YMMV / Long-Haired Hare

• Applicability: Some critics have interpreted this cartoon as symbolic of the Culture Clash between high-culture connoisseurs — those who among other sophisticated cultural tastes listened to, appreciated and were patrons of classical, jazz, show music, opera, perhaps sacred music and other "fine" music — and those who listened to mainstream popular music styles (vocal pop being the prevalent popular music style of the day, but also folk and country) and had more pop culture tastes. In one analysis, Giovanni Jones was used to personify those who consider pop culture as undignified and "a disease," hence his constant losing his temper every time he finds himself singing along with Bugs, and beating up the bunny when his rehearsals and his concentration are constantly interrupted. Conversely, Jones could also be viewed as a pure asshole, and that his tastes, like those of the very rich, are a sign of arrogance and smugness, as compared to the everyday, humble folk represented by Bugs (with whom the rich are characterized as thinking very unkindly of). In the end, the “high culture” group, personified by Jones, is — on what should have been Jones moment of triumph and glory — made to look utterly foolish during the concert, especially the finale (Bugs-as-Leopold conducting a comically absurd and insipid random mishmash of notes with the long-note ending, deliberately done to embarrass and humiliate). It helps that one popular analysis for Looney Tunes's rivalry with Disney as to which were the better cartoons during The Golden Age of Animation is that "Disney was like classical music, but Warner Bros. was like jazz" (ie, both were of equal importance for completely different reasons).
• Crosses the Line Twice: Jones being forced to hold the Incredibly Long Note starts off hilarious, then looks genuinely painful, as Jones collapses on the ground and pounds the stage with his fists as his face rapidly changes from color to color, then becomes even more hilarious when you realize that he's still holding the note perfectly without stopping.
• Funny Moments:
  • Jones opens his mouth to sing, but the audience instead hears a tuba.
  • The part right where Bugs-as-Leopold conducts a bunch of random notes in the most gloriously hammy way possible.
  • Bugs keeps getting Jones caught up in Got Me Doing It during the rehersal, with Jones singing along to the lyrics before catching himself. Complete with dancing.
  Jones: One-and-two-and-three-and-four, she dances all day long-
  (Catches himself and storms outside)
  • The ending, not only for the absurdly long note Jones is forced to hold, but the fact that Bugs nonchalantly leaves, orders earmuffs by mail and comes back as his disembodied glove forces Jones to hold the note for god knows how long, all as his face turns a variety of colors and his clothes slowly come undone from the pressure. It's one of the funniest scenes in animation history.
• Genius Bonus: Yes, Leopold was a real person (you'll know him if you've ever seen Fantasia), and yes he was known for conducting without a baton (which is why Bugs breaks it when offered one).
• Nightmare Fuel: Seeing the battered Giovanni after the Bowl collapses on him, and then witnessing that last boulder falling on him to end the cartoon^note which, to be fair, happens offscreen, is actually quite unsettling. Not that he didn’t deserve it, mind you.

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