Cartoon a Day: My Favorite Duck

My Favorite Duck
1942
Directed by Chuck Jones
Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 6

Well it's been a crazy summer. There's been a lot of travel and internet problems at home that has made doing "Cartoon a Day" tough. Plus, the fact that I just got lazy. But with it being September 1, here we go again.

"My Favorite Duck" is the first cartoon to team director Chuck Jones and writer Michael Maltese. That team would produce some of the greatest cartoons of all time. In this short, Porky Pig is on a camping trip where he is annoyed by Daffy Duck who continues to point out that it is not duck season so you can't harm a duck in any way.

Not all of the gags work, but some are classics. The fishing sequence in which Porky ends up floating on the wrong side of the water is very original as is the ending where the film breaks and Daffy has to describe the end of the film to the audience.

From an animation standpoint, the highlight of the film is some of the unique angles used. There is an obsession with low camera angles here like what you might expect to see in a student film. In this film it works well, especially in the final moments of the film when Daffy's plan has backfired on him.

Cartoon a Day: My Little Duckaroo

My Little Duckaroo
1954
Directed by Chuck Jones (as Charles M. Jones)
Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 6

"My Little Duckaroo" features Daffy Duck as a Lone Ranger type hero, with Porky Pig as his sidekick (or "comic relief" as this short calls him). The film has that classic Chuck Jones style to it, but I didn't find this one as out-loud funny as some of Jones' other Daffy shorts.

You may think this sounds silly, but there is a major distraction in this film that kept me from really enjoying the gags. Much of the film takes place inside the hideout of the villain, Nasty Canasta. For some reason, the inside walls are decorated with pages from a book...so you can see words and pictures on the walls. It's an odd choice for background art.


I just couldn't pull my brain away from trying to read the print on the walls. I suppose that shows that I'm easily distracted, but I just couldn't stop looking at those stupid walls. So I guess there's some cool animation here, but bad choices for backgrounds.

Cartoon a Day: To Duck...or Not to Duck

To Duck...or Not to Duck
1943
Directed by Chuck Jones (as Charles M. Jones)
Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 6

We've talked before about how there are several different versions of Daffy Duck. "To Duck...or Not to Duck" is an interesting short that somewhat transitions between the looney Daffy and the indignant Daffy.

Here he plays the Bugs Bunny role. Elmer Fudd is hunting when he shoot down Daffy. Daffy then starts in with the "how dare you" attitude and ends up switching things around to turn the scenario into a boxing match between the two.

What's interesting is that this doesn't feel like a Chuck Jones short. It seems to lean a little more toward the Bob Clampett style. Some of the extreme poses that you can catch Daffy and Elmer doing if you freeze frame at the right moment are examples of this. Elmer's dog being the lone member of the crowd rooting for Elmer (and getting pelted with tomatoes because of it) also feels more like a Clampett gag to me. Regardless of whether it's the normal Jones style, it's a funny short.

Cartoon a Day: The Hunter Trilogy

I really fell behind on my cartoons this weekend. Missed Friday and Saturday, but I was determined to catch up with three cartoons today. What better way to do that than to take in Chuck Jones' "Hunter Trilogy."

Rabbit Fire

1951

Directed by Chuck Jones (as Charles M. Jones)

Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1

Rabbit Seasoning

1952

Directed by Chuck Jones (as Charles M. Jones)

Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1

Duck! Rabbit, Duck!

1953

Directed by Chuck Jones (as Charles M. Jones)

Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 3

Some might say that all three of these cartoons are pretty much the same. They do pretty much has the same basic plot...Daffy tries to get Elmer to believe it's rabbit season (when it's really duck season), Bugs does everything he can to turn it around on Daffy, and Elmer blows Daffy away in various ways. But each of these cartoons has their own special moments.

"Rabbit Fire" pretty much establishes the relationship of the three characters that will continue throughout the other films. It begins the running gag of figuring out how many different ways we can blow Daffy's beak off and also features the obligatory Bugs in drag moment.

"Rabbit Seasoning," which is my favorite of the three (middle chapters are the best folks, look at "The Empire Strikes Back") features much more creative, and gruesome, mangled beaks for Daffy and features the classic "pronoun trouble."

There's also another sequence with Bugs as a girl which not only improves on the previous film but also has Daffy pretty much admitting that the bit has been used before by screaming, "you're not going to fall for that old bit!"

"Duck! Rabbit, Duck!" takes things to a winter setting. It continues the tradition of blowing Daffy's beak off but also adds a highly original sequence in which Daffy gets called different animal names (such as "Dirty Skunk") and then Bugs produces a sign announcing that it's the appropriate season ("Dirty Skunk Season"). Elmer then, of course, shoots.

All three shorts feature incredible animation, especially on Daffy. Likewise, Mel Blanc's vocal performances, especially as Daffy, are some of his best. To sum it all up, probably the best movie trilogy ever that didn't have George Lucas' name attached.

Cartood a Day: The Abominable Snow Rabbit

The Abominable Snow Rabbit
1961
Directed by Chuck Jones and Maurice Noble
Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 5

In "The Abominable Snow Rabbit," Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck are on their way to Palm Springs but end up in the Himalayas (having failed to head West at East St. Louis). There they run into an abominable snow man who wants nothing more than a pet rabbit. So Bugs and Daffy spend the rest of the short trying to convince the monster that the other is a rabbit.



This short was made in 1961, so it has a very different feel than earlier Warner Brothers short. Though it has a different look, the art is still great. The backgrounds are more extreme than ever, and there are some slight changes in the character design, especially for Daffy. What's hard to get used to is that the comedy is driven more by dialogue than by action. The late Looney Tunes films always seem a bit talky to me, and sometimes the comedy works and sometimes it doesn't.



The Abominable Snow Man character is fun and has a great design. The character is clearly based on the Lenny character from "Of Mice and Men." Most of the film's funnier moments are driven by the snowman. Though this is a funny short, it just doesn't quite have the manic edge of the earlier Looney Tunes.

Cartoon a Day: The Up-Standing Sitter

The Up-Standing Sitter
1948
Directed by Robert McKimson
Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 5

Yesterday was the first day since starting this project that I didn't get to watch a cartoon. So today I'm trying to get in two.

"The Up-Standing Sitter" is an interesting cartoon. It's certainly funny and has some fun animation. What's weird is that it seems like Daffy Duck staring in a Tom and Jerry short.

The premise is that Daffy works for a baby sitting agency. He is called on to sit for a chicken, her child is an egg not yet hatched. The egg hatches soon after Daffy arrives, though. The young chicken eventually realizes that Daffy is not it's mother, father or any other relative, so he is a stranger and strangers aren't to be trusted. The chicken makes a run for it and Daffy must chase him down. So like a Tom and Jerry short, we have the chased playing various tricks on the chaser. There is even large grey bulldog thrown in to the mix who looks a lot like Spike from the Tom and Jerry shorts.



There are some great animation sequences. This frustrated reaction from Daffy after being tripped is a highlight...




It's a fun short, I guess it's just a bit odd to see the Warner Brothers folks seeming to copy a style of another studio.

Cartoon a Day: You Were Never Duckier

You Were Never Duckier
1948
Directed by Chuck Jones (as Charles M. Jones)
Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 5

Sorry for the delay in the "Cartoon a Day" posts. I was on the road with a laptop other than my own. I was going to try and catch up on the posts I missed over the weekend today, but today was a bad day of dealing with problems with installation of new TV service. So we're lucky to get in today's cartoon, "You Were Never Duckier."

In this cartoon, Daffy Duck has his eye on a $5,000 prize for the best rooster at a poultry show. Not being a rooster doesn't deter him, though. Using a rubber glove and some stolen feathers attached to a plunger he disguises himself as a rooster and joins the competition.

I love the expressions of both Daffy and the rooster in this frame as he plucks some feathers for his disguise.

Meanwhile, Henery Hawk sets out to nab a chicken for his pop. What better place to go than the poultry show. He winds up getting Daffy to head back to his home, willingly I might add, as Daffy thinks Henery's pop is a judge in the contest. The brief sequence when Daffy realizes his mistake is a classic. Check out these frames...

What fun it is to be able to break down a single reaction show like this. When played at their proper speed you don't notice every little detail, but it has such an effect. When this played it theaters, I'm sure the audience burst with laughter at that moment. Today, with DVD, it has that effect with the added thought to quickly scan back and watch it again!

Cartoon a Day: Conrad the Sailor

Conrad the Sailor
1942
Directed by Chuck Jones (as Charles M. Jones)
Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 4

"Conrad the Sailor" is an interesting little short. It seems pretty simple on first viewing but it's actually pretty experimental in many ways.



The short features the character Conrad the Cat, who only appeared in a handful of shorts. Here he is a sailor cleaning the deck of a ship, which is realized beautifully by an uncredited background artist named John McGrew, who, according to the DVD commentary track, left Warner Brothers and joined the Navy shortly after this short was made.



For some unknown reason, Daffy Duck is hanging out on the deck of the ship and proceeds to cause all kinds of trouble for Conrad, who by the way is voiced by the voice of Goofy, Pinto Colvig. The gags are pretty simple, but there are many little things that show the experimental nature of this film. The sequence toward the end with Daffy riding a missile is a great example as there are many unique angles and changes in point of view used to great comic effect.



The best gag of the film is a recurring one where Conrad and Daffy always stop and salute as the admiral passes by. This happens several times in the film, but the best is the last time where the two characters not only stop and salute, but so does the missile which is chasing them.

This isn't a bust-your-gut hilarious short, but it is highly original and shows the innovation that was continuously going on at Warner Brothers.

Cartoon a Day: A-Haunting we will Go

A-Haunting we will Go
1966
Directed by Robert McKimson
Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 4

To close out Halloween week we have "A-Haunting we will Go," an odd film from the final years of the Warner Brothers shorts. Budgets had been cut by this point, and it shows in this short, but the story is just plain weird. It's Halloween and Daffy's niece or nephew (it is isn't clear which, it talks like a he but wears what appears to be a dress!?!?) is out trick or treating. After being scared away from Witch Hazel's house, the youngster drags uncle Daffy out to see the witch.


Meanwhile, Hazel decided she needs a vacation but has to have someone to fill in for her while gone. So she decided to change a mouse that lives in the wall, Speedy Gonzales, to look like her. While Speedy is filling in, he messes with some potions which cause Daffy some trouble. Got all that?


There are just so many "huh?" moments in this short. Speedy Gonzales seems to have been just thrown into the short because he was popular, there's no other reason to include him. And could someone please tell me why Daffy Duck is wearing Elmer Fudd's hunter's cap during this short?


The animation is good but not as detailed as in earlier Looney Tunes offerings. It's also disappointing that more originality isn't shown here. When Speedy changes Daffy into a strange creature, it's a design used in the great Chuck Jones short "Duck Amuck." Why not create something new? Despite the disappointing aspects of this short, it's still interesting to look at as an example of a late Warner Brothers short.

Cartoon a Day: A Pest in the House

A Pest in the House

1947
Directed by Chuck Jones (as Charles M Jones)
Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 5


There have been many versions of Daffy Duck over the years. In the early films he put the "Looney" in Looney Tunes. Later he became a bit of a selfish ego maniac. In "A Pest in the House" we have another version of Daffy, here he's just plain clueless. As the bellhop in Elmer Fudd's hotel, he is given the task of taking a tired businessman up to his room. The businessman wants nothing more than to sleep, which Daffy, though at times he's trying to help, makes pretty much impossible. Daffy isn't trying to keep the man from sleeping, but, God bless him, he just can't help himself.



Mel Blanc's performance as the voice of Daffy is great, it's an interesting contrast with his foil, the businessman who only speaks at the beginning of the picture, other than that he's all reactions.



Some interesting things happen with Daffy's poses as well. The design of the character seems a bit different than we're used to seeing. He seems a bit more slender and his beak seems a bit longer.

This short is a good example of how cartoons were not always seen as kid fare. One of the best gags in the film was not written with the kiddies in mind. It involves the businessman hearing a loud drunk singing in a nearby room. Daffy heads over to silence the drunk, but soon we hear his inebriated voice joining in on the song. We never see the drunk, or see Daffy getting drunk, but we all know what happens.

Cartoon a Day: A Star is Bored

A Star is Bored
1956
Directed by Friz Freleng
Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 5

I just realized this is my 200th blog post. Anyhow, I've been a bit behind on my "Cartoon a Day" postings. I spent a nice weekend with the family up in the mountains with no internet access. I did still watch a cartoon each day, though, so I'll try to get caught up on the three missed days soon.

Today we look at "A Star is Bored," but, contrary to what the title card says, the star of this short is not Bugs Bunny. Bugs plays straight man to Daffy in this one. Daffy is tired of Bugs getting all the attention, so he ends up taking a job as Bugs' double for a new movie. Just the image of Daffy in a loose fitting rabbit suit is hilarious by itself.



In some ways this film caries on the same general theme of Chuck Jones' great trilogy of "Rabbit Fire," Rabbit Seasoning," and "Duck, Rabbit, Duck," where Bugs pretty much just hangs around and looks innocent while Daffy gets pulverized. This relationship between Bugs and Daffy works so well and it creates some of their funniest shorts.


As usual, Freleng's comic timing is right on. Especially great are the moments where he plays with Daffy's smugness and over-confidence but then shows a moment of weakness. Daffy will march onto the set claiming he knows all his lines, and then turn to examine his script midway through a scene. Being a puppeteer, I can't help but think of similar moves that Frank Oz would do with characters such as Fozzie Bear or Sam the Eagle. I can't help but wonder if Oz was inspired by pieces of animation such as this when performing with the Muppets.

Cartoon a Day: Ali Baba Bunny

Ali Baba Bunny
1957
Directed by Chuck Jones
Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 5

"Ali Baba Bunny" is another great cartoon in the series of Bugs Bunny / Daffy Duck pair-ups directed by Chuck Jones. In this one, Bugs and Daffy end up in an Arabian Nights style cave full of riches rather than Pismo Beach (should've made a left turn at Albuquerque). Daffy is immediately obsessed with the treasure while Bugs could care less. The two must also contend with the dim witted guard, Hassan. There are plenty of laughs, most of which are courtesy of Daffy. In a way, Bugs plays the straight man in this one.

Right off the bat, one of the stand out elements of "Ali Baba Bunny" are the incredible backgrounds by Maurice Noble. I mean, check out the palm trees shown above! The backgrounds are a thrill to look at, but they don't draw your attention away from the humor of the cartoon either.

Of course, some of the classic sort of character expressions you'd expect to see in a late 50's Chuck Jones film are on display here. Over the years Bugs Bunny has come across in many different ways, I think the style of Bugs presented in this film is my favorite. He appears somewhat suave in this and other Jones films. I love how his eyes never seem to open too widely. It's quite a contrast to the way Daffy is portrayed.

The character design of Hassam is also a lot of fun. He's a sort of gelatinous blob on two skinny legs. I also love how his body and his head are all one piece...there's absolutely no neck to speak of.

Even though I've seen this one many times, and know what gags are coming, it continues to make me laugh out loud...the mark of a great animated short.