The Wise Quacking Duck
| The Wise Quacking Duck | |
|---|---|
 Title card | |
| Directed by | Robert Clampett |
| Story by | Warren Foster |
| Produced by | Leon Schlesinger |
| Starring | Mel Blanc (uncredited) |
| Music by | Carl W. Stalling |
| Animation by | Phil Monroe Uncredited Animators: Art Babbitt Robert McKimson Virgil Ross Rod Scribner Sid Sutherland A. C. Gamer (effects animator) |
| Layouts by | Earl Klein |
| Color process | Technicolor (three-color) |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures The Vitaphone Corporation |
Release date | May 1, 1943 (US) |
Running time | 6 minutes |
| Language | English |
The Wise Quacking Duck is a 1943 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Bob Clampett.[1] The cartoon was released on May 1, 1943, and stars Daffy Duck.[2]
Synopsis
The cartoon begins with Mr. Meek carrying an axe in his hands. He turns to the audience and explains that his wife, Sweetypuss, told him that if he didn't bring home a roast duck for dinner, she would 'cook (his) goose'. (A parody of Wallace Wimple and his wife "Sweetie Face".) The scene cuts to Daffy eating corn while singing "I Dream of Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair" minding his business. A shadow of Meek is show getting ready to chop off Daffy's head. Then he jumps and shouts "WATCH IT, BUB!!!" directly in his face.
After a brief talk to Meek, he flicks his beak at his face and marches to a hay stack. Meek chops the stack various times and on the last chop, he thinks he kills the duck. Daffy fakes his death by squirting ketchup and throwing his feathers around ("You crushed my little head!") This fools Meek by pretending he is beheaded and runs rapidly.
Meek feels sad and goes back to his house, where Daffy is seen putting lots of sugar cubes into a cup of coffee. Meek guiltily tells him that he has killed a duck. Daffy cheers up Meek into giving him a cup of coffee and asks how many lumps (of sugar) his wife usually gives him. Meek shows Daffy a 'lump' (a bump on his head), and Daffy hits him on the head (giving him another 'lump') and pours cream on it. Daffy dances on the cakes and pies, singing "Shortening Bread", and Meek immediately recognizes the duck he thought he killed ("Say. That's that Daffy Duck.") Daffy then utters 'YOU AIN'T JUST WHISTLING DIXIE!!!', then throws a pie at him, leading into a war between himself and Meek.
Daffy goes into army plane mode, by dropping an egg on Meek as a "Secret Bomb Site." Next, he goes into battle weaponry mode, by making various sounds and smashing household items. After all the fun and games are over, Meek gets mad, which causes the egg to fry on his head.
Daffy runs off, but is caught by Meek with a shotgun. He puts it up to Daffy's face and orders him to get in the oven. Daffy goes into his stripper mode and performs a striptease to the tune "It Had to be You."
The war continues through some parts of the cartoon, including a fortune teller (referring to Jerry Colonna). Going back to the curve run scene, Meek points his gun to Daffy's face again ("No no. Not twice in a same picture.") Meek blows the feathers off him and throws him in the oven. When he hears Daffy cries he feels guilty and opens the door. The cartoon ends with Daffy bathing himself in gravy ("Say. Now you're cooking with gas.")
Availability
The short is presented uncut on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 5 in Disc 3 and on the Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 2 Blu-ray set, Disc 1.
References
- ^ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 140. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
- ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 70-72. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.