Bunny O'Hare
| Bunny O'Hare | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
|
|
| Directed by | Gerd Oswald |
| Produced by |
Samuel Z. Arkoff James H. Nicholson |
| Written by |
Stanley Z. Cherry Coslough Johnson |
| Starring |
Bette Davis Ernest Borgnine Jack Cassidy Joan Delaney John Astin |
| Music by | Billy Strange |
| Cinematography |
Loyal Griggs John M. Stephens |
| Edited by | Fred R. Feitshans Jr. |
| Distributed by | American International Pictures |
|
Release date
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October 18, 1971 |
|
Running time
|
91 min |
| Country |
 United States
|
| Language | English |
| Budget | $900,000 |
Bunny O'Hare is a 1971 American comedy film directed by Gerd Oswald, starring Bette Davis and Ernest Borgnine. The screenplay by Coslough Johnson and Stanley Z. Cherry focuses on a pair of senior citizens who, disguised as hippies, engage in a crime spree.
The title character, a widow whose savings have been depleted by her selfish, middle-aged children, Lulu and Ad, finds herself homeless when the bank forecloses on her mortgage. She becomes friendly with Bill Green, an aging itinerant salvaging the house's plumbing, who she soon discovers is really fugitive bank robber William Gruenwald. Hoping to recoup her losses from the bank that took her home, Bunny blackmails Bill into teaching her how to rob the institution in exchange for keeping his identity a secret. She wears a long blonde wig, oversized hat, and sunglasses, while he dons a fake beard, leather vest, and bell-bottom pants, and the two pull off the caper and escape on a 250cc Triumph TRW Trophy motorcycle. Buoyed by their success, Bunny convinces Bill to join her in more heists, and the different modus operandi they use - setting free a canary to distract the guard, setting off smoke bombs - make it difficult for police lieutenant Horace Greeley and criminologist R.J. Hart to profile their suspects.
The working titles for the film were Bunny and Claude, Bunny, Betty and Claude, and Bunny and Billy. The film marked the second on-screen pairing of Bette Davis and Ernest Borgnine, who co-starred in The Catered Affair in 1956. The American International Pictures release was filmed partially on location in Albuquerque. New Mexico Governor David F. Cargo made a cameo appearance as a state trooper. The film led to two lawsuits for American International Pictures. Davis, who had script approval, was upset with changes made in editing, and she sued the company for loss of income and damage to her career for changing the film into a "slapstick" production instead of the "humorous social commentary" for which she had signed. The suit eventually was dropped. Writer Cherry sued for $13,400, the balance of his fee, and also asked for 5% of the film's net profits. The outcome is unknown.
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