Samuel Michelangelo Rosenbaum, also known as Yosemite Sam is a loud western figure of Looney Tunes. He was created because Elmer Fudd was considered very soft, and that Friz Freleng needed a tougher figure to face Bugs Bunny.
Origin
Yosemite Sam made his debut in the 1945 cartoon, Hare Trigger. However, Sam bears a resemblance to a cowboy character in Buckaroo Bugs, released in 1944, which would be seen as a prototype. Michael Maltese claims that he made Yosemite in the likeness of director Friz Freleng. When Elmer Fudd, who was Bugs Bunny's first enemy, proved to be too much of a softy for his target, Friz decided he needed a tougher opponent so Sam was created.
Occupations
Yosemite Sam has had several occupations in a lot of his appearances. Among them include:
Prison Guard/Police Officer: In Big House Bunny, Yosemite Sam is a prison guard working at a fierce prison. When Bugs Bunny enters the prison to escape hunters, Sam claiming to be named Sam Schultz, arrests Bugs, believing that the wabbit is a prisoner trying to escape. Sam sentences the subdued chained Bugs to 50 years in prison. However Sam gets infuriated and changes his mind after Bugs annoys him. He eventually orders Bugs to leave and never return; and celebrates ridding Bugs until he is arrested for helping a prisoner (Bugs) escape.
Yosemite Sam As Rabbitson Crusoe
Riff-Raff: In Sahara Hare, Yosemite Sam is an Arabian warrior named Riff-Raff Sam. One day, Sam sees footprints on his desert and follows them on the way abusing his camel. Sam eventually sees Bugs trespassing and chases the wabbit into an abandoned base. Sam tries several unsuccessful attempts to enter the base in the episode which all fail.
Pirate: In Captain Hareblower, Yosemite Sam is a pirate and fights Bugs Bunny to try to capture the rabbit's ship. This is one of the rare episodes where Sam triumphs over Bugs.
Horse Hare: Sam is an Indian chief that leads an army of Indians to capture USA Cavalry Sergeant Bugs' base.
Cowboy: In Wild and Woolly Hare, Yosemite Sam is a legendary gangster cowboy who takes over towns, through intimidation. One day Bugs Bunny challenges him to a gunfight. After Bugs wins the gunfight, Yosemite Sam decides to rob a train. Bugs however boards and hijacks the train to save it; Yosemite Sam as a running gag, orders Bugs to get off by the time he counts to a specific number but just when he reaches his final number he always runs into something like a tunnel wall, telephone pole and falls off a bridge.
(Among others)
Design
Yosemite Sam is a small fellow with a big mouth. He has a temper as short as he is, often drawing his guns on anyone who dares to defy him. He is much like a character from a Western movie, wearing a cowboy hat and cowboy boots. His small size is lampooned in the short Hare Trigger, where a train he tries to hold up passes right over him without him being harmed. He is reckless, very stubborn, and hates it when he's wrong and hates it so much, in fact, that he shoots bullets at random targets, but never hits anyone. He possesses a mean and somewhat vindictive streak. However, he has taken the roles of several other positions, such as a knight and mayor, but the miniature bandit is best known for his Western cartoons, even though his non-Western Knighty Knight Bugs cartoon won an Academy Award.
Rivalry
Sam has, on several accounts, attempted to rid himself of his arch nemesis, Bugs Bunny, but he has never succeeded, due to the brilliant cleverness and cunning of Bugs. No matter how many times he tries, Sam always seems to experience some form of pain or humiliation when he challenges Bugs. Bugs likes to call him Sam.
In one of the more recent episodes, it is revealed that the reason Sam hunts Bugs in a majority of his episodes is because after dying from falling out of a plane, the Devil agreed that if Sam bring him Bugs he will allow him to live again. Each time he fails and should have been fatally injured, his return is because the Devil revives him to give him a "second chance".
Voice-Actors
Over the years, Sam has come to be voiced by all of the following people:
- Mel Blanc: 1945 - 1987
- Joe Alaskey: Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
- Jeff Bergman: 1990 - 1992
- Charlie Adler: Tiny Toon Adventures (1 episode only)
- Maurice LaMarche: 1990 - present
- Jim Cummings: 1996 - 2000
- Frank Gorshin: From Hare To Eternity
- Jeff Bennett: Looney Tunes: Back In Action
- John Kassir: Family Guy
Gallery
Yosemite Sam As Rabbitson Crusoe
Trivia
- Yosemite Sam has "died" in 4 cartoons: Roman Legion-Hare, Shishkabugs, Devil's Feud Cake, and Dumb Patrol.
- One of his famous phrases is "Great horny-toads!"
Quotes
- "Dadburn slapstick cliche`!" ~Looney Tunes: Back In Action
- "Great horny toads! I must've dug clean through t' Chinee!" ~14 Carrot Rabbit
- "I'm Yosemite Sam, the roughest, toughest, rip-roarin'-est [sic], Edward Everett Horton-est [sic] hombre whatever [sic] packed a six-shooter!" ~Hare Trigger
- "Come back here, ya darn idiot galoots!" ~Looney Tunes: Back In Action