The Ducksters
Encyclopedia
The Ducksters is a Warner Bros.
Looney Tunes
theatrical cartoon short animated in 1949 and released in 1950. It was directed by Chuck Jones
and written by Michael Maltese
. The title is a pun on The Hucksters
, a 1947 film.
is on a radio
quiz show
called "Truth or AAAAHHH!!", a parody of the popular quiz show Truth or Consequences
hosted by Daffy Duck
, sponsored by "Eagle Hand Laundry" ("If your eagle's hands are dirty, we'll wash them clean!"), and broadcasted by the Ajax Broadcasting Company, in which the object is to answer near-impossible questions, such as "Who, mind you WHO, was the referee for the New Zealand heavyweight championship fight in 1726?" (Oddly, Porky actually knew it was "Arbuckle Dreen," and even knew that Dreen's Second Grade teacher was "Abigail Twitch."). Failing to answer the other questions required him to "pay the penalty". (Although, when Daffy asks who the first president of the United States was, Porky states that the answer is simple, but his stuttering prevents him from answering the question in time.). These penalties include Porky being crushed by the Rock of Gibraltar
, rained upon by Niagara Falls
, tied up and blown up with dynamite
, pounded with a mallet, threatened by a buzz saw, crushed by a safe, and other forms of abuse, to Daffy's amusement. Eventually, after a particularly snide line from Daffy ("Look, Mac. You got 32 teeth. Would you like to try for 16?"), Porky threatens to retaliate, forcing Daffy to offer his final challenge for a huge jackpot. Porky is invited to meet a celebrity "Miss Shush", but it's revealed to be one final torture by Daffy; Miss Shush is really a gorilla
who proceeds to maul Porky. Porky eventually emerges and advances on Daffy menacingly, and Daffy finally gives in: awarding Porky the jackpot of 26 million dollars and three cents. Porky immediately contacts the Ajax Broadcasting Company and, upon learning that they will sell for the exact amount of the jackpot, buys it out. Now Daffy's boss, Porky takes over the quiz show and then asks Daffy, "What latitude and longitude did The Wreck of the Hesperus
occur?". Daffy fails to answer, and as a result, Porky submits Daffy to the same "penalties" that he had received earlier. Daffy is then tied to a long plank being cut by the same buzz saw Porky was on to begin the cartoon, quickly irising out after Daffy screams at his studio audience, "Have you got a doctor in the balcony, lady?!" (This line was a takeoff of another radio quiz show, Doctor IQ
, where the announcer would note "I have a lady in the balcony, doctor" to introduce a new contestant.)
, a satirical novel about the advertising business that was made into a 1947 live-action film starring Clark Gable
.
There are several references to well-known people in this cartoon
, such as Eli Whitney
, George Washington
, and even Lauren Bacall
.
A reference to one of the "Censored Eleven
" shorts, 1938's Jungle Jitters
, pops up, but the context makes it clear that Daffy is referring to a different (presumably fictitious) film by the same name, since the original cartoon did not feature any character fitting the description of "Mamie, the 600-pound gorilla
", whom Daffy claims starred in Jungle Jitters.
This is one of several post-1948 Warner Bros. cartoons whose original title cards have been cut and replaced in the Blue Ribbon reissue version. In such films, the Blue Ribbon Merrie Melodies title fades to a replaced title card, which then cuts to the credits from the original version. In all other post-1948 films reissues, the Blue Ribbon title cuts right to the original title card. It remains unknown why such edits were made (most probably to fit in the 1.85:1 (Panavision
) or 2:1 (SuperScope) ratios, noting that those cartoons were reissued during the late 1950s, when widescreen was the new standard) , as no one has been able to recover any original prints of most such cartoons.
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,...
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...
theatrical cartoon short animated in 1949 and released in 1950. It was directed by 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...
and written by Michael Maltese
Michael Maltese
Michael "Mike" Maltese was a long-time storyboard artist and screenwriter for classic animated cartoon shorts.-Career:...
. The title is a pun on The Hucksters
The Hucksters
The Hucksters is a 1947 MGM film directed by Jack Conway and starring Clark Gable that marked the debut of Deborah Kerr in an American film. It also featured Sydney Greenstreet, Adolphe Menjou, Keenan Wynn, Edward Arnold and Ava Gardner...
, a 1947 film.
Synopsis
Porky PigPorky Pig
Porky Pig is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. He was the first character created by the studio to draw audiences based on his star power, and the animators created many critically acclaimed shorts using the fat little pig...
is on a radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
quiz show
Quiz Show
Quiz Show is a 1994 American historical drama film produced and directed by Robert Redford. Adapted by Paul Attanasio from Richard Goodwin's memoir Remembering America, the film is based upon the Twenty One quiz show scandal of the 1950s...
called "Truth or AAAAHHH!!", a parody of the popular quiz show Truth or Consequences
Truth or Consequences
Truth or Consequences is an American quiz show originally hosted on NBC radio by Ralph Edwards and later on television by Edwards , Jack Bailey , Bob Barker , Bob Hilton and Larry Anderson . The television show ran on CBS, NBC and also in syndication...
hosted by 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...
, sponsored by "Eagle Hand Laundry" ("If your eagle's hands are dirty, we'll wash them clean!"), and broadcasted by the Ajax Broadcasting Company, in which the object is to answer near-impossible questions, such as "Who, mind you WHO, was the referee for the New Zealand heavyweight championship fight in 1726?" (Oddly, Porky actually knew it was "Arbuckle Dreen," and even knew that Dreen's Second Grade teacher was "Abigail Twitch."). Failing to answer the other questions required him to "pay the penalty". (Although, when Daffy asks who the first president of the United States was, Porky states that the answer is simple, but his stuttering prevents him from answering the question in time.). These penalties include Porky being crushed by the Rock of Gibraltar
Rock of Gibraltar
The Rock of Gibraltar is a monolithic limestone promontory located in Gibraltar, off the southwestern tip of Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. It is high...
, rained upon by Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
, tied up and blown up with dynamite
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
, pounded with a mallet, threatened by a buzz saw, crushed by a safe, and other forms of abuse, to Daffy's amusement. Eventually, after a particularly snide line from Daffy ("Look, Mac. You got 32 teeth. Would you like to try for 16?"), Porky threatens to retaliate, forcing Daffy to offer his final challenge for a huge jackpot. Porky is invited to meet a celebrity "Miss Shush", but it's revealed to be one final torture by Daffy; Miss Shush is really a gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
who proceeds to maul Porky. Porky eventually emerges and advances on Daffy menacingly, and Daffy finally gives in: awarding Porky the jackpot of 26 million dollars and three cents. Porky immediately contacts the Ajax Broadcasting Company and, upon learning that they will sell for the exact amount of the jackpot, buys it out. Now Daffy's boss, Porky takes over the quiz show and then asks Daffy, "What latitude and longitude did The Wreck of the Hesperus
The Wreck of the Hesperus
"The Wreck of the Hesperus" is a dramatic poem by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, first published in Ballads and Other Poems in 1842.-Overview:...
occur?". Daffy fails to answer, and as a result, Porky submits Daffy to the same "penalties" that he had received earlier. Daffy is then tied to a long plank being cut by the same buzz saw Porky was on to begin the cartoon, quickly irising out after Daffy screams at his studio audience, "Have you got a doctor in the balcony, lady?!" (This line was a takeoff of another radio quiz show, Doctor IQ
Doctor IQ
Dr. I.Q. was a radio and television quiz program. Remembered as radio's first major quiz show, it popularized the catch phrase "I have a lady in the balcony, Doctor."-Radio:...
, where the announcer would note "I have a lady in the balcony, doctor" to introduce a new contestant.)
Production details
The cartoon's title is a play on The HuckstersThe Hucksters
The Hucksters is a 1947 MGM film directed by Jack Conway and starring Clark Gable that marked the debut of Deborah Kerr in an American film. It also featured Sydney Greenstreet, Adolphe Menjou, Keenan Wynn, Edward Arnold and Ava Gardner...
, a satirical novel about the advertising business that was made into a 1947 live-action film starring Clark Gable
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
.
There are several references to well-known people in this cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
, such as Eli Whitney
Eli Whitney
Eli Whitney was an American inventor best known for inventing the cotton gin. This was one of the key inventions of the Industrial Revolution and shaped the economy of the Antebellum South...
, George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
, and even Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall is an American film and stage actress and model, known for her distinctive husky voice and sultry looks.She first emerged as leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have And Have Not and continued on in the film noir genre, with appearances in The Big Sleep and Dark Passage ,...
.
A reference to one of the "Censored Eleven
Censored Eleven
The Censored Eleven is a group of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons that were withheld from syndication by United Artists in 1968...
" shorts, 1938's Jungle Jitters
Jungle Jitters
Jungle Jitters is a one-reel animated cartoon short subject in the Merrie Melodies series, produced in Technicolor and released to theatres on February 19, 1938 by Warner Bros. Pictures and The Vitaphone Corporation. It was produced by Leon Schlesinger and directed by Friz Freleng, with musical...
, pops up, but the context makes it clear that Daffy is referring to a different (presumably fictitious) film by the same name, since the original cartoon did not feature any character fitting the description of "Mamie, the 600-pound gorilla
Gorilla
Gorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
", whom Daffy claims starred in Jungle Jitters.
This is one of several post-1948 Warner Bros. cartoons whose original title cards have been cut and replaced in the Blue Ribbon reissue version. In such films, the Blue Ribbon Merrie Melodies title fades to a replaced title card, which then cuts to the credits from the original version. In all other post-1948 films reissues, the Blue Ribbon title cuts right to the original title card. It remains unknown why such edits were made (most probably to fit in the 1.85:1 (Panavision
Panavision
Panavision is an American motion picture equipment company specializing in cameras and lenses, based in Woodland Hills, California. Formed by Robert Gottschalk as a small partnership to create anamorphic projection lenses during the widescreen boom in the 1950s, Panavision expanded its product...
) or 2:1 (SuperScope) ratios, noting that those cartoons were reissued during the late 1950s, when widescreen was the new standard) , as no one has been able to recover any original prints of most such cartoons.
Censorship
- When the American children's channel NickelodeonNickelodeonNickelodeon is a US cable TV channel.Nickelodeon may also refer to:-In television:*Spinoffs of the Nickelodeon channel:** Nickelodeon Magazine, a children's magazine.** Nickelodeon Universe, an amusement park....
aired this cartoon as part of its Looney Tunes on Nickelodeon program, a scene where Daffy asks Porky if he'd like to continue with the game, to which an audience member shouts, "You'll be sorry", prompting Daffy to shoot the man dead, was cut.