The Ducksters

The Ducksters
The title card of The Ducksters.
Directed byCharles M. Jones
Story byMichael Maltese
StarringMel Blanc
Music byCarl Stalling
Animation byCharacter animation:
Lloyd Vaughan
Ken Harris
Phil Monroe
Ben Washam
Emery Hawkins (uncredited)
Layouts byRobert Gribbroek
Backgrounds byPeter Alvarado
Color processTechnicolor
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
The Vitaphone Corporation
Release date
  • September 2, 1950 (1950-09-02)
Running time
7:21
LanguageEnglish

The Ducksters is a 1950 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes theatrical cartoon short, directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese.[1] The cartoon was released on September 2, 1950, and stars Daffy Duck and Porky Pig.[2] The title is a pun on the 1947 film The Hucksters.

Plot

Porky Pig finds himself on the radio quiz show Truth or AAAAHHH!! ("brought to you by the Eagle Hand Laundry - if your eagle's hands are dirty, we'll wash 'em clean!") hosted by Daffy Duck, where contestants face perilous consequences for incorrect answers. Porky endures various punishments, including being threatened by a buzz saw and blown up with dynamite. Despite Daffy's taunts, Porky refuses to give up until he is subjected to one final challenge: identifying "Miss Shush," who turns out to be a ferocious gorilla.

Porky successfully reverses the situation by assuming control of the quiz show and imposing identical challenges on Daffy. Unexpectedly, Porky ascends to a position of authority over Daffy and seeks retribution by subjecting him to the same trials. Daffy ultimately confronts the same buzz saw Porky previously encountered, amusingly appealing to the audience for medical assistance.

Cast

Mel Blanc portrays all voices in this short, including Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and the audience member.

Production details

The cartoon's title is a play on The Hucksters, a satirical novel about the advertising business that was made into a 1947 live-action film starring Clark Gable.

"Eagle Hand Laundry", the business supposedly sponsoring Daffy's radio show, was at the time the name of an actual hand laundry in Brooklyn.[3]

The quiz show title Truth or AAAAHHH!! is a play on the 1940s radio quiz program Truth or Consequences.

References

  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. 214. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
  2. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 70–72. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  3. ^ "Help Wanted -- Female". Brooklyn Daily Eagle: 18. 1949-09-02.