts the umpire on another play. Little players fly around the Gashouse Gorilla's head.
[Singing] "What's the score, boys? What did Bugs Bunny do? What's with the carrot league baseball today?"
[Announcer] "Bugs Bunny 96. Gashouse Gorillas 95. Bottom of the ninth, man on base. If the Gashouse Gorillas score, they win."
The player uses a tree trunk for a bat.
"Watch me paste this pathetic palooka with a powerful pachydermous pitch."
He nails it and sends it out of the park. Bugs runs out of the park to try to catch the ball.
"Taxi!" he shouts, hailing a cab. "Follow that ball!" The cab takes off, but a Gashouse Gorilla is behind the wheel. "Hey, wait a minute, mac. You're going the wrong way!" Bugs sees the driver's ID and realizes he'd better get out of the cab.
Bugs takes a bus to get to the Umpire State Building. He takes the elevator to the top, then runs himself up the flagpole to get high enough, and still has to toss his mitt into the air. It makes a perfect catch. The umpire and runner are also on top of the building.
"You're out!" shouts the umpire.
"Out? Whaddya mean, I'm out?" shouts the Gashous Gorilla.
They argue back and forth. Even the Statue of Liberty gets into the argument. "That's what the man said. He said that."
"You heard the lady," says Bugs. "That's what the man said! He said that."