It's Harpo and Groucho, of course
"Slick Hare" is a 1947 Looney Tunes cartoon short, directed by Friz Freleng.
The cartoon starts out at the "Mocrumbo" nightclub in Los Angeles—(a parody of the Real Life Mocambo nightclub, since demolished) where a meal will cost $600 a pop and you'll find many Hollywood stars. One, Humphrey Bogart, demands fried rabbit. The waiter, Elmer Fudd, panics as the restaurant is out of rabbit. Fortunately for him Elmer finds Bugs Bunny in the vegetables in the kitchen, munching on carrots. The usual madcap antics ensue as Elmer chases Bugs, trying to make him into Humphrey Bogart's lunch.
See also the 1941 Merry Melodies short Hollywood Steps Out, which also has celebrity caricatures and sight gags, but, with the former, it's the entire point of the cartoon.
"Slick Hare" provides examples of:
- Ambiguous Syntax: At first, Bugs is delighted that Bogart wants him for dinner...until he realizes Elmer literally means for dinner.
- Angry Collar Grab: Bogart lifts up Elmer by the collar as he demands his fried rabbit in one hour... or else!
- Bait-and-Switch: When Elmer fails to get a rabbit, Bogart reaches for his coat pocket, seemingly reaching for a gun... but it turns out to be a handkerchief to wipe his brow as he says that "Baby will just have to have a ham sandwich instead."
- The Cameo: All the other celebrity voices in the cartoon were either done by Mel Blanc or by uncredited impersonators.
- Cartoon Conductor: Leopold Stokowski, who instead of conducting an orchestra, puts money in a jukebox and waves his baton at it. (Of course, in real life, Stokowski never used a baton to conduct.)
- The Cat Came Back: Believe it or not, it's Elmer who pulls this on Bugs this time. As Bugs tries to run out the back door, he finds Elmer waiting for him there, cleaver in hand.
- Dated History: Mildly so with Humphrey Bogart’s “ham sandwich” line. At the time this cartoon was released, it wasn’t as widely known that Lauren Bacall was Jewish (albeit lapsed), due to efforts by Warner Bros. to (at best) greatly downplay her heritage. (She and Bogart would also raise their children Episcopalian in hopes of protecting them from bullying.) So while the line spoken wouldn’t be untrue to Real Life, were it written today, ham would more likely not be mentioned at all or substituted out of respect.note
- Disproportionate Retribution: Bogart seems to imply that he'll shoot Elmer dead if he doesn't deliver his fried rabbit in one hour, as he lays down a Tommy gun on the table. Subverted when, after Elmer fails to deliver his rabbit, he just changes the order to a ham sandwich.
- Everything Is an Instrument: During Bugs' samba number, he chews a carrot to the beat and rubs the carrot on his elbow to make it sound like a cuica. Elmer, meanwhile, is sharpening his cleaver to the music.
- Just Whistle: When Elmer tells Bugs that "Mr. Humphwey Bogart would just wove to have you for dinner", Bugs tells him that all Bogart has to do is whistle. He then turns on a kettle, and when it whistles, Bugs emerges wearing a top hat and tails.
- Late to the Realization: It actually takes a while for Bugs to realize that the fried rabbit being served to Bogart is him. He even asks Elmer to show him the rabbit, which Elmer does by putting a mirror inside the pot; Bugs says he looks delicious before it dawns on him.
- Mars Needs Women: An instance of Bugs Bunny's lust for human women. When he finds out that the fried rabbit is not for Bogart, but is for Bogart's girlfriend "Baby" — Lauren Bacall — he is only too happy to be eaten. He actually hops up on Bacall's plate, batting his eyes at her and wolf-whistling at her while the cartoon ends.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Bugs tries to hide from Elmer by disguising himself as Groucho Marx. Elmer, who is not fooled, sits next to Bugs, disguising himself as Harpo Marx — with a meat cleaver.
- Pie in the Face: Bugs repeatedly hits Elmer with these, after tricking Elmer into making them first in the kitchen. "Your pie, sir!" Unfortunately for Elmer, he tries to retaliate and hits Bogart.Bogie: (deadpan, holding Elmer in an Angry Collar Grab) Why did you hit me inna face with a coconut custard pie with whipped cream?
- Pushed in Front of the Audience: After Carmen Miranda’s number, Elmer chases Bugs back onto the stage. Elmer realizes he’s on stage and runs away, while Bugs entertains the audience with a samba dance.
- Shout-Out: Among the celebrities impersonated in this cartoon are Ray Milland, Barbara Stanwyck, Frank Sinatra, The Marx Brothers, Sydney Greenstreet, Gregory Peck, Carmen Miranda, Lauren Bacall, and Humphrey Bogart. The Ray Milland character lampoons his famous role in The Lost Weekend, paying for a drink with a typewriter and getting tiny typewriters back as change. We also see conductor Leopold Stokowski, who was memorably parodied in another Bugs Bunny short, "Long-Haired Hare". ("Leopold! Leopold!")
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: True to Real Life, Humphrey Bogart wasn’t nearly the intimidating, dangerous figure like the characters he played on film. Viewers with this knowledge beforehand will likely guess the Bait-and-Switch Twist Ending as a result.
Bugs: Remember, garçon: "The customer is always right." If it’s rabbit Baby wants, rabbit Baby gets.
