At this point, I'm just trying to remember firstly my earliest memories of cartoons, and as such,
Merrie Melodies may dominate the entire first page. Later on, I'll post daily doses of shorts from cartoon shows, Looney Tunes, and maybe a full-length movie or so. Depends on my mood for intrigue and research, and whether or not it is hosted online.
Back to the topic at hand, here are a few of my favorite
early, early "Daffy Duck" cartoons. (I probably should have started with
Porky Pig cartoons, because
Daffy originally starred as Porky's sidekick in the earlier features, but I like Daffy just a touch more, so he gets first crack.)
Playlist:
- The Daffy Doc
- Daffy Duck in Hollywood
- Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur
- The Impatient Patient *my favorite of the bunch, 'cause it's so wacky
- To Duck or Not to Duck
The Daffy Doc
Directed by Robert Clampett
Released on November, 26 1938
Distributed by Leon Schlesinger Studios
Doctor Quack is doing an operation, and Daffy is his assistant.
Things start out sedately enough, with Daffy asking for quiet in various ways...
before getting kicked out and having to find a new patient to "practice" his craft on...
Download Only
Daffy Duck in Hollywood
Directed by Tex Avery
Written by Dave Monahan
Released on December 3, 1938
Distributed by Leon Schlesinger Studios
** you can now watch it here:
or here: 01 - Daffy Duck in Hollywood | JogyJogy
Daffy Duck wreaks havoc on a movie set at Wonder Pictures ("if it's good, it's a Wonder"). This short by Tex Avery lampoons Hollywood and the filmmaking process and does so quite well. Daffy wants to be an actor in the worst way, but can't manage that, so, by cutting and splicing clips from film archives, he "directs" his own movie. As a personal aside here, one of the saddest things here is that his "movie" is better than some of the product being turned out in recent time that has separated entirely too much of my money from my pockets with little benefit for me! Hilarious gags abound here. Well worth watching.
Fun Stuff
click to show Daffy's "splice" film borrows its title card from Gold Is Where You Find It (1938), a movie produced by Warner Bros. that same year.
Also, has connections to:
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) , Boy Meets Girl (1938)
- The film reels can be seen in the editing room
Soundtracks used in the short:
"Congo"
Music by M.K. Jerome
"California, Here I Come"
Music by Joseph Meyer
"The Ride of the Valkyries"
Music by Richard Wagner
"You Oughta Be In Pictures"
Music by Dana Suesse
Lyrics by Edward Heyman
"Gee, But You're Swell"
Music by Abel Baer
"The Kiss Waltz"
Music by Joseph Burke
"Garden of the Moon"
Music by Harry Warren
"Sweet Georgia Brown"
Music by Maceo Pinkard
Directed by Chuck Jones (Charles M. Jones)
Written by Dave Monahan
Released on April 22, 1939
Distributed by Leon Schlesinger Studios
{The video above is highly-restored; original quality version here: YouTube - Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur}
"Millions and billions and trillions of years ago," Caspar Caveman (a caricature of Jack Benny) and his pet dinosaur Fido come up against Daffy when they're out duck hunting.
Fun Stuff
click to show This is also an important milestone in the evolution of Daffy Duck's personality. While Tex Avery and Bob Clampett had depicted Daffy as completely insane, irrational, and uncontrollable in their previous cartoons with the character, Jones depicted Daffy here as somewhat more thoughtful and calculating. Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng would continue to develop Daffy's personality in this direction throughout the 1940s and 1950s.
References in pop media:
A scene from this cartoon appeared in the movie Hide and Seek, starring Robert DeNiro and Dakota Fanning.
A scene from this short also appeared in a dinosaur educational film.
A few clips from the cartoon are played on the TV seen in the the music video of "Walk the Dinosaur" by Was Not Was.
A short clip from this cartoon also appeared on an episode of the educational television program, Bill Nye the Science Guy.
A couple short clips from this cartoon appeared on the Star Trek Voyager episode "Memorial".
Written by Don Christensen
Released on September 5, 1942
Distributed by Leon Schlesinger Studios
{If the above embeddable should break, a redirect link: The Impatient Patient on Revver}
While traipsing through a swamp, Daffy Duck seeks to deliver a telegram to "Chloe." He finds the home of "Dr. Jerkyl" and hopes that the physician can cure his hiccups. Daffy's hiccups are so severe that they cause him to damage or destroy everything around him.
Fun Stuff
click to show Cultural References:
The intial soft chanting of the name Chloe, and the opening swampland setting, are a reference to the 1927 song "Chloe (Song of the Swamp)", written by Gus Kahn and Neil Moret, and performed by artists like Eva Taylor, Bessie Brown, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Spike Jones.
"Dr. Jerkyl" and his alterego "Chloe" are a reference to The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a story by Robert Louis Stevenson about a man with a severe split personality.
Chloe's birthday message comes from a Frank N. Stein, a reference to Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, a novel by Mary Shelley.
The Scene where Dr. Jerkyl mixes the potion is similar to a scene from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse, a Tom & Jerry cartoon.
Written by Tedd Pierce
Rleased on March 6, 1943
Distributed by Leon Schlesinger Studios
{If the above embeddable should break: YouTube - To duck or not to Duck (1943)}
Elmer Fudd is hunting ducks with his dog Laramore. He shoots Daffy Duck from the sky and apologizes saying that he is "a great sportsman." Daffy says he wouldn't be so tough without his hunting equipment and challenges Elmer to a "fair" fight.
Fun Stuff
click to show Culturual References:
The film title is a reference to the line in William Shakespeare's Hamlet, "...to be or not to be".
At the beginning of the film Morning Mood from Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt suite is heard in the background score. This indicates that the time is early morning.
Daffy challenges Elmer to a fight under Marquess of Queensberry rules.