You Were Never Duckier
7.9 /10 2 Votes
Music director Carl Stalling Duration | 7.6/10 IMDb Genre Animation, Family, Short Film series Merrie Melodies Language English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Release date August 7, 1948 Similar movies Merrie Melodies movies | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
You Were Never Duckier is an animated cartoon in the Merrie Melodies series from 1948. Starring Daffy Duck and Henery Hawk, this cartoon marked the start of a direction change for Daffy Duck, from a "screwball" character, to a greedy, self-centered one (though, according to commentary by Eric Goldberg on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVD [fifth volume], this cartoon showed Daffy as being both a greedy, self-centered character and a screwball one). This cartoon was also the next-to-last Henery Hawk cartoon to not be directed by Robert McKimson, and one of only four to be directed by creator Chuck Jones (after The Squawkin' Hawk, Flop Goes the Weasel, and followed by The Scarlet Pumpernickel).
The title is a play on the 1942 musical film You Were Never Lovelier.
Plot
The National Poultry Show is being held, and Daffy Duck looks at the matinee showing the prizes for the judging. The first prize for best rooster is $5000, and the best duck is $5. Daffy, having traveled all the way from Dubuque for the contest, is outraged that ducks rate such a low prize and decides to disguise himself as a rooster (using rubber gloves and the tail feathers of another rooster, affixed through a plunger head) to get $5000. Meanwhile, Henery is being taught all about roosters by his father, George K. (or G.K.) Chickenhawk (a reference to G.K. Chesterton). Henery decides to head to the poultry show and catch himself a rooster.
Daffy's plan backfires when Henery decides to take him home ("Alright seagull, are coming wit me quietly or do I have to slap you around some?"). Daffy says he's a special breed of rooster ("a genuine pedigree Red Island Rhode Buff Orpington"), and thinking that Henery's father, described as "the greatest judge of chicken flesh in the world," is the judge to give him the $5000, he tags along (Hey Pop! Look at what I brung ya, look at what I brung ya."). Daffy then realizes he is in a chickenhawk's house, and tries to escape, but fails. Henery's father then starts to prepare Daffy as a meal. Daffy tries to prove he is really a duck, even trying to take his disguise off (to no avail). When he tries to escape, Henery's father grabs his "head" (the rubber glove), and the glove lands on his head after Daffy ricochets and stuns him, then Daffy stuns him a bit more with his "duck laugh" and some kicks to the head. Henery's now angry father then proceeds to chase Daffy, who is finally able to escape when Henery accidentally hits his father with a mallet.
Getting back to the city before the contest begins, Daffy puts on another glove. Then, at the contest, Daffy proceeds to lose to Henery's father, disguised as a Rhode Island red. Daffy then tries for the best duck prize, but loses that as well - to Henery, wearing a disguise consisting of a clothespin and two flippers.
References
You Were Never Duckier WikipediaYou Were Never Duckier IMDb You Were Never Duckier themoviedb.org