The Great Piggy Bank Robbery
Encyclopedia
The Great Piggy Bank Robbery is a Warner Brothers Looney Tunes
theatrical cartoon short, produced in early 1945, and released in 1946. It was directed by Robert Clampett, and features Daffy Duck
in Clampett's penultimate Warner cartoon and final Daffy Duck cartoon, produced shortly before he left the studio.
waits for his new Dick Tracy
comic book to the tune of Raymond Scott
's song "Powerhouse
". The mailman then arrives and he gets the comic book. To the tune of the Poet and Peasant overture, he sprints to a corner of the farm and reads it. Then, he wishes to become Dick Tracy and then knocks himself out by accidentally punching himself.
He then imagines himself to be "Duck Twacy, the famous detec-a-tive." Ignoring a piggy bank
theft crime wave, he goes into action when he learns that his own bank has also been stolen from his secure safe
. He calls a taxi
to follow a car but leaves without him ("Keeps them on their toes."). Daffy, at one point bumped into one Sherlock Holmes
and told him he is working on the side of the street.
Daffy's search leads him to a tram with Porky
as the driver leading to the gangsters' not-so-secret hideout, where he faces off against all the dangerous criminals in town: Mouse
Man, Snake Eyes (spoof of B.B. Eyes), 88 Teeth (spoof of 88 Keys), Hammerhead, Pussycat Puss (who looks like Sylvester
), Bat Man (a name parody of the real Batman
where DC Comics
is now owned by WB), Doubleheader (spoof of Tulza "Haf-and-Haf" Tuzon), Pickle Puss (spoof of Pruneface
), Pumpkinhead, Neon Noodle (spoof of Frankenstein
), Jukebox Jaw, Wolfman (spoof of the real Wolf Man
), Rubberhead, and a host of unnamed grotesques (the villains are obvious parodies of Dick Tracy's rogues gallery). He declares "You're all under arrest!!" The villans then roar at our hero and the chase begins.
In one sequence, the bad guys are seen using well-known Dick Tracy villain Flattop's head (perhaps a Mount Rushmore
-style variant) as an airstrip with planes taking off. Rubberhead "rubs him out" with his head as an eraser
but Daffy appears at the door. Pumpkinhead meanwhile moves in with submachine gun
blazing. Daffy tosses a hand grenade
directly to Pumpkinhead's head and he becomes a stack of pumpkin pie
s.
After being chased about, Daffy eventually turns the tables on the villains and traps them inside a hallway closet. He slams the door shut on them and eradicates the group
with sustained fire from a Tommy gun
(which, if this were not a cartoon, would be a grim scene indeed, echoing the climactic scene from Warner's film The Big Sleep
, released the same year).
He faces one last adversary, Neon Noodle (who survived because he is a mere neon outline with no physical "center" for Daffy to shoot), whom Daffy defeats by turning into a neon sign that reads "Eat at Joe's
" (a standard WB cartoon gag). He then finds the missing piggy banks, including his own. He begins to kiss his bank, but since he is dreaming he doesn't realize that he is on the farm again, kissing a real female pig
. The plump yet slightly curvacious pig is rather smitten by Daffy since she believes he's trying to woo her with the barrage of smooches he plants all around her face while saying things like "I've found you at last!" He wraps his kisses up with a peck to the cute pig's little nose. So in an elegant female voice she says "Shall we dance?" and lovingly kisses him right in the mouth. Now wide awake, Daffy wipes the kiss away disgustedly and runs away. The lady pig says "I love that duck!" and laughs before iris out.
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, produced in early 1945, and released in 1946. It was directed by Robert Clampett, 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...
in Clampett's penultimate Warner cartoon and final Daffy Duck cartoon, produced shortly before he left the studio.
Synopsis
On a farm, DaffyDaffy 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...
waits for his new Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy is a comic strip featuring Dick Tracy, a hard-hitting, fast-shooting and intelligent police detective. Created by Chester Gould, the strip made its debut on October 4, 1931, in the Detroit Mirror. It was distributed by the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate...
comic book to the tune of Raymond Scott
Raymond Scott
Raymond Scott was an American composer, band leader, pianist, engineer, recording studio maverick, and electronic instrument inventor....
's song "Powerhouse
Powerhouse (song)
Powerhouse is a instrumental musical composition by Raymond Scott, probably best known today as the iconic "assembly line" music in animated cartoons released by Warner Brothers.-History:...
". The mailman then arrives and he gets the comic book. To the tune of the Poet and Peasant overture, he sprints to a corner of the farm and reads it. Then, he wishes to become Dick Tracy and then knocks himself out by accidentally punching himself.
He then imagines himself to be "Duck Twacy, the famous detec-a-tive." Ignoring a piggy bank
Piggy bank
Piggy bank is the traditional name of a coin accumulation and storage receptacle; it is most often, but not exclusively, used by children. The piggy bank is known to collectors as a "still bank" as opposed to the "mechanical banks" popular in the early 20th century. These items are also often used...
theft crime wave, he goes into action when he learns that his own bank has also been stolen from his secure safe
Safe
A safe is a secure lockable box used for securing valuable objects against theft or damage. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face removable or hinged to form a door. The body and door may be cast from metal or formed out of plastic through blow molding...
. He calls a taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
to follow a car but leaves without him ("Keeps them on their toes."). Daffy, at one point bumped into one Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
and told him he is working on the side of the street.
Daffy's search leads him to a tram with Porky
Porky 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...
as the driver leading to the gangsters' not-so-secret hideout, where he faces off against all the dangerous criminals in town: Mouse
Mouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
Man, Snake Eyes (spoof of B.B. Eyes), 88 Teeth (spoof of 88 Keys), Hammerhead, Pussycat Puss (who looks like Sylvester
Sylvester (Looney Tunes)
Sylvester J. Pussycat, Sr., Sylvester the Cat or simply Sylvester, is a fictional character, a three-time Academy Award-winning anthropomorphic Tuxedo cat in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies repertory, often chasing Tweety Bird, Speedy Gonzales, or Hippety Hopper...
), Bat Man (a name parody of the real Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
where DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
is now owned by WB), Doubleheader (spoof of Tulza "Haf-and-Haf" Tuzon), Pickle Puss (spoof of Pruneface
Pruneface
Pruneface is a fictional character in the long-running comic strip Dick Tracy, drawn by cartoonist Chester Gould.-Fictional character biography:...
), Pumpkinhead, Neon Noodle (spoof of Frankenstein
Frankenstein's monster
Frankenstein's monster is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. The creature is often erroneously referred to as "Frankenstein", but in the novel the creature has no name...
), Jukebox Jaw, Wolfman (spoof of the real Wolf Man
Wolf man
Wolf man or wolf-man or wolfman refers to a werewolf, a type of lycanthrope.Wolf man may also mean:In film and television:* The Wolf Man , a silent film starring John Gilbert and Norma Shearer...
), Rubberhead, and a host of unnamed grotesques (the villains are obvious parodies of Dick Tracy's rogues gallery). He declares "You're all under arrest!!" The villans then roar at our hero and the chase begins.
In one sequence, the bad guys are seen using well-known Dick Tracy villain Flattop's head (perhaps a 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...
-style variant) as an airstrip with planes taking off. Rubberhead "rubs him out" with his head as an eraser
Eraser
An eraser or rubber is an article of stationery that is used for rubbing out pencil markings. Erasers have a rubbery consistency and are often white or pink, although modern materials allow them to be made in any color. Many pencils are equipped with an eraser on one end...
but Daffy appears at the door. Pumpkinhead meanwhile moves in with submachine gun
Submachine gun
A submachine gun is an automatic carbine, designed to fire pistol cartridges. It combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the cartridge of a pistol. The submachine gun was invented during World War I , but the apex of its use was during World War II when millions of the weapon type were...
blazing. Daffy tosses a hand grenade
Hand grenade
A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
directly to Pumpkinhead's head and he becomes a stack of pumpkin pie
Pumpkin pie
Pumpkin pie is a traditional sweet dessert, often eaten during the fall and early winter, especially for Thanksgiving and Christmas in the United States and Canada. The pumpkin is a symbol of harvest time and featured also at Halloween....
s.
After being chased about, Daffy eventually turns the tables on the villains and traps them inside a hallway closet. He slams the door shut on them and eradicates the group
KILL
KILL is the sixth album by Detroit rock band Electric Six.In initial press releases, the band described the album as being a return to a sound more akin to their debut album, but this was later revealed by front-man Dick Valentine to be more gimmick than truth.An explicit video was released for...
with sustained fire from a Tommy gun
Thompson submachine gun
The Thompson is an American submachine gun, invented by John T. Thompson in 1919, that became infamous during the Prohibition era. It was a common sight in the media of the time, being used by both law enforcement officers and criminals...
(which, if this were not a cartoon, would be a grim scene indeed, echoing the climactic scene from Warner's film The Big Sleep
The Big Sleep (1946 film)
The Big Sleep is a 1946 film noir directed by Howard Hawks, the first film version of Raymond Chandler's 1939 novel of the same name. The movie stars Humphrey Bogart as detective Philip Marlowe and Lauren Bacall as the female lead in a film about the "process of a criminal investigation, not its...
, released the same year).
He faces one last adversary, Neon Noodle (who survived because he is a mere neon outline with no physical "center" for Daffy to shoot), whom Daffy defeats by turning into a neon sign that reads "Eat at Joe's
Joe's Diner (placeholder name)
Joe's Diner is a placeholder name for a fictional or hypothetical everyman's restaurant. Although there are franchises that use the name, its rhetorical use is often to describe a small, local business contrasted against large businesses or franchises...
" (a standard WB cartoon gag). He then finds the missing piggy banks, including his own. He begins to kiss his bank, but since he is dreaming he doesn't realize that he is on the farm again, kissing a real female pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
. The plump yet slightly curvacious pig is rather smitten by Daffy since she believes he's trying to woo her with the barrage of smooches he plants all around her face while saying things like "I've found you at last!" He wraps his kisses up with a peck to the cute pig's little nose. So in an elegant female voice she says "Shall we dance?" and lovingly kisses him right in the mouth. Now wide awake, Daffy wipes the kiss away disgustedly and runs away. The lady pig says "I love that duck!" and laughs before iris out.
Censorship
- When this cartoon aired on the Kids WB shows "Bugs 'N Daffy" and "The Daffy Duck Show", the scene of Daffy locking all the criminals in a closet, blasting them with his Tommy gunThompson submachine gunThe Thompson is an American submachine gun, invented by John T. Thompson in 1919, that became infamous during the Prohibition era. It was a common sight in the media of the time, being used by both law enforcement officers and criminals...
, and all of the criminals falling out in rapid succession was cut for being too violent.