Bugs Bunny Meets The Super Heroes!

Something wonderful happened in 1978…Bugs Bunny hit the road with DC Super-heroes in a musical stage show!

Rodger Hess produced the show. I can only imagine a producer approaching Bugs Bunny and members of the Justice League to pitch a traveling musical revue. What I’d love even more is to see Batman and Robin’s tour rider. Would they need to travel with a mobile bat computer? Do you think they’d require fresh cut flowers, walls of a certain color, or freshly baked bat-shape cookies (frosted and un-frosted).

And, who besides Steve Trevor (accompanied by Etta Candy) and Alfred Pennyworth would be allowed backstage access? I was imagining Vicki Vale with a press pass.

From what I’ve read, there were several subsequent variations to this show. Later versions were set in outer space, or had a sports theme, and ran until 1982.

This poster was from the first version of the show, and still had the “snipe” at the bottom with the details of the Baltimore engagement. It’s 14″x22″, the size of a Broadway window card. I have it framed on my wall next to other show posters.

Before finding this poster on ebay, I had only heard of this show once, in a book on the history of DC Comics. Had this come to Birmingham, Alabama when I was a child, I would have been over the moon!

I LOVE Bugs’s red sequined tuxedo jacket! Very suave. I would TOTALLY wear that. Perhaps I shouldn’t admit this.

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Wonder Woman’s costume is fantastic! The eagle looks exactly like it did in the comic books of the time. That design has a special place in my heart, as it’s the one I grew up with. It really bothered me when they changed the logo in the early eighties. I was all of four or five when that happened, but already had strong opinions on design.

The Batman cowl looks less bulky in other photos I’ve seen from the production, but I love the size of the bat symbol on his chest. It’s so bold!

Robin’s costume is nearly identical to the one worn by Burt Ward on television, with the notable exception of the higher pixie boots, which I really like!

Recently purchased this 8x 10 press photo featuring the DC Characters. It came from the archive of a newspaper in St. Petersburg, Florida.

From what I’ve read, the first version of the show featured many of the Loony Tunes characters throwing a birthday party for Porky The Pig.

For some reason the Joker, Riddler, and Catwoman decided to ruin Porky’s party. I can’t imagine what they would gain from doing this. It’s mean spirited, but not what I’d call evil. They pull all sorts of dastardly do in the comics, but ruining the birthday party of a talking pig seems a little beneath them. I suppose you could chalk it up to being set on a parallel earth where they break out in song and party crashing is the height of evil.

The costumes look like they stepped right out of a comic book! Catwoman is wearing her iconic purple dress with green cape. I never thought that was the best costume for villainous activities, but it’s a classic design, and I love that it’s been seen live and in person! She seems less than thrilled to be caught in Wonder Woman’s magic lasso. Also, I LOVE the look of the Joker here! He’s wearing his signature purple pinstripe pants, complete with spats over the shoes. Again, RIGHT off the pages of an issue of Batman Family (my absolute favorite books growing up). His make up is equal parts comic and creepy. Just dig those crazy eyebrows!!! Riddler’s costume makes me wonder why I never tried a long sleeve unitard with a wide belt for dance classes. Perhaps I’ll try it the next time I’m rehearsing a show.

from the clipping attached to the back of the photo:

Wonder Woman, Batman and Robin will come to life on the two hour live stage show ‘Bugs Bunny Meets The Super-Heroes‘ that opens Nov. 10 for four performances at St. Petersburg’s Bayfront Center. Produced by Rodger Hess Productions, the singing, dancing and audience participation show features a live costumed cast starring Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, The Tasmanian Devil and many of Warner Bros most famous characters. In the show, super-heroes Wonder Woman and Batman and Robin are called upon to undo the evil deeds of the notorious villains, Riddler, Joker, Penguin and Catwoman.