Clark Gable as Peter Warne
in "It Happened One Night" (1934)
This happens during the famous hitchhiking scene. Gable and Claudette Colbert are stranded on the side of an empty country road, hoping to catch a ride somewhere. Gable tries out a variety of hitchhiking techniques and fails, so Colbert says, "Mind if I try?" Gable, who's picking at a carrot, says, "You? Don't make me laugh!" Listen to the way he delivers the line. Now imagine Bugs Bunny delivering the same line. Bugs would do it the same way, exactly. The animators who created Bugs Bunny even claimed that their cartoon rabbit was based on Gable's performance in "It Happened One Night". If you were going to make a case for that, Gable's dismissive response to this perceived threat to his manhood would be exhibit A. Plus, Bugs and Gable both had really big ears.
The Movie Buzzard thanks Marsha Lebby for her help tracking down the Clark Gable/Bugs Bunny connection.
