047 The Wise Quacking Duck

1943 Number: 047
Title: The Wise Quacking Duck
Studio: Warner Bros.
Date: 05/01/43 (in LTMM; 5/12 in OMAM)
Credits:
Supervision
Robert Clampett
Animation
Phil Monroe
Story
Warren Foster
Musical Direction
Carl W. Stalling
Series: Looney Tunes
Running time (of viewed version): 6:29
Commercial DVD Availability: Action In the North Atlantic (Humphrey Bogart Signature Collection v 2), LTGCv5

Synopsis: Man must kill duck for food (and a quiet life).























Comments: Mr. Meek lives at 1313 something. I don't especially like the rubbery face Daffy has in this. But then I frequently dislike that aspect of Clampett cartoons. The gleam in Daffy's eye and his full cheeks are reminiscent of certain rubber headed toys. "Mammy's little poopy"? Painting of prey on wall gag. Mr. Meek has lots of shots where he strangely holds his pose in a way that feels unnatural. Lots of running around and odd angles; so many that none of them have any impact. Strip tease scene. FOllowed by a poke in the butt (by a gladiator, no less). Daffy shot to nudity (without boxers this time). Ends with no coverage at all, and Daffy left to baste in the oven. You can see the story of the cartoon, but it ultimately feels like gags stitched together for almost no reason (even tho they are on the same theme); "no reason" is probably overstating it; insufficient reason might be a better term. They flow together in terms of visual craftsmanship, but I'm left asking "why"? Did farmers wear three piece suits, bow ties and bowlers? Daffy's neck needs a mohel. Lumps/bumps gag (on two different occasions). The backgrounds are very staid (except for the opening shot; the pies are also fairly nice). I suspect there's a specific reference film the strip tease is derived from. This cartoon takes a different tack from most of its contemporaries, which had more stylized backgrounds, and a few extreme shots held for awhile; it tries to crap out a bunch of things all at once on a neutral backdrop. I don't think ti really works, not here at least.