The Henpecked Duck
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| The Henpecked Duck | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Bob Clampett |
| Produced by | Leon Schlesinger |
| Animation by | John Carey |
| Color process | Black-and-white (later colorized) |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Running time | 7 min, 30 sec |
The Henpecked Duck is a Warner Bros. cartoon released in theatres in 1941, directed by Bob Clampett and featuring Daffy Duck and Porky Pig. The film is set in a court room, where Daffy tries to save his marriage after losing his wife's egg.
Plot
Porky Pig presides as judge over divorce proceedings at the "Court of Inhuman Relations." He calls the case of "Duck vs. Duck." Daffy and Mrs. Duck approach the judge's stand. Mrs. Duck shouts over and over: "I want a divorce!"
Porky asks her to relate to the court what happened. She explains that she had left Daffy in charge of keeping their egg warm while she visited her mother. Daffy grew bored, so he took the egg and performed a magic trick, causing the egg to disappear and then reappear. Impressed with himself, he tried the trick a second time but was unable to make the egg reappear. Despite countless frantic attempts with his trick, the egg never reappeared. When Mrs. Duck returned home, Daffy had replaced the egg with a door knob, hoping to fool her. She discovers this, and ends her story by shouting "I want a divorce!" once more, but this time, not in a blind rage, but extremely close to tears.
Porky then sternly asks Daffy what he has to say for himself. Daffy pleads for one more chance, and Porky grants his request. In tears, he tries the trick again and the egg reappears, much to the court's shock. The egg immediately hatches and the Ducks reconcile their differences. Junior, seated on the judge's podium with his glasses and Porky's gavel, then says, "Case dismissed, step down!", hitting the gavel twice at the end of the cartoon.