Yankee Doodle Daffy

Despite the the title, this has nothing to do with the 1942 film biopic of George M. Cohan or the song. The plot has pushy talent agent Daffy trying to persuade producer Porky to give Daffy's client a job. The client in question is an adorable little duck with a lollipop named Sleepy Lagoon. It's not until the end of the short that we find out if Sleepy has talent or not as most of the time is spent on Daffy himself performing. This is a funny short with early Daffy, meaning more zany and silly than the later smart-mouthed foil for Bugs. Daffy's most of the show here but Sleepy is good, too, and Porky is fine as the ever-suffering straight man. The vocal talents of Mel Blanc are, as always, wonderful. The colors, animation, and music are all great. Not one of the best Daffy & Porky shorts but a good one.

Smeller Productions shuts it's doors early when Porky Pig stops auditions for the day in order to go and get his plane for a business appointment. However, his office is stormed by Daffy Duck - Actor's Agent, who is keen to push his young act in front of Porky.

I love Daffy Duck, but I greatly prefer him when he is crazy, in his early days - not only do I prefer his character but also the cartoons seemed to have more value placed upon them. Here I wasn't sure what to expect as the cartoon had a structure that I didn't think would lend itself to a crazy duck - how wrong was I! The plot actually allows Daffy to be crazy (or screwball as his young client points out) in a very funny way. The various acts he puts on are all very funny and work well because he is such a good character. The cartoon dips a little bit when it leaves the office but it is still worth seeing.

Daffy is brilliant. The material may not be the strongest he has ever had but it is he who uses it really well and carries the film. Porky is only really any good when he is reacting to the work of others and, for that reason, he is good here. The little act in question is a small black duck that sits silently for the majority. He is hilarious as he pulls out pictorial signs to comment on the relative sanity of his manager - it is not his fault that he is the focus of a punchline that serves as an anticlimax after such madness!

Overall this is a fantastic little short that allows Daffy to demonstrate why I always prefer him in full `crazy' mode as opposed to his later incarnations. He may be a ham, a corn and a screwball, but Daffy makes this cartoon what it is - great fun!

Yankee Doodle Daffy (1943)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Middle ground Looney Tunes short has agent Porky Pig getting ready to leave on vacation when Daffy Duck busts in with his nephew Sleepy LaGoof. Daffy goes into a wild rant trying to get Porky to give the little one an audition but it appears Daffy is more the performer. This has never been one of my favorite shorts in the series but it does have one thing going for it and that's the insane Daffy. Seeing the out of control Daffy is the main reason to sit through this 7-minute short that doesn't have too many laughs but the duck is the star. As far as the laughs go I really can't recall any but that doesn't totally kill the movie thanks again to Daffy. I thought Porky was pretty much wasted in his part but Sleepy does end up getting the best moment at the very end of the film.

Daffy invades casting agent Porky's office just as he is heading off to vacation. He is doing everything he can to get a role of some kind. It is the usual frenetic, no holds barred craziness, dominating the scenery. Daffy is like an amphetamine junky, never stopping. It's a decent cartoon with lots of action.

In my opinion, this has got to be the best Daffy Duck cartoon ever....all of the songs he does are great and very hilarious...especially when he sings Laugh Clown Laugh....had me laughing through the entire cartoon...classic Daffy stuff right here.