The Daffy Duckaroo
Encyclopedia
The Daffy Duckaroo is a Warner Bros.
cartoon released in theatres in 1942, directed by Norman McCabe
and features Daffy Duck
as a crooning
cowboy
film star
. The film is set in the American West.
encampment. He is about to run away when he is wooed by an Indian girl. He serenades her and follows her into her teepee.
The Indian girl says she would love to be Daffy's girlfriend, but her boyfriend Little Beaver will never allow it. When Little Beaver arrives, Daffy hides in a dresser and emerges disguised as an Indian girl himself. Little Beaver attempts to kiss him until he discovers the disguise.
Little Beaver chases Daffy through the Painted Desert
and the Petrified Forest
until he calls for aid with smoke signals. The Indians surround Daffy's trailer and remove the tires. One Indian promptly returns them saying the tires do not fit his vehicle.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
cartoon released in theatres in 1942, directed by Norman McCabe
Norman McCabe
Norman McCabe was an American animator who enjoyed a long career which lasted into the 1990s.-Early career:...
and features Daffy Duck
Daffy 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...
as a crooning
Crooner
Crooner is an American epithet given to male singers of pop standards, mostly from the Great American Songbook, either backed by a full orchestra, a big band or by a piano. Originally it was an ironic term denoting an emphatically sentimental, often emotional singing style made possible by the use...
cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
film star
Movie star
A movie star is a celebrity who is well-known, or famous, for his or her starring, or leading, roles in motion pictures. The term may also apply to an actor or actress who is recognized as a marketable commodity and whose name is used to promote a movie in trailers and posters...
. The film is set in the American West.
Plot
On a donkey and pulling a trailer, Daffy moves from Hollywood to the American West, where he comes upon an IndianNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
encampment. He is about to run away when he is wooed by an Indian girl. He serenades her and follows her into her teepee.
The Indian girl says she would love to be Daffy's girlfriend, but her boyfriend Little Beaver will never allow it. When Little Beaver arrives, Daffy hides in a dresser and emerges disguised as an Indian girl himself. Little Beaver attempts to kiss him until he discovers the disguise.
Little Beaver chases Daffy through the Painted Desert
Painted Desert, Arizona
The Painted Desert is a area of badlands located in Northern Arizona in the United States. The Arizona desert stretches from the Grand Canyon National Park into the Petrified Forest National Park and runs roughly astride and just north of the Little Colorado and the Puerco Rivers...
and the Petrified Forest
Petrified Forest National Park
Petrified Forest National Park is a United States national park in Navajo and Apache counties in northeastern Arizona. The park's headquarters are about east of Holbrook along Interstate 40 , which parallels a railroad line, the Puerco River, and historic U.S. Route 66, all crossing the park...
until he calls for aid with smoke signals. The Indians surround Daffy's trailer and remove the tires. One Indian promptly returns them saying the tires do not fit his vehicle.
Cultural references
- Daffy Duck's character is based on the archetypal cowboy crooner (i.e., Gene AutryGene AutryOrvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
), a common trend in American film at the time. - Hooray for Hollywood is heard in the background score as images of newspapers announce Daffy's retirement from show business.
- While he rides a donkey, Daffy sings My Little Buckaroo, a song written by M.K. Jerome and Jack Scholl and recorded by many artists, including Bing CrosbyBing CrosbyHarry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
. - To serenade the Indian girl, Daffy sings Would You Like to Take a Walk? (Sump'n Good'll Come From That)Would You Like to Take a Walk?"Would You Like to Take a Walk?" is a popular song with by Harry Warren and lyrics by Mort Dixon and Billy Rose. It appeared in the Broadway show Sweet and Low starring James Barton, Fannie Brice and George Jessel. The song was published in 1930 by Remick Music Corporation...
, a song by Mort DixonMort Dixon-Biography:Born in New York, Dixon began writing songs in the early 1920s, and was active into the 1930s. He achieved success with his first published effort, 1923's "That Old Gang of Mine". His chief composer collaborators were Ray Henderson, Harry Warren, Harry M...
and Billy RoseBilly RoseWilliam "Billy" Rose was an American impresario, theatrical showman and lyricist. He is credited with many famous songs, notably "Me and My Shadow" , "It Happened in Monterey" and "It's Only a Paper Moon"...
with music by Harry WarrenHarry WarrenHarry Warren was an American composer and lyricist. Warren was the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song eleven times and won three Oscars for composing "Lullaby of Broadway", "You'll Never Know" and "On the Atchison,...
. - When Little Beaver first meets Daffy Duck (in disguise), the popular tune PlaymatesPlaymates"Playmates" may refer to:*Playmates , written in 1940*Playmates , directed by Mauritz Stiller*Playmates , starring Oliver Hardy*Playmates , starring Diana Serra Cary...
is heard in the background score. - California, Here I ComeCalifornia, Here I Come"California, Here I Come" is a song written for the 1921 Broadway musical Bombo, starring Al Jolson. The song was written by Buddy DeSylva and Joseph Meyer, with Jolson often listed as a co-author. Jolson recorded the song in 1924...
, a song recorded by Al JolsonAl JolsonAl Jolson was an American singer, comedian and actor. In his heyday, he was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer"....
and common in Warner Bros. cartoons, is heard in the background score when the camera shows a sign reading: Los Angeles City Limits. - When Daffy first meets Little Beaver, the fate motif from Ludwig van Beethoven'sLudwig van BeethovenLudwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
Symphony No. 5Symphony No. 5 (Beethoven)The Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67, was written by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1804–08. This symphony is one of the most popular and best-known compositions in all of classical music, and one of the most often played symphonies. It comprises four movements: an opening sonata, an andante, and a fast...
is heard in the background score. - Little Beaver frequently places a "-um" at the end of his words, i.e. follow-um car!. This is a common racial stereotype of Native Americans.
Links
- Free download of the PD original version (B & W) The Daffy Duckaroo at Internet Archive