Redartz: Greetings, everyone! For our first 'meeting' with the Animation Congregation, we shall consider two of the towering figures of the cartoon world- Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. Bugs has been giving fits to Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam since his debut in 1940. Daffy actually predated Bugs by a few years, first appearing in 1937. These two wiseacres have led the Warner Brothers cartoon pack ever since, both becoming iconic characters in popular culture and sharing hundreds of Saturday mornings with us all.
Both Bugs and Daffy have appeared in countless cartoons on the strength of their own solo appeal. But some of their most memorable appearances have been those in which they appeared together. Usually those team-ups amounted to a mutual irritation fest. Take "Rabbit Seasoning" for example. A 1951 Chuck Jones gem, it begins with Daffy trying to get the best of Bugs by setting him up as a target for Elmer Fudd. All his preparations avail him naught, however- when Bug shows up, the battle of wits entails (incidentally, both combatants seem to have more ammunition in this battle than the third party, Elmer). A brief bit of the action:
Truly some classic stuff here! But my personal favorite teaming is one that really focused on Daffy- the brilliant "Duck Amuck". Another 1951 production from Chuck Jones (he was really firing on all cylinders that year), "Amuck" really showcases the animators' talents. Sound, setting, costume: all are fair game for chaotic creativity in this free-for-all. Running the gamut from full scenery to blank screen, it actually gives Daffy the chance to show his 'perfoming range' under the most challenging circumstances. Indeed, it is essentially a one-man (one duck?) show- the notoriously egocentric Duck should have loved it. However, (spoiler alert) his friend and adversary Bugs is revealed as the culprit behind all Daffy's onscreen travails. Once again, it seems Bugs has it over ol' Daffy (not that Daffy would EVER admit that).
By the way, both of these cartoons are among those in the great DVD set "Looney Tunes Golden Collection". One of the best video purchases I ever made; it offers several Saturday morning's worth of cartoon greatness. Indeed, reviewing these on the disc for this post was a case of 'homework' being a pleasure!
So, if you had to pick: who would you count on for the biggest laughs- Bugs or Daffy? Is there a particular Bugs/Daffy donnybrook that really left you breathless? Which one was more successful at foiling Elmer's hunting excursions? Is it Duck Season or Rabbit Season? Load up your ACME shotgun and take your best shot...
11 comments:
Played the little "Pronoun trouble" clip here at the breakfast table, and my wife and I were speakin' the lines right along w/ Daffy, there-- heh-heh-heh. It's like our own little Rocky Horror experience. . .
It's just. . . it's never NOT funny! Y'know?
So-- to answer your closing question, there, I'm going to waffle and say that my (our) favorite is that entire trilogy of RABBIT FIRE; RABBIT SEASONING; and DUCK, RABBIT, DUCK. The latter, IIRC, is the one that we probably saw the most of on that 8:00 Saturday Morning slot. And it's the perfect wrap-up. Daffy's final melt-down-
"Shoot me again! I enjoy it! I love the smell of burnt feathers, and gunpowder, and cordite! I'm an elk! Shoot me, go on! It's elk season! I'm a fiddler crab! Why don't you shoot me? It's fiddler crab season!"
-is that rare piece of comedy that seems to get funnier and funnier and funnier to me with every viewing. Anticipation makes it even better!
And I do think the Daffy/Bugs pairing is my favorite of the several that Warner Brothers came up with over those two or three decades. Although the one-off of Bugs and Wile E. Coyote in OPERATION: RABBIT (where the whole "Super-Genius" schtick came from-- and the only short in the original canon where The Coyote does speak...) is a notable favorite as well.
But, boy, talk about a gestalt art-form! There are so many elements that go into these brief, seemingly-effortless little cartoons-- and if you change a-ONE of them, the magic would evaporate. Chuck Jones' writing and the impeccable timing of his direction; the animation style itself by the "house" artists; Mel Blanc as Bugs & Daffy, and Arthur Q Bryan (uncredited) as Elmer; and- often overlooked but CRUCIAL to so many of these cartoons- Carl Stallings & Mylt Franklin's always-brilliant supporting score. It wasn't until ANIMANIACS that we saw cartoon scores figure out their special brand of magic once again--
Dangerous topic for me. I could rattle on forEVER on a lot of this. Tangenting everywhere. . . probably in the 75% accuracy realm. . .
Hmm-- is there enough cartoon geekiness 'round here to support a voice-actor post? Dawes Butler, Mel Blanc, Casey Kasem, June Foray, Paul Frees, etc, etc?)
HB
I'd say it's Daffy, by a bill.
I believe on the whole, Bugs starred in better shorts than Daffy, especially when Bugs became Warner's #1 star. However, I've laughed at Daffy more than Bugs, my favorite version of Daffy being the version that runs around screaming "hoo-hoo!"
Also, did you guys create the "Animation Congregation" image?
I prefer Bugs b/c he is essentially my favorite comedic actor (Groucho Marx) in rabbit form. I love his word and gender play the most, but I admire Daffy's anarchic streak.
I always thought Bugs was funnier, although Daffy was perfect in the "Duck Dodgers in the 24th and-a-half Century!" stuff. As for their team-ups, I'm partial to the Jack and the Beanstalk one, and the one with the Abominabuble Snowman. ("I will name him George, and I will pat him, and stroke him, and ...")
Mike Wilson
I'd probably counter J.A. just slightly and go w/ Bugs by a nose-whisker. . . but only because I actually like the "person" of Bugs better. Daffy, in this most-familiar later incarnation, lives as if the entire world were his battlefield foxhole, and no deed is beyond being used to ensure that the next-guy-over is the one that takes the hit. Completely amoral, and not even aware of it. Which makes hime the PERFECT target for deserved mayhem, yup. Which is why he's hilarious. (Well, and that superior attitude. . . and that temper. . . )
HB
While I do love Daffy (Mike W., good call on Duck Dodgers in the 24th and a halfth century - I also liked that one in which he was 'Duck Tracy'), I've always loved Bugs even more. He just starred in so many more of the cartoons I still love to this day.
By the way, J.A., I agree about the "hoo-hoo" version of Daffy. I think that was his original incarnation, when he was truly, well, Daffy, and not the more irate guy he later became.
An extremely hard choice,,,I loved Warner Brothers cartoons and the huge output of hilarious material. I lean toward Daffy but I can be so easily swayed and would probably answer differently with each viewing. My senior thesis was on Bob Clampett's work so I am biased toward "Porky's Duck Hunt," "Porky & Daffy" and "Draftee Daffy" - sheer lunacy. Clampett created the "hoo-hoo" version of Daffy.
It had to be so much fun to create those shorts. If you ever want to read an entertaining history of animation with a great focus on Warner Brothers, "Of Mice and Magic" by Leonard Maltrin is really quite excellent. It covers the creative process plus a rundown of many cartoons. I sure wish there were animated shorts before features still. A bit off topic, but if you have never seen "A Tale of Two Kitties" the first Tweety Bird with a pair of Abbott and Costello cats - seek it out.
HB - you have at least one other cartoon geek if you want to talk about voice talent.
J.A. We did create the header banners (or at least assembled them). This one was a bit tricky.
Giving credit where credit is due ... I should have said Tex Avery created Daffy and Clampett animated the early version.
I don't know, some of those Daffy cartoons weren't what they were quacked up to be........ (it was just laying there waiting, I can't believe someone didn't do it earlier!)
It has to be Daffy, if for no other reason than: Ho! Ha ha! Guard! Turn! Parry! Dodge! Spin! Ha! Thrust! It was actually a buck and a quarter, quarter staff!!! Has to go to Daffy!!!
(Well it was out in California by the San Diego sea
That was when I was taken in and it left its mark on me
Yeah she nearly drove me crazy with all those China toys
And I know she really didn't mean a thing to any of those sailor boys
Louisiana rain is falling at my feet
Baby I'm noticing the change as I move down the street
Louisiana rain is soaking through my shoes
I may never be the same when I reach Baton Rouge
South Carolina put out its arms for me
Right up until everything went black somewhere on Lonely Street
And I still can't quite remember who helped me to my feet
Thank God for a love that followed the angel's remedy
Louisiana rain is falling just like tears
Running down my face, washing out the years
Louisiana rain is soaking through my shoes
I may never be the same when I reach Baton Rouge
Well I never will get over this English refugee
Singing to the jukebox in some all-night beanery
Yeah he was eating pills like candy and chasing them with tea
You should have seen him lick his lips, that old black muddied beak
Louisiana rain is falling at my feet
Baby I'm noticing the change as I move down the street
Louisiana rain is soaking through my shoes
I may never be the same when I reach Baton Rouge
Louisiana rain is falling just like tears
Running down my face, washing out the years
Louisiana rain is soaking through my shoes
I may never be the same when I reach Baton Rouge).
PS: A drone is a robot with a better press agent!
Thanks everyone for all the 'toonful' comments today! Late to my own party; very busy day making a living today. Maybe a couple WB shorts will be just the antidote for a challenging day...
HB- I'd have enjoyed seeing you and HBwife doing your Bugs and Daffy! Your choice of the classic trio is inarguable. And I would LOVE a column on voice actors; another favorite: the great Bob Mcfadden of "Milton the Monster" fame, among many others.
Mike W. and Edo- "Duck Dodgers" is high on my list too. As is Duck Tracy- the array of Chester Gould-ish villainy is priceless.
Overall I have to (just barely) give my preference to Bugs, but that's like choosing John Byrne over George Perez- it really could go either way.
Redartz, yes, the Gouldesque villains Duck Tracy confronts are hilarious. My favorite: the Neon Noodle.
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