Daffy – The Commando
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| Daffy - The Commando | |
|---|---|
| Looney Tunes (Daffy Duck) series | |
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| Directed by | I. Freleng |
| Produced by | Leon Schlesinger[1] |
| Story by | Michael Maltese[1] |
| Voices by | Mel Blanc (uncredited)[1] |
| Music by | Carl W. Stalling |
| Animation by | Kenneth Champin[1] |
| Studio | Leon Schlesinger Productions[1] |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures The Vitaphone Corporation[1] |
| Release date(s) | November 20, 1943 (United States) |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Running time | 7 minutes 22 seconds |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Daffy – The Commando is a 1943 Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Friz Freleng.[1] Daffy Duck is a commando, dropped behind enemy lines, and causes havoc to the German commander, Von Vulture, who tries to capture him. As with many of the World War II-themed cartoons put out by the major studios, Daffy - The Commando was placed under an unofficial ban from broadcast or video distribution by Warner Bros. and other rights-holders such as Turner Broadcasting and AOL Time Warner. It can currently be found on the home video Bugs & Daffy: The Wartime Cartoons and the second disc of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 6.
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[edit] Synopsis
A German commander, Von Vulture, is fuming and sputtering furiously about how many American commandos have managed to slip into Germany undetected, and he gets a telegram from the "Gestinko Gestapo", threatening him with his 'ka-rear' if he lets 'vun' more 'kommando' through. Hearing an American warplane overhead, he calls in a soldier, Schultz, whom he abuses by knocking him regularly over his helmet with a mallet. Schultz and Von Vulture go outside and use a searchlight to look for Daffy, who is floating down on a parachute, whilst singing in a Cockney accent.
After a quick shout of "Put out those lights!" gets the searchlight turned off temporarily and allows him to land unseen, Daffy uses his fingers on the searchlight's lens to make shadows of animated puppets and dancing chorus girls on the clouds to distract the Germans. When Von Vulture chases Daffy behind a curtain of asbestos, Daffy makes a face similar to the stereotypical Japanese faces used in cartoons at the time (see, for example, Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips), causing Von Vulture to run off frightened.
Back at his bunker, Von Vulture is presented with a bomb from Daffy, ticking down. Von Vulture hands the bomb off to Schultz, who is blown through the roof. When Schultz falls back, Daffy stops Von Vulture from hitting Schultz over the head with a mallet, and instead hits him. Von Vulture (pausing briefly to salute a skunk with "Heil Hitler!") chases Daffy to a telephone booth, where Daffy continues to make fun of Von Vulture, such as nicknaming him "Von Limburger" after the infamously foul-smelling cheese.
Daffy then jumps in a plane, narrowly avoiding being shot by 'a mess of Messerschmitts', when he's shot down by Von Vulture (his plane literally being blown to pieces, its entire body progressively disintegrating and disappearing from back to front, eventually leaving just the engine and propeller, with Daffy still clinging to the controls). Daffy then runs into what he believes is a tunnel where he can hide, but it turns out to be the barrel of a huge howitzer cannon, and Daffy is then shot out by Von Vulture. However, Daffy flies unharmed (as the 'Human Cannonball') into Berlin, where Adolf Hitler is making a speech to his people. Daffy jumps up and whacks Hitler on the head with a mallet, causing Hitler to scream in pain.
[edit] The Telephone Booth Scene
A scene where Daffy is on a pay phone as Von Vulture is trying to get into the booth has Daffy speaking to him in German, while holding cue card-like signs with the dialogue translated for the audience (a classic example of "breaking the fourth wall"). In many public domain prints, the signs are illegible, but read as follows:
Daffy 1: Kannst du nicht sehen diese Telefunk ist busy? Bleiben Sie ruhig! ("Can't you see this telephone is busy? Keep quiet!")
Sign 1: ENGLISH TRANSLATION: "Can't you see this telephone is busy? Wait your turn!"
Daffy 2: Bitte, mein Herr. Haben Sie ein ein Pfennigstuck? ("Please, sir. Do you have a one pfennig piece?") Danke schön. ("Thanks very much.)
Sign 2: "Got a nickel, bud?"
Daffy 3: "It's all yours, Von Limburger!"
Sign 3: GERMAN TRANSLATION: "Ich bin fertig mit der telefon, Herr von Limburger." ("I am done with the telephone, Mr. von Limburger.")
When Von Vulture enters the phone booth, he attempts to contact Shultz, but instead gets an operator, replying "Ist dat you Myrt?" This is a reference to the American radio comedy series Fibber McGee and Molly, which was popular at the time. Myrtle The Operator was the never-heard switchboard operator in the show; "Is that you Myrt?" was a popular catchphrase in it that referred to him.[2]
[edit] Availability
This short, as well as a few other Warner shorts, is in the public domain.[3] This is due to United Artists (successor-in-interest to Associated Artists Productions) neglecting to renew the copyright in time. It is now featured in "Bugs and Daffy: The Wartime Cartoons" released by MGM/UA and on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 6 on the "Wartime Cartoons" disk.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Daffy the Commando (1943)". Allrovi. Rovi Corporation. http://www.allrovi.com/movies/movie/daffy-the-commando-v143455. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
- ^ Dunning, John (1998). On the Air : The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Rev. ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p. 251. ISBN 0195076788. http://books.google.com/books?id=EwtRbXNca0oC&pg=PA251&lpg=PA251&dq=%22Is+that+you+Myrt?%22&source=bl&ots=H5tL5VC2yv&sig=U6aEdp6b8tuQQ_DML9U3KcpA3Ds&hl=en&ei=VOORTsjzA6OssAKNu4WFAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CFEQ6AEwBjgK#v=onepage&q=%22Is%20that%20you%20Myrt%3F%22&f=false. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
- ^ "Daffy – The Commando". Film Annex. http://www.filmannex.com/movie/daffy-the-commando/21764. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
