Yosemite Sam
Yosemite Sam in the short 14 Carrot Rabbit
First appearance	Hare Trigger (1945)
Created by	Friz Freleng
Voiced by	Mel Blanc, Joe Alaskey, Bill Farmer (Space Jam), Jeff Glen Bennett (current), Maurice LaMarche (current), Jim Cummings (Tweety's High Flying Adventure)

Yosemite Sam is an animated cartoon character in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons produced by Warner Bros. Animation. The bouncing ball animation (below consists of these 6 frames Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros Animated cartoon series which ran in many movie theatres from 1930 to 1969 Merrie Melodies is the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros Warner Bros Animation is the animation division of Warner Bros The name is somewhat alliterative and is inspired by Yosemite National Park. In cartoons with non-Western themes, he uses various aliases, including "Chillicothe Sam" [pronounced "Chilly-coat" instead of "Chill-i-CAW-thee"] in 14 Carrot Rabbit (although in the same cartoon, when he tries to gain Bugs Bunny's trust, he cleverly invents alias "Square-deal Sam"), "Riff Raff Sam" in Sahara Hare, "Sam Schulz" in Big House Bunny, "Seagoin' Sam" in Buccaneer Bunny, "Shanghai Sam" in Mutiny on the Bunny, and "Sam Von Schamm the Hessian" in Bunker Hill Bunny. Clyde Rabbit (uncleMrs Bugs Bunny (wifePapa Bunny (fatherMama Bunny (motherRugs Bunny Sahara Hare is a Looney Tunes theatrical cartoon short released on March 26, 1955. Big House Bunny is a 1948 Looney Tunes Bugs Bunny cartoon released in 1950 and directed by Friz Freleng. Buccaneer Bunny is a 1947 Warner Bros cartoon in the Looney Tunes series released in 1948 directed by Friz Freleng. Mutiny On The Bunny is a 1948 Looney Tunes cartoon short released in 1950 which is directed by Friz Freleng and written by Tedd Pierce. Bunker Hill Bunny is a 1949 Warner Brothers Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoon short released in 1950 and starring Bugs Bunny

Appearances

Animator Friz Freleng introduced the character in the 1945 cartoon Hare Trigger. An animator is an Artist who creates multiple images called frames and Key frames that form an illusion of movement called Animation when rapidly displayed Isadore "Friz" Freleng ( August 21, 1906  &ndash May 26, 1995) was an Animator, Cartoonist, director Hare Trigger is a 1945 Warner Brothers Merrie Melodies cartoon short starring Bugs Bunny directed by Friz Freleng. With his fiery, irascible temper, short stature (in two early gags in Hare Trigger, a train he is attempting to rob passes right over top of him and he has to use a set of portable stairs to get on his horse; in Bugs Bunny Rides Again, he rides a miniature horse), and fiery hair, Sam was in some ways an alter-ego of Freleng. Bugs Bunny Rides Again is a 1947 Warner Bros Merrie Melodies short released in 1948, directed by Friz Freleng The animator often denied any intentional resemblance. However, in the Looney Tunes Golden Collection, surviving members of his production crew assert, and the late director's daughter acknowledges, that Sam definitely was inspired by Freleng. The Looney Tunes Golden Collection is a yearly series of six four-disc DVD box sets from Warner Bros

Other influences were the Red Skelton character Sheriff Deadeye, the Tom Varn character Bubba, and the Tex Avery cartoon "Dangerous Dan McFoo". Richard Bernard “Red” Skelton ( July 18, 1913 &ndash September 17, 1997) was an American comedian who was best known as a top Bubba is a relationship Nickname formed from brother, given to boys to indicate their role in the family especially the oldest male sibling Frederick Bean "Fred/Tex" Avery ( February 26, 1908 &ndash August 26, 1980) was an American Dangerous Dan McFoo is a 1939 Merrie Melodies / Vitaphone animated short directed by Tex Avery, produced by Leon Schlesinger, written by When he does a "slow burn" and cries "Oooooh!" he borrows a bit from such comedic character actors as Jimmy Finlayson (a frequent foil to Laurel and Hardy) and Frank Nelson (one of Mel Blanc's costars on The Jack Benny Program). James Henderson "Jimmy" Finlayson ( August 27, 1887 – October 9, 1953) was a Scottish-American Actor Laurel and Hardy were the popular American -based comedy team of thin British-born Stan Laurel (1890-1965 and heavy American-born Oliver Hardy (1892-1957 Frank Brandon Nelson ( May 6, 1911 – September 12, 1986) was an American comedic actor best known for playing put-upon The Jack Benny Program, starring Jack Benny, was a radio-TV comedy series which ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th-century Freleng also cited the Terrible-Tempered Mr. Bang, a character in the Toonerville Trolley comic strip, as an influence. Toonerville Folks (sometimes known as Toonerville Trolley) was a popular Newspaper cartoon feature by Fontaine Fox, syndicated

Other characters with Sam-like features appear in several Looney Tunes shorts. The Bugs Bunny entry Super-Rabbit (1943) features the cowboy character "Cottontail Smith", who sounds a lot like Sam. Clyde Rabbit (uncleMrs Bugs Bunny (wifePapa Bunny (fatherMama Bunny (motherRugs Bunny Super-Rabbit is a Merrie Melodies cartoon starring Bugs Bunny who is Parodying the popular character Superman. Stage Door Cartoon (1944), another Bugs Bunny offering, features a southern sheriff character that sounds very much like Sam, except for a more defined southern stereotype to his voice. Stage Door Cartoon is a 1944 Warner Bros cartoon in the Merrie Melodies series directed by Friz Freleng and featuring In a Daffy Duck cartoon called Along Came Daffy (1947), Daffy has to contend with two characters who look very much like Sam, one with Sam's red hair and one with black hair. Daffy Duck is an Animated cartoon character in the Warner Brothers Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of Finally, Pancho's Hideaway (1964) features a Mexican villain who is designed much like Sam but has a different accent. In addition, in the 1949, Chuck Jones-directed cartoon Mississippi Hare, Bugs Bunny battles with an old, pistol-toting gambler called Colonel Shuffle, one whose role could have easily been portrayed by Sam. Charles Martin "Chuck" Jones ( September 21, 1912 &ndash February 22, 2002) was an American Animator, Mississippi Hare is a Looney Tunes cartoon short produced in 1947 by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese, released in Clyde Rabbit (uncleMrs Bugs Bunny (wifePapa Bunny (fatherMama Bunny (motherRugs Bunny Colonel Shuffle is a character in the Looney Tunes stable based in the Southern United States. ^[1]

Freleng created Yosemite Sam to be a more worthy adversary for Bugs Bunny. Clyde Rabbit (uncleMrs Bugs Bunny (wifePapa Bunny (fatherMama Bunny (motherRugs Bunny Until then, Bugs' major foe had been Elmer Fudd, a man so mild-mannered and dim-witted that Freleng thought Bugs actually came off as a bully by duping him. Elmer J Fudd is a fictional Cartoon character and one of the most famous Looney Tunes characters Sam, on the other hand, was extremely violent and belligerent, not at all a pushover like Fudd. Freleng compacted into a tiny body and 11-gallon hat the largest voice and the largest ego "north, south, east, aaaaand west of the Pecos". The Pecos River or Rio Pecos as it is sometimes known in New Mexico, arises near Pecos New Mexico, United States, and flows for through the eastern

For over 19 years, Freleng had almost exclusive usage of Sam at the Warner studio. Though officially a cowboy, Freleng put Sam in a different costume in almost every film: a knight, a Roman legionary, a pirate, a royal cook, a prison guard, a duke (Duke of Yosemite, no less), a Confederate soldier, and even a space alien. A cowboy is an animal Herder who tends Cattle on Ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback and often performs a multitude of Knight is the English term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial The Roman legionary was a professional soldier of the Roman army after the Marian reforms of 107 BC. Piracy is Robbery committed at sea or sometimes on shore without a commission from a sovereign Nation (as distinct from Privateering A prison, penitentiary, or correctional facility is a place in which individuals are physically confined or interned and usually deprived of a range of A duke is a member of the Nobility, historically of highest rank below the Sovereign, and historically controlled a Duchy or a Dukedom The Confederate States of America (also called the Confederacy, the Confederate States, and CSA) formed as the government set up from 1861 Extraterrestrial life is Life originating outside of the Earth. The humor of the cartoons inevitably springs from the odd miscasting of the hot-tempered cowboy. However, some countries seem to prefer his pirate incarnation, as "Sam the pirate" is his official name in France^[2] and a frequent alternative name in Italy. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest During World War II Yosemite Sam was "drafted" into becoming a mascot emblem for the US Army Air Corps 20th Reconnaissance Squadron. The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC was the predecessor of the U

Despite Freleng's intentions, Sam doesn't prove much brighter than Elmer in his encounters with Bugs. With all his bluff and bluster, Sam stands in contrast to Freleng's calmly cocky rabbit. Sam is significantly tougher and more aggressive than Elmer Fudd when challenging Bugs. He is also quicker to learn from his mistakes, and never falls for the same ploy twice. However it is Sam's own cockiness that always gets the best of him; Bugs learns to deal with Sam upon learning that he is incapable of turning down a challenge. Every time Bugs dares Sam to "step across that line", Sam can't help but do so, even if he steps off into empty space or down a mine shaft.

Another chief foil of Sam's humor is the ludicrous lengths he'll go to just to "get even" -- often with disastrous results to himself and his surroundings.

Other appearances

Yosemite Sam made appearances in several television specials in the 1970s and 1980s, and in three of the Looney Tunes feature-film compilations.

Yosemite Sam was one of the classic Looney Tunes characters who appeared as faculty members of Acme Looniversity in the 1990s animated series Tiny Toon Adventures. An animated cartoon is a short hand-drawn (or made with computers to look similar to something hand-drawn Film for the cinema, Television or computer Steven Spielberg Presents Tiny Toon Adventures (also known as Tiny Toon Adventures or Tiny Toons) is an American Sam was shown teaching classes in Firearms and Anvilology (the study of falling anvils, a staple joke in the Looney Tunes genre), and was sometimes portrayed as the school principal (though at least one episode identified Bugs Bunny as the principal, and Wile E. Coyote was Dean of Acme Loo). As with all the main Looney Tunes characters, Sam had a student counterpart at Acme Loo, Montana Max. Montana Master Max is a Cartoon character from the Warner Bros

Yosemite Sam also appeared along with Bugs Bunny in a number of Mirinda commercials in early 90s, most probably due to direct competition to Fanta, being advertised with Disney Characters at that time. Mirinda is a brand of Soft drink available in fruit varieties including orange, Grapefruit, Fanta is a global Brand of fruit-flavored Soft drinks from the The Coca-Cola Company.

Sam also appeared in two episodes of 1995's The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries. The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries is an Emmy -nominated Animated television series which aired from 1995 to 2001 on Kids' WB

In the 2003 movie Looney Tunes: Back in Action, Yosemite Sam is a bounty hunter employed by the Acme Corporation who was hired to finish off DJ Drake, Kate Houghton, Bugs, and Daffy Duck. Looney Tunes Back in Action is a 2003 Live-action/animated film that tells the story of a hapless stuntman DJ Drake (played by Brendan Fraser A bounty hunter captures Fugitives for a monetary reward ( bounty) The Acme Corporation is a fictional corporation that exists in several Cartoons, Films and TV series, most significantly in the Looney Tunes universe Brendan James Fraser (born December 3 1968 is a Canadian-American Film and stage actor Jenna Elfman (born September 30, 1971) is an American Television and Film Actress. Daffy Duck is an Animated cartoon character in the Warner Brothers Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of In this film, he owns a casino in Las Vegas, which he calls Yosemite Sam's Wooden Nickel, and is accompanied by Nasty Canasta (from Drip-Along Daffy) and Cottontail Smith (from Super Rabbit). Las Vegas ( Spanish: "The Meadows" is the most populous City in the state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally Nasty Canasta is a character in the Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes series who made appearances in three cartoons Drip-Along Daffy is a Warner Bros Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoon short released in 1951 directed by Chuck Jones and written Super Rabbit is a fictional, Funny-animal Superhero in Comic books published by Timely Comics, a predecessor of Marvel Comics

Sam makes a cameo appearance in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 Live-action/animated film produced by Amblin Entertainment and The Walt Disney Company (released He also appears in the movie Space Jam. Space Jam is a 1996 American Live-action/animated film starring Michael Jordan opposite Bugs Bunny (voiced by

Sam also plays the role of alien occasional guest villain K'chutha Sa'am (a parody of the Luxan Ka D'Argo from Farscape, and right in line with Sam's aggressive personality) on the Duck Dodgers animated series. This article contains information about fictional alien races in the Farscape universe Farscape is an American science fiction television series filmed in Australia and produced for the Sci-Fi Channel. Duck Dodgers is an American Animated television series, based on the classic cartoon short Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century He also appears in the video games LOONS: The Fight for Fame, Taz: Wanted, Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle, Bugs Bunny: Rabbit Rampage, Bugs Bunny Lost in Time, Bugs Bunny and Taz Time Busters, Sheep, Dog, 'n' Wolf Looney Tunes B-Ball, Daffy Duck in Hollywood and Loony Tunes: Back In Action. Taz Wanted is a Video game of the action-adventure genre released in 2002 by Blitz Games. Bugs Bunny Lost in Time is a Looney Tunes Video game for the PC and PlayStation consoles Bugs Bunny and Taz is the second Looney Tunes video game for the Playstation and is an indirect sequel to Bugs Bunny Lost in Time.

In Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal, Yosemite Sam makes an appearance riding a railway cart on the Wild West level. Looney Tunes Acme Arsenal is a third-person action-adventure game developed for the Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 2.

Voice

The role of Yosemite Sam was originated by the Warners' principal voiceman, Mel Blanc. Melvin "Mel" Jerome Blanc ( May 30, 1908 – July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and Comedian In his autobiography, Blanc said he had a difficult time coming up with the voice. He tried giving Sam a small voice, but didn't feel that it worked. One day, he decided to simply yell at the top of his lungs, which was inspired by a fit of road rage he had that day. Road rage is the behavior by a driver of an automobile or other motor vehicle which thus causes collisions or incidents on roadways It fit perfectly with the blustery character, but also took a toll on Mel. He always made it a point to record Sam's lines at the end of a recording session so he wouldn't have to play other characters with a hoarse voice. In his final years, it was simply too much, and he passed along the role to others (most notably Joe Alaskey in Who Framed Roger Rabbit). Joe Alaskey (born May 26, 1949 in Watervliet New York) is an American actor comedian and voice artist credited as one of the successors (including Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 Live-action/animated film produced by Amblin Entertainment and The Walt Disney Company (released This makes Sam one of the few voices created by Blanc to be voiced by someone else during his lifetime.

Blanc used a voice similar to Yosemite Sam's for Mr. Spacely on The Jetsons. Cosmo G Spacely is a Fictional character in the Animated series The Jetsons. The Jetsons is a prime-time animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions.

Yosemite Sam in popular culture

In Television

• Yosemite Sam appears in the Drawn Together episode "Charlotte's Web of Lies". Drawn Together is an American Animated television series, which ran on Comedy Central from October 27, 2004 to November He is seen in Ling-Ling's Anger Management group with Hulk, Marvin the Martian, and Skeletor. Ling-Ling is a Fictional character This article is about the comic book character and series For all other media appearances see Hulk in other media. Marvin the Martian (or Marvin Martian) is a Fictional character appearing in the Looney Tunes cartoons Skeletor ( IPA: US /'skel?t??r/ is a Fictional character in the Masters of the Universe franchise the arch-enemy and main
• In an episode of How I Met Your Mother to make fun of the news anchor Sandy, Ted and Marshall make him "Yosemite Sandy" by putting a hat and mustache on the tv screen during the news. How I Met Your Mother is an American Situation comedy that premiered on CBS Broadcasting on September 19 2005
• On an episode of Night Court, Dan (John Larroquette) is forced into impersonating Yosemite Sam by a mentally disturbed woman he's dating. Night Court is an American television Situation comedy that aired on NBC from January 1984 until May 1992 John Bernard Larroquette (born November 25, 1947) is an American film and television Actor.
• On an episode of Two and a Half Men, Charlie remembers his mother having sex with a man that resembled Yosemite Sam, since then, when he sees Yosemite Sam on TV, he gets nauseous. Two and a Half Men is an Emmy Award nominated American television sitcom, which premiered on CBS on Monday September 22 2003 at At the end of the episode, we see Jake watching Yosemite Sam on TV, much to Charlie's dismay.
• Was one of Joey Gladstone's favorite impressions in the show Full House

In politics

Yosemite Sam has been compared to John McCain by several writers and public figures:

• Eric Schulzke in "McCain as Yosemite Sam?"^[3].
• Mark Steyn in "The Gollygamist Is out"^[4] where he said "he's less like the sheriff and more like Yosemite Sam, and that doesn’t usually work out as well". Mark Steyn, born in Canada in 1959, is a self-described conservative writer and commentator about politics arts and culture

In music

Yosemite Sam is mentioned by name in the following songs:

• "Lady Cab Driver"^[5], performed by Prince on his 1982 album, 1999. Prince Rogers Nelson (born June 7 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American musician 1999 is Prince 's fifth Album, released October 27, 1982. It was his first top ten album on the Billboard 200 charts in
• "When the Shit Goes Down" by Cypress Hill. Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group from Los Angeles California.
• "The Coalition To Ban Coalitions" by Hank Williams Jr.
• "Egg Man" by The Beastie Boys on their album Paul's Boutique. Hank Williams Jr, (born Randall Hank Williams, May 26, 1949) is an American country Singer-songwriter and Musician Egg Man is the 4th track on Paul's Boutique by American hip hop group the Beastie Boys, released on July 25, 1989. Paul's Boutique is the second Studio album by hip hop group Beastie Boys, released July 25, 1989 on Capitol Records
• "Rooting For The Bad Guy" by The Wildhearts on their 2007 self titled album. The Wildhearts are a rock group from Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
• "Dirt Off Your Shoulder Freestyle" by Cassidy
• "Khaki Suit" by Damian Marley on his 2005 album Welcome to Jamrock. Barry Adrian Reese (born July 7, 1982) better known by his Stage name Cassidy, is an American Rapper. Damian Robert Nesta "Junior Gong" Marley (born July 21, 1978) is a three time Grammy -winning Reggae artist and is the second Welcome to Jamrock is a Reggae album by Damian Marley. The album was released on September 12, 2005 in the United States

Commercial appearances

• Yosemite Sam appears on the logo of the KIJHL hockey team, the Castlegar Rebels
• Apart from cartoons, Yosemite Sam (in his pirate, "Sea-goin' Sam", alter ego) has a second career as a popular truck mudflap icon. The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League is a Junior "B" Ice hockey league in British Columbia, Canada, sanctioned by Hockey History The Rebels won the KIJHL in 1976 1977 and 1996 The Rebels moved to Osoyoos for the 1996/97 season and became the Osoyoos Rebels A He is shown brandishing old-fashioned flintlock pistols accompanied by the slogan "Back Off!" A 2006 Super Bowl ad showed a newly-animated version of mudflap Sam on a date with the silver silhouette mudflap girl. professional American football, the Super Bowl is the Championship game of the National Football League (NFL The mudflap girl is a Silhouette of a buxom human female sitting leaning back on her hands with her hair being blown in the wind

See also: Yosemite Sam (shortwave)

• Yosemite Sam was the cartoon icon of the similarly-mustachioed Pittsburgh Pirates player Phil Garner in the late 1970s. Yosemite Sam is the Nickname given by DXers to a mysterious number station that first surfaced on December 19, 2004. The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Philip Mason Garner (born April 30, 1949, in Jefferson City, Tennessee) is a former Infielder in Major League Baseball

References