CheerupSilver
Very Cool!!!
Gutsycurene
Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.
Juana
what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.
phantom_tollbooth
Friz Freleng's 'Show Biz Bugs' is a great cartoon largely due to its premise. Drawing on the Bugs and Daffy rivalry established by Chuck Jones, 'Show Biz Bugs' places the two characters in a show biz context as they perform for an audience. However, no matter how extravagant a show Daffy puts on, the audience refuse to applaud him, only clapping whenever Bugs comes out. This idea for a story draws on the bafflement of many animation insiders regarding Bugs's popularity with the public over the more versatile Daffy. As a long term Daffy fan, I can very much sympathise with this and 'Show Biz Bugs' depicts it beautifully. Bugs does practically nothing at all in the cartoon, acting as mere motivation for Daffy's antics and still garnering the appreciation of the audience. A hoofing routine in which the pair do exactly the same dance in exact unison side by side (beautifully animated, by the way) highlights the injustice of the public's reaction. The greatest irony, of course, is that the cartoon is called 'Show Biz Bugs' despite Daffy doing all the work and garnering all the laughs! There are a couple of old, well-worn gags in 'Show Biz Bugs' but they are well executed and the context improves them too. The final, explosive gag that close the short is not only very funny but also makes a greater point about the frustrated artist: he can only achieve the acclaim he deserves after he dies.
ccthemovieman-1
It's the battle of egos and who is the real show business star: Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck. The marquee bills Bugs as the star but Daffy will have none of that. He confronts the manager, who says Bugs has "more drawing power." Daffy replies, "Oh, yeah? That rabbit couldn't draw flies if he was covered with syrup. Okay, this performance will show I am the star!"With that, the two go on stage with their vaudeville act, beginning with the tap dance duo number, complete with the top hat, tails and canes. By the way, the artwork in this cartoon is exceptional: great drawings and startling color.Daffy's solo tap dance is terrific and I also laughed at his trained "pigeon act." Mostly though, it's just the duck's comments that evoke the most laughter. I was amazed how straight Bugs played it in this cartoon. It's really not his but Daffy's cartoon. Bugs actually plays a low-key, nice guy. I think this would have been better had Bugs had a little more of his spark to him, although obviously it was smarter to just say little and let the egotist duck make a fool of himself.
amberol
In spite of the late-1950s atmosphere of shrinking budgets and apathy toward theatrical shorts, Friz Freleng pulled off a comedy masterwork here. Yes, some of the gags have been used before, but like other old masters who rework favorite themes during their autumn years, Freleng and Co. distill and focus on the essentials to make this film a highlight of the entire Looney Tunes series. Set in the theatrical milieu Freleng used repeatedly during his Warners tenure, Show Biz Friz responds with a Bugs-Daffy outing that for sheer enjoyment can take its place alongside the Chuck Jones "trilogy" of B&D epics. Note also the animation in the wabbit and duck's "Tea for Two"; such elegance would soon be sacrificed at the altar of Hanna-Barbera and other Saturday morning TV fodder factories.
slymusic
Directed by Friz Freleng, "Show Biz Bugs" is a fantastic Warner Bros. cartoon that may be the definitive rivalry between the nonchalant Bugs Bunny and the insanely jealous Daffy Duck. In this classic cartoon, Bugs and Daffy are vaudeville stars, and Bugs rarely has to do anything on stage to receive applause, whereas Daffy bends over backwards to entertain the crowd, only to be rewarded with complete silence (or the all-too-familiar cricket sounds). As proved in the earlier "hunter trilogy" from director Chuck Jones ("Rabbit Fire" [1951], "Rabbit Seasoning" [1952], and "Duck! Rabbit, Duck!" [1953]), Daffy is constantly frustrated whenever he has to compete with Bugs. But Daffy finally receives his share of applause at the end when he blows himself up after drinking some highly dangerous substances and swallowing a lit match. This painful sequence is not exactly the kind of material intended for children.Here are my favorite highlights from "Show Biz Bugs." Daffy's jealousy toward Bugs is evident right from the opening scene when Daffy notices Bugs' huge name in lights above Daffy's puny name. Daffy's anger is further enhanced (after he and Bugs tap dance together to Milt Franklyn's nicely-orchestrated version of "Tea for Two") by Bugs' simple "Shave and a Haircut" dance receiving enthusiastic applause, and yet, when Daffy engages in his fastest, flashiest soft-shoe dance to "Jeepers Creepers," the audience's response does not even come close. Daffy sets up a few miniature circus objects for his trained pigeons, but when they all immediately fly out the window upon being released from their cage, Daffy has no choice but to smile and shuffle off the stage! And finally, a great musical gag that I've seen in other Warner Bros. cartoons involves Daffy secretly attaching an explosive underneath one of the wooden bars of Bugs' xylophone; as Bugs begins to play "All Those Endearing Young Charms," he repeatedly misses the explosive note, which completely frustrates Daffy, who finally runs out on stage, shoves Bugs away, plays the song correctly, and triggers the explosive! I love "Show Biz Bugs" because of Daffy's overly-competitive nature, which causes him to get his butt whipped every time. Just about the only thing missing from this short is a line that I remember Daffy saying to Bugs in another cartoon in which they portray vaudevillians: "Anything you can do, I can do better. Yes I can. Yes I can! YES I CAN!!!"
