Daffy Duck & Egghead

Isn't "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" the theme song to the Loony Tunes? Tex Avery was probably aware of this, which would make it an inside joke, adding to the countless gags which the gang at Termite Terrace used, to make each other laugh. I was watching this cartoon recently from their Golden Collection Vol. 3. This one didn't have a commentary, so I thought I'd put that out there, but I suppose most die-hard fans noticed it right away. (I wish there were commentaries for all of them.)

Also, Mel Blanc voiced the turtle referee, and he did a brilliant impersonation of Chico Marx.

While this cartoon is very good for its time (with Tex Avery to boot), I vastly prefer the 40's and 50's versions, which is why I only gave it a 7. Personal preference.

This short features a very early version of Daffy Duck (call it Daffy 1.0) and also Egghead, who would evolve into Elmer Fudd a bit later on. This features one of the zaniest duels of all time! The turtle almost steals the show here! Typical Tex Avery sight gags. A bit more talky than the aerage Avery short, but very good. Well worth seeing. Recommended.

Egghead is a hunter and he is hunting for Daffy Duck. Egghead leaves the film to shoot a disruptive audience member in silhouette. A tortoise tries to gentrify the conflict by giving them dueling pistols.

I don't know much about Egghead. This is his second appearance. He essentially serves the same purpose as Elmer Fudd. Obviously, Elmer is superior and would be the one who lasted. Daffy Duck is also different from the later versions. It is a bit rough. Despite the roughness, I do appreciate this early cartoon and I really like shooting one of the audience. There is nothing wrong with killing the audience.

Tex Avery's 'Daffy Duck and Egghead' was the second cartoon ever to feature Daffy Duck and his first appearance in colour. Opening with an inventively surreal shot in which the two characters are established as literally nuts, the cartoon then segues (via a very funny caption) into a sumptuous scenic shot which sets the standard for the film's handsome look. An extension on Daffy's first appearance, 'Porky's Duck Hunt', 'Daffy Duck and Egghead' keeps the hunting scenario but significantly extends the duck's role, giving him top billing and throwing the spotlight on him as the undoubted star. Avery's masterstroke here is to remove the straight man from the picture. Whereas Porky had been the straight man in Daffy's previous picture, Egghead is a nuttier character and by cartoon's end he is leaping and whooping like Daffy. The gags are all exceptionally original and very funny and the obligatory musical number, often the weakest element in these early Merrie Melodies, is actually a highlight. Daffy performs the iconic Looney Tunes theme 'The Merry-go-round Broke Down' with enormous gusto and it's so entertaining that his reflection emerges from the water to congratulate him at the song's end! 'Daffy Duck and Egghead' is classic Avery and a must see for any lover of animation. It looks gorgeous, it will make you laugh out loud and even sing along and it played a significant part in elevating the greatest ever cartoon character (in my opinion) to superstar status. A landmark of animation history and American film-making in general.

This is Daffy Duck's second episode - one year after "Porky's Duck Hunt" (which is Daffy's debut). This is also Egghead's debut, a Looney Tunes character not nearly as famous. He became Elmer Fudd, which may be surprising to some people. Egghead is basically a hunter who looks hardly anything like Elmer Fudd - and is hunting Daffy. Daffy, who is incredibly crazy here, is not making it easy for Egghead...

I personally prefer this episode a great deal to "Porky's Duck Hunt", which is quite tedious. This episode is a little boring (but interesting historically, as it shows a man in a cinema) at first, but becomes much better. Daffy keeps the gags going and Egghead is quite a good character, with character which reminded me of Porky. The animation and the theme is good as well.

I highly recommend this to anyone who loves Daffy Duck (particularly people who like him when he's crazy) and all Looney Tunes cartoon historians. Unfortunately, this is not really an episode that most of a modern audience would enjoy, but I myself (even though I am "modern") loved it. Enjoy "Daffy Duck and Egghead"! :-)