Nasty Canasta
Encyclopedia
Nasty Canasta is a character in the Merrie Melodies
and Looney Tunes
series who made appearances in three cartoons. Created by animator Chuck Jones
, Canasta is depicted as a tough, hulking, and brutish-looking outlaw. He was originally voiced by John T. Smith, then Mel Blanc
took the role for his second appearance, with Daws Butler
voicing him in Barbary Coast Bunny
.
Drip-Along Daffy
Daffy Duck
is about to take a drink at the bar when Nasty Canasta, playing on the flatness of two-dimensional animation, walks in past his 'Wanted' poster. Daffy tries to intimidate Canasta with his gun, but Canasta just bites off most of the gun and swallows it ("Hmm. Probably didn't have his iron today!"). Canasta then intimidates Daffy with a drink made of various poisons and toxic materials (so 'hot', when two ice cubes are put in, the ice cubes jump out, yelping). Canasta downs the drink with no side effects (other than his hat flipping), and when Daffy gets Porky to take the drink with seemingly no side effects, Daffy downs his as well. A few seconds later, Daffy and Porky exhibit wild side effects, turning green, reciting Mary Had a Little Lamb in childish voice and mannerism, and acting like they're both motorized. Eventually, Daffy challenges Canasta to a showdown in the street. Daffy and Canasta start walking towards each other, the street deserted, when Porky winds up a small British soldier doll and lets it go towards Canasta. Canasta picks up the doll, chuckling, until the doll points its gun at Canasta and fires, sending Canasta to the ground.
The townspeople come out cheering, and Daffy assumes that they are cheering for him, but Porky is the hero of the hour. The next day, Daffy is shown wearing a sanitation worker's uniform and pushing a dumpster, and comments about how he has cleaned up the 'one-horse town'. Porky, now the town sheriff, comments 'Lucky for him it is a one horse town.'
My Little Duckaroo
Canasta returns in My Little Duckaroo
. When we first see Nasty Canasta he is sitting peacefully at a table playing cards. Upon proclaiming himself the Masked Avenger, Daffy fails to grab the attention of Canasta (stating "Didn't you hear me, I said I was the Masked Avenger. Look, see my mask? It's a very nice mask."), who still sits peacefully at his table dealing cards. Daffy then vies for the attention of Canasta, leaving the scene and returning first as the whip-wielding (and stereotypically Mexican) "Frisco Kid", then in a suit reminiscent of Superman's as "Superguy." Again failing to grab his attention, Daffy suggests other identities he could take, names parodying heroes of the time ("Captain Hideo? The Green Fathom? Mark of Zero?"), but none interest Canasta. He finally grabs the attention of Canasta after offering a helpful suggestion to his card game ("Say, why don't you play your red jack on the black queen?"). Challenged to play cards, Daffy departs and returns in new cowboy garb (but sans mask), confident of victory. What follows is the humiliation of Daffy again and again through different gags and challenges. First Daffy is asked if he plays cards, to which the game is ended abruptly when Canasta cuts the deck with a meat cleaver. Canasta then sends Daffy through the table in response to Daffy's challenge to an arm wrestling match, to which Daffy responds, 'I think you're pretty tough, don't I?'. Porky then suggests to Daffy that he should just arrest him, to which Daffy agrees ('well, you may have something there comedy relief'). But when Daffy puts Canasta in irons and tries to take him away, he finds that he can't move Canasta from the spot he is standing. Daffy then gets annoyed and angry, to which he responds by telling Canasta that he is going to give him a fist beating. Porky's encouragement of Daffy ('telling him to fix Canasta's little red wagon') only ends badly for Daffy, as we see Canasta rip his shirt right off just by flexing his muscles before beating up Daffy, who staggers away broken and defeated, describing Canasta's little red wagon's condition in terms like it was literally a child's broken down toy and announces that he's now going home to mother, before collapsing.
Barbary Coast Bunny
In Barbary Coast Bunny
, a rather different version of Nasty Canasta—now with a dopier look complete with pudgy lip
s and crooked teeth (and voiced not by Mel Blanc
, but by Daws Butler
)--steals gold from Bugs Bunny
. That prompts Bugs to say, "You do realize that it is not going to go unchallenged." Six months later Nasty Canasta uses the ill-gotten gold to erect a rigged casino. Bugs is disguised as a rube and appears to believe that a slot machine is a "tele-o-phone." He asks his mom for more money. The machine rings up a jackpot and a barrel of money comes out, to Canasta's shock. Bugs says "Gee, thanks Mom!" and wheels away his winnings in his bag. Seeing this, Nasty challenges Bugs to a series of crooked card games such as blackjack
in hopes of parting Bugs from his winnings. Bugs continuously (though seemingly naively) defeats him. Nasty Canasta also rigs a roulette wheel, but it somehow fails when Bugs decided to play number 23 and wins; in the last round Nasty almost wins when the ball lands on a different number than 23 - which Nasty had blocked; however Nasty thinking he wins hits the table so hard that the ball lands in 23. Bugs ultimately gets revenge by rendering Canasta flat broke
. Nasty tries to rob Bugs - who spins the pistol which shoots coins. Nasty tries to spin coins from the gun as well - and gets blasted.
episode "B2 or Not B2" voiced by Jim Cummings
. Unlike his other appearances, Nasty does not play a villainous role here. Instead, he is a champion bingo player, alongside his wife Inga. They are soon both put out of commission by the episode's antagonist.
Nasty Canasta appears in Duck Dodgers
TV series voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson
.
Nasty Canasta appears in Looney Tunes: Back in Action
in his look from Drip-Along Daffy, voiced by Jeff Bennett
. He works alongside Yosemite Sam and Cottontail Smith to obtain the map to the Blue Monkey Diamond from DJ Drake.
Nasty Canasta appears as a boss character in Bugs Bunny Rabbit Rampage
, and an NPC in Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal
.
Nasty Canasta will appear in The Looney Tunes Show
episode "The Mystery in the Train" voiced by Jeff Bennett
.
Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies is the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures between 1931 and 1969.Originally produced by Harman-Ising Pictures, Merrie Melodies were produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions from 1933 to 1944. Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. in 1944,...
and Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
series who made appearances in three cartoons. Created by animator Chuck Jones
Chuck Jones
Charles Martin "Chuck" Jones was an American animator, cartoon artist, screenwriter, producer, and director of animated films, most memorably of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts for the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio...
, Canasta is depicted as a tough, hulking, and brutish-looking outlaw. He was originally voiced by John T. Smith, then Mel Blanc
Mel Blanc
Melvin Jerome "Mel" Blanc was an American voice actor and comedian. Although he began his nearly six-decade-long career performing in radio commercials, Blanc is best remembered for his work with Warner Bros...
took the role for his second appearance, with Daws Butler
Daws Butler
Charles Dawson "Daws" Butler was a voice actor originally from Toledo, Ohio. He worked mostly for Hanna-Barbera and originated the voices of many famous animated cartoon characters, including Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw, Snagglepuss, and Huckleberry Hound.Daws Butler trained many working actors...
voicing him in Barbary Coast Bunny
Barbary Coast Bunny
Barbary Coast Bunny is a 1956 Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon short produced by Edward Selzer. It was directed by Chuck Jones and written by Tedd Pierce....
.
Drip-Along DaffyDrip-Along DaffyDrip-Along Daffy is a Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoon short released in 1951, directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese....
(1951)
Daffy DuckDaffy Duck
Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons, often running the gamut between being the best friend and sometimes arch-rival of Bugs Bunny...
is about to take a drink at the bar when Nasty Canasta, playing on the flatness of two-dimensional animation, walks in past his 'Wanted' poster. Daffy tries to intimidate Canasta with his gun, but Canasta just bites off most of the gun and swallows it ("Hmm. Probably didn't have his iron today!"). Canasta then intimidates Daffy with a drink made of various poisons and toxic materials (so 'hot', when two ice cubes are put in, the ice cubes jump out, yelping). Canasta downs the drink with no side effects (other than his hat flipping), and when Daffy gets Porky to take the drink with seemingly no side effects, Daffy downs his as well. A few seconds later, Daffy and Porky exhibit wild side effects, turning green, reciting Mary Had a Little Lamb in childish voice and mannerism, and acting like they're both motorized. Eventually, Daffy challenges Canasta to a showdown in the street. Daffy and Canasta start walking towards each other, the street deserted, when Porky winds up a small British soldier doll and lets it go towards Canasta. Canasta picks up the doll, chuckling, until the doll points its gun at Canasta and fires, sending Canasta to the ground.
The townspeople come out cheering, and Daffy assumes that they are cheering for him, but Porky is the hero of the hour. The next day, Daffy is shown wearing a sanitation worker's uniform and pushing a dumpster, and comments about how he has cleaned up the 'one-horse town'. Porky, now the town sheriff, comments 'Lucky for him it is a one horse town.'
My Little DuckarooMy Little DuckarooMy Little Duckaroo is a 1954 Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon short produced by Edward Selzer. It was directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese....
(1954)
Canasta returns in My Little DuckarooMy Little Duckaroo
My Little Duckaroo is a 1954 Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon short produced by Edward Selzer. It was directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese....
. When we first see Nasty Canasta he is sitting peacefully at a table playing cards. Upon proclaiming himself the Masked Avenger, Daffy fails to grab the attention of Canasta (stating "Didn't you hear me, I said I was the Masked Avenger. Look, see my mask? It's a very nice mask."), who still sits peacefully at his table dealing cards. Daffy then vies for the attention of Canasta, leaving the scene and returning first as the whip-wielding (and stereotypically Mexican) "Frisco Kid", then in a suit reminiscent of Superman's as "Superguy." Again failing to grab his attention, Daffy suggests other identities he could take, names parodying heroes of the time ("Captain Hideo? The Green Fathom? Mark of Zero?"), but none interest Canasta. He finally grabs the attention of Canasta after offering a helpful suggestion to his card game ("Say, why don't you play your red jack on the black queen?"). Challenged to play cards, Daffy departs and returns in new cowboy garb (but sans mask), confident of victory. What follows is the humiliation of Daffy again and again through different gags and challenges. First Daffy is asked if he plays cards, to which the game is ended abruptly when Canasta cuts the deck with a meat cleaver. Canasta then sends Daffy through the table in response to Daffy's challenge to an arm wrestling match, to which Daffy responds, 'I think you're pretty tough, don't I?'. Porky then suggests to Daffy that he should just arrest him, to which Daffy agrees ('well, you may have something there comedy relief'). But when Daffy puts Canasta in irons and tries to take him away, he finds that he can't move Canasta from the spot he is standing. Daffy then gets annoyed and angry, to which he responds by telling Canasta that he is going to give him a fist beating. Porky's encouragement of Daffy ('telling him to fix Canasta's little red wagon') only ends badly for Daffy, as we see Canasta rip his shirt right off just by flexing his muscles before beating up Daffy, who staggers away broken and defeated, describing Canasta's little red wagon's condition in terms like it was literally a child's broken down toy and announces that he's now going home to mother, before collapsing.
Barbary Coast BunnyBarbary Coast BunnyBarbary Coast Bunny is a 1956 Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon short produced by Edward Selzer. It was directed by Chuck Jones and written by Tedd Pierce....
(1956)
In Barbary Coast BunnyBarbary Coast Bunny
Barbary Coast Bunny is a 1956 Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon short produced by Edward Selzer. It was directed by Chuck Jones and written by Tedd Pierce....
, a rather different version of Nasty Canasta—now with a dopier look complete with pudgy lip
Lip
Lips are a visible body part at the mouth of humans and many animals. Lips are soft, movable, and serve as the opening for food intake and in the articulation of sound and speech...
s and crooked teeth (and voiced not by Mel Blanc
Mel Blanc
Melvin Jerome "Mel" Blanc was an American voice actor and comedian. Although he began his nearly six-decade-long career performing in radio commercials, Blanc is best remembered for his work with Warner Bros...
, but by Daws Butler
Daws Butler
Charles Dawson "Daws" Butler was a voice actor originally from Toledo, Ohio. He worked mostly for Hanna-Barbera and originated the voices of many famous animated cartoon characters, including Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw, Snagglepuss, and Huckleberry Hound.Daws Butler trained many working actors...
)--steals gold from Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is a animated character created in 1938 at Leon Schlesinger Productions, later Warner Bros. Cartoons. Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray rabbit and is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality and his portrayal as a trickster. He has primarily appeared in animated cartoons, most...
. That prompts Bugs to say, "You do realize that it is not going to go unchallenged." Six months later Nasty Canasta uses the ill-gotten gold to erect a rigged casino. Bugs is disguised as a rube and appears to believe that a slot machine is a "tele-o-phone." He asks his mom for more money. The machine rings up a jackpot and a barrel of money comes out, to Canasta's shock. Bugs says "Gee, thanks Mom!" and wheels away his winnings in his bag. Seeing this, Nasty challenges Bugs to a series of crooked card games such as blackjack
Blackjack
Blackjack, also known as Twenty-one or Vingt-et-un , is the most widely played casino banking game in the world...
in hopes of parting Bugs from his winnings. Bugs continuously (though seemingly naively) defeats him. Nasty Canasta also rigs a roulette wheel, but it somehow fails when Bugs decided to play number 23 and wins; in the last round Nasty almost wins when the ball lands on a different number than 23 - which Nasty had blocked; however Nasty thinking he wins hits the table so hard that the ball lands in 23. Bugs ultimately gets revenge by rendering Canasta flat broke
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
. Nasty tries to rob Bugs - who spins the pistol which shoots coins. Nasty tries to spin coins from the gun as well - and gets blasted.
Other appearances
Nasty Canasta appeared in The Sylvester and Tweety MysteriesThe Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries
The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries, produced by Warner Bros. Animation, is an animated television series which aired from 1995 to 2001 on Kids' WB and was later re-run on Cartoon Network...
episode "B2 or Not B2" voiced by Jim Cummings
Jim Cummings
James Jonah "Jim" Cummings is an American voice actor who has appeared in almost 100 roles. He has appeared in classic animated movies such as Aladdin and The Lion King, as well as taking on roles in more current films, such as Bee Movie, Princess and the Frog, and Winnie the Pooh.-Personal...
. Unlike his other appearances, Nasty does not play a villainous role here. Instead, he is a champion bingo player, alongside his wife Inga. They are soon both put out of commission by the episode's antagonist.
Nasty Canasta appears in Duck Dodgers
Duck Dodgers (TV series)
Duck Dodgers is an American animated television series, based on the classic cartoon short Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century, produced by Warner Bros. Animation from 2003 to 2005. The series aired on Cartoon Network and starred Daffy Duck as the titular character...
TV series voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson
Kevin Michael Richardson
Kevin Michael Richardson is an American actor and voice actor who currently stars as Cleveland Brown, Jr. in The Cleveland Show...
.
Nasty Canasta appears in Looney Tunes: Back in Action
Looney Tunes: Back in Action
Looney Tunes: Back in Action is a 2003 American live action/animated adventure comedy film directed by Joe Dante and starring Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman, Timothy Dalton, and Steve Martin. The film is essentially a feature-length Looney Tunes cartoon, with all the wackiness and surrealism typical...
in his look from Drip-Along Daffy, voiced by Jeff Bennett
Jeff Bennett
Jeffrey Glenn "Jeff" Bennett is an American voice actor and musician, listed "among the top names in the voice-over field", best known as the voice of Johnny Bravo in the series of the same name...
. He works alongside Yosemite Sam and Cottontail Smith to obtain the map to the Blue Monkey Diamond from DJ Drake.
Nasty Canasta appears as a boss character in Bugs Bunny Rabbit Rampage
Bugs Bunny Rabbit Rampage
Bugs Bunny Rabbit Rampage is a Super NES action video game where the player controls Bugs Bunny as he fights traditional Looney Tunes villains in order to confront the main villain of the story, animator Daffy Duck...
, and an NPC in Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal
Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal
Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal is a third-person, action-adventure game developed for the Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 2.-Story:The Evil Dr. Frankenbeans has built robots of extraordinary power. Dr...
.
Nasty Canasta will appear in The Looney Tunes Show
The Looney Tunes Show
The Looney Tunes Show is a packaged show, created for Cartoon Network, and broadcast from 2002 to 2005. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation. The show featured cartoon shorts from the original Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoon series produced from 1930 to 1969.-External links:...
episode "The Mystery in the Train" voiced by Jeff Bennett
Jeff Bennett
Jeffrey Glenn "Jeff" Bennett is an American voice actor and musician, listed "among the top names in the voice-over field", best known as the voice of Johnny Bravo in the series of the same name...
.