Jump to content

Deduce, You Say!

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Deduce, You Say
Lobby card
Directed byChuck Jones
Story byMichael Maltese
Produced byEdward Selzer
StarringMel Blanc
June Foray
Music byMilt Franklyn
Animation byAbe Levitow
Richard Thompson
Ken Harris
Ben Washam
Color processTechnicolor
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
The Vitaphone Corporation
Release date
  • September 29, 1956 (1956-09-29)
Running time
7:07
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Deduce, You Say is a 1956 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon, directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese.[1] The short was released on September 29, 1956, and stars Daffy Duck and Porky Pig.[2] The title is a play on the exclamation, "The deuce, you say!"

The cartoon features Daffy Duck as the dim-witted detective Dorlock Homes (a parody of Sherlock Holmes) and Porky Pig as his sidekick Watkins (Dr. Watson), as they attempt to locate and apprehend the dangerous "Shropshire Slasher."

Plot

[edit]

In London, Dorlock Homes (a parody of Sherlock Holmes), resides on Beeker Street. Engaged in "deductive reasoning" related to tax deductions, Homes receives a telegram from the Shropshire Slasher, a notorious criminal. Determined to apprehend him, Homes and Dr. Watkins visit a pub where the Slasher frequents. Despite Holmes' bumbling attempts, it's Watkins' polite interrogation that convinces the Slasher to surrender. However, a misunderstanding arises when Homes accuses a flower seller of operating without a license, unaware that she is the Slasher's mother. In the end, the Slasher voluntarily turns himself in, leaving Homes to quip about his "elementary" detective skills learned in elementary school.

Reception

[edit]

Animation historian Jerry Beck writes, "Deduce, You Say is an outrageously witty film that parodies both the original Sherlock Holmes books by Conan Doyle and the Hollywood movie versions ... The premise allowed [Chuck] Jones to combine Daffy's frantic animated action with Porky's subtle attitudes, facial expressions, and posing, which get just as many laughs. A class act, and a first-rate cartoon."[3]

Voice Cast

[edit]
  • Mel Blanc as Daffy Duck (as Dorlock Homes), Porky Pig (as Dr. Watkins), The Shropshire Slasher, the Telegram Deliveryman, Alfie, and the Bartender
  • June Foray as The Shropshire Slasher's Mother and Lady Ashtabula (uncredited)

Home media

[edit]

DVD:

Blu-ray:

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 291. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
  2. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 60–62. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  3. ^ Beck, Jerry, ed. (2020). The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons. Insight Editions. p. 45. ISBN 978-1-64722-137-9.
[edit]