Lucky Ducky (cartoon)
Encyclopedia
Lucky Ducky is a 1948
American animated cartoon
from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
. It was directed by Tex Avery
, animated by Walt Clinton (here credited as Walter Clinton), Preston Blair, Louie Schmitt, and Grant Simmons, and musical direction by Scott Bradley
.
This short was originally in development as a George and Junior
entry, but was ultimately produced with two random dog characters.
Dedicated
to those duck hunters
who leave at dawn
with loaded gun...
and come home late loaded...
Many ducks are swimming and flying around a pond. They are also doing a conga line
around two dogs who are hunting, waiting in their boat. Nearby at a tree, a sign reads "No Hunting Before 6:AM. Just then, the clock strikes six, and all the ducks fly away before the two dogs have the chance to shoot one. Then, the dogs spot a mother duck having her nest strapped to herself. The dogs miss the shot, and the strap breaks, as the egg hatches, and it flies down onto the boat. The egg hatches out the duckling's feet and head. Just then, it starts dancing and taking off the egg shell, and jumps into the water. The two dogs point their guns into the water, but no shooting is heard. The dogs lift their guns, revealing that the duckling had tied the point of their guns together in a knot. The duckling laughs and jumps back into the water. The duckling goes under the boat and pulls out a drill, and puts a hole in the boat. The dogs notice the leaking, and the small dog covers the hole with his hands. Water starts coming out of his ears and the big dog covers the small dog's ears with his hands. Suddenly, water starts coming out of the big dog's ears, and the small dog stops the water by using the big dog's nose like a faucet. The small dog uncovers the hole, and the duckling honks his nose, laughs, and dives back in. The small dog points his gun into the hole, but the duckling snaps it shut with a clip. The small dog pulls up his gun, and the big dog lets go of the clip, and the gun explodes in the small dog's face. The duckling then lifts the boat and hits it against the water. The duckling laughs and swims away. The small dog then heads to the motor, but the engine just won't start. The big dog then lifts the anchor, and uses the small dog's head to start the boat. The duckling screams and quickly swims off. The boat's engine then cuts the water in half. Then the duckling goes across a land with a tree at shore. The boat's engine then cuts the land in half, and the tree sinks. The duckling walks across a log, and the boat's engine then makes it a wooden bridge. Then the duckling climbs a tree fallen on another tree. Then the boat's engine makes the two trees a staircase and a ladder. The duckling goes across a rock mountain, and the engine makes the mountain Mount Rushmore
. The duckling and the boat go into a hole in a tree, and goes through another tree that has a hole. The duckling passes between two trees. The big tree suddenly lifts the small tree before the engine can do something to it. The duckling then has a hard time crossing a pile of mud. Then, the boat stops. The two dogs lift the boat and goes through the mud. Then the chase continues. The boat then gets flattened by two trees that are too close to each other. Then the duckling, the dogs, and the boat crash into a rock, getting flattened. Then they get back into their normal shape, and the chase goes on. Then they stop to see a sign that says "Stop School Crossing". Then, the actual schoolhouse crosses the road. Then the chase continues. Then as they enter the forest, everything turns black and white. Then, they spot a sign they have passed that says "Technicolor
Ends Here". Then the chase continues, back in color. The duckling then stops at the edge of a cliff, and spots the big dog. Then the duckling pulls out a bottle of "Quick Grow", and makes a small plant grow into a tree, making the big dog crash. The duckling climbs the tree, and laughs. The big dog then grabs an ax, and then puts it down to spit on his hands. The little dog comes back, and the big dog uses him as an ax. The big dog notices this, and puts the little dog down. Then the little dog spits out a little pile of logs.
Back at the pond, the big dog is sniffing out the scent of the duckling. He then sniffs into a patch of grass. The duckling then dumps pepper onto the big dog's nose. Then, just as the big dog was about to sneeze in front of the little dog, the duckling gives him a pie. The big dog then sneezes. The big dog then sees that the cherries and the whip cream of the pie has made the small dog have an outfit of Santa Claus
.
The duckling jumps into a hole in a log. The big dog then reaches his hand into the log, but the duckling makes a slingshot, slinging the big dog's hand into his head. The big dog then points his gun towards the hole, but the duckling pulls out a frightening mask, making the gun shrink. The duckling laughs and zooms off. The big dog then grabs the little dog's gun, but it doesn't shoot. The big dog pulls out the bullet, and hands it to the little dog. Then, the little dog gets shot in the face, leaving him in blackface
. The little dog hands the big dog the bullet, and then the big dog gets left in blackface.
The duckling, meanwhile, is leaving it's footprints in the ground. The dogs then follow them. Then their guns point to where the duckling is: in three different paths. The small dog then gets out a duck call
. The small dog then blows through the duck call, and then the duckling blows through a smaller duck call and zooms off. The dogs then zoom off. The duckling then gets back into the water, and screams and swim off when he sees the dogs back on their boat. Then the duckling stops and pulls out a sign that says "STOP" to the dogs. Then, just as the dogs were about to shoot, the duckling points to the clock, this time with a sign that says "No Shooting After 5:PM". Then the clock points to five, and the ducks come back, swimming, flying and doing another conga line. Meanwhile, on the boat, the duckling has now joined the conga line as the camera irises out on it.
1948 in film
The year 1948 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Laurence Olivier's Hamlet becomes the first British film to win the American Academy Award for Best Picture.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :...
American animated cartoon
Animated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
. It was directed by Tex Avery
Tex Avery
Frederick Bean "Fred/Tex" Avery was an American animator, cartoonist, voice actor and director, famous for producing animated cartoons during The Golden Age of Hollywood animation. He did his most significant work for the Warner Bros...
, animated by Walt Clinton (here credited as Walter Clinton), Preston Blair, Louie Schmitt, and Grant Simmons, and musical direction by Scott Bradley
Scott Bradley
Scott Bradley was an American composer, pianist and conductor.Bradley is best remembered for scoring the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer theatrical cartoons, including those starring Tom and Jerry , Droopy , Barney Bear , and the many one-shot cartoons.Bradley was a...
.
This short was originally in development as a George and Junior
George and Junior
George and Junior was a short-lived animation cartoon series by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. All of the original, 1940s shorts were directed by Tex Avery, who based them on George and Lennie from John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men...
entry, but was ultimately produced with two random dog characters.
Plot synopsis
The foreword of the cartoon tells:Dedicated
to those duck hunters
who leave at dawn
with loaded gun...
and come home late loaded...
Many ducks are swimming and flying around a pond. They are also doing a conga line
Conga Line
The conga line is a Cuban carnival march that was first developed in Cuba and became popular in the United States in the 1930s and 1950s. The dancers form a long, processing line. It has three shuffle steps on the beat, followed by a kick that is slightly ahead of the fourth beat...
around two dogs who are hunting, waiting in their boat. Nearby at a tree, a sign reads "No Hunting Before 6:AM. Just then, the clock strikes six, and all the ducks fly away before the two dogs have the chance to shoot one. Then, the dogs spot a mother duck having her nest strapped to herself. The dogs miss the shot, and the strap breaks, as the egg hatches, and it flies down onto the boat. The egg hatches out the duckling's feet and head. Just then, it starts dancing and taking off the egg shell, and jumps into the water. The two dogs point their guns into the water, but no shooting is heard. The dogs lift their guns, revealing that the duckling had tied the point of their guns together in a knot. The duckling laughs and jumps back into the water. The duckling goes under the boat and pulls out a drill, and puts a hole in the boat. The dogs notice the leaking, and the small dog covers the hole with his hands. Water starts coming out of his ears and the big dog covers the small dog's ears with his hands. Suddenly, water starts coming out of the big dog's ears, and the small dog stops the water by using the big dog's nose like a faucet. The small dog uncovers the hole, and the duckling honks his nose, laughs, and dives back in. The small dog points his gun into the hole, but the duckling snaps it shut with a clip. The small dog pulls up his gun, and the big dog lets go of the clip, and the gun explodes in the small dog's face. The duckling then lifts the boat and hits it against the water. The duckling laughs and swims away. The small dog then heads to the motor, but the engine just won't start. The big dog then lifts the anchor, and uses the small dog's head to start the boat. The duckling screams and quickly swims off. The boat's engine then cuts the water in half. Then the duckling goes across a land with a tree at shore. The boat's engine then cuts the land in half, and the tree sinks. The duckling walks across a log, and the boat's engine then makes it a wooden bridge. Then the duckling climbs a tree fallen on another tree. Then the boat's engine makes the two trees a staircase and a ladder. The duckling goes across a rock mountain, and the engine makes the mountain Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore near Keystone, South Dakota, in the United States...
. The duckling and the boat go into a hole in a tree, and goes through another tree that has a hole. The duckling passes between two trees. The big tree suddenly lifts the small tree before the engine can do something to it. The duckling then has a hard time crossing a pile of mud. Then, the boat stops. The two dogs lift the boat and goes through the mud. Then the chase continues. The boat then gets flattened by two trees that are too close to each other. Then the duckling, the dogs, and the boat crash into a rock, getting flattened. Then they get back into their normal shape, and the chase goes on. Then they stop to see a sign that says "Stop School Crossing". Then, the actual schoolhouse crosses the road. Then the chase continues. Then as they enter the forest, everything turns black and white. Then, they spot a sign they have passed that says "Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
Ends Here". Then the chase continues, back in color. The duckling then stops at the edge of a cliff, and spots the big dog. Then the duckling pulls out a bottle of "Quick Grow", and makes a small plant grow into a tree, making the big dog crash. The duckling climbs the tree, and laughs. The big dog then grabs an ax, and then puts it down to spit on his hands. The little dog comes back, and the big dog uses him as an ax. The big dog notices this, and puts the little dog down. Then the little dog spits out a little pile of logs.
Back at the pond, the big dog is sniffing out the scent of the duckling. He then sniffs into a patch of grass. The duckling then dumps pepper onto the big dog's nose. Then, just as the big dog was about to sneeze in front of the little dog, the duckling gives him a pie. The big dog then sneezes. The big dog then sees that the cherries and the whip cream of the pie has made the small dog have an outfit of Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
.
The duckling jumps into a hole in a log. The big dog then reaches his hand into the log, but the duckling makes a slingshot, slinging the big dog's hand into his head. The big dog then points his gun towards the hole, but the duckling pulls out a frightening mask, making the gun shrink. The duckling laughs and zooms off. The big dog then grabs the little dog's gun, but it doesn't shoot. The big dog pulls out the bullet, and hands it to the little dog. Then, the little dog gets shot in the face, leaving him in blackface
Blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...
. The little dog hands the big dog the bullet, and then the big dog gets left in blackface.
The duckling, meanwhile, is leaving it's footprints in the ground. The dogs then follow them. Then their guns point to where the duckling is: in three different paths. The small dog then gets out a duck call
Duck call
A Duck call may refer to either the process by which a hunter lures waterfowl, or the actual tool that he uses to do so.-Process:Duck calling is the process in which a hunter uses a tool also known as a "duck call" to emulate the sound of a duck as a means to draw them closer.-Tool:As a tool, a...
. The small dog then blows through the duck call, and then the duckling blows through a smaller duck call and zooms off. The dogs then zoom off. The duckling then gets back into the water, and screams and swim off when he sees the dogs back on their boat. Then the duckling stops and pulls out a sign that says "STOP" to the dogs. Then, just as the dogs were about to shoot, the duckling points to the clock, this time with a sign that says "No Shooting After 5:PM". Then the clock points to five, and the ducks come back, swimming, flying and doing another conga line. Meanwhile, on the boat, the duckling has now joined the conga line as the camera irises out on it.
Censorship
- When aired on Cartoon NetworkCartoon NetworkCartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
, the entire scene when the hunter dogs were in blackface was removed.