The Surprising Way Clark Gable Helped Inspire Bugs Bunny

Publish date: 2024-05-16

Biography reports that "It Happened One Night" gave Clark Gable the Oscar for best actor at the 1935 awards catapulting him into major stardom. The wisecracking, high-energy bunny came along a few years later with characteristics that were seemingly ripped straight from Gable's Peter Warne. History by day writes that Gable's character is even referred to as "Doc" in the movie.

Author and film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum writes that Fred "Tex" Avery, one of the Looney Tunes animators, explained the concept behind Bugs in an interview. "When we hit on the rabbit we decided he was going to be a smart-aleck rabbit, but casual about it," Avery reportedly said.

Sure enough, Bugs immediately asserted himself as a nonchalant, lovable sort of rogue, one the audience took to just as easily as they did Gable's character. Other influences surely had their place too, but there's no doubt that Peter Warne was one of them.

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