To Duck... or Not to Duck

While the Daffy Duck of the `50s and `60s was funny, there is no beating the Daffy from the `30s and `40s and here is proof of that and who can forget the famous Daffy laugh which inspired the Woody Woodpecker laugh? I don't know if it was because of Woody that the Daffy laugh was absent in the `50s and `60s but I don't think so because both Woody Woodpecker and Daffy Duck were performed by Mel Blanc.

Few of the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies shorts dealt with physical activities more hilariously than "To Duck... or Not to Duck", as over-energetic Daffy challenges gullible Elmer to a boxing match weighed heavily in his own favor. If you thought that the White Sox scandal of 1919 was screwed up, then you ain't seen nothing yet! Quite simply, it's the sort of thing that only Daffy could do. I noticed in one scene that Elmer's pants fell down and it looked like you could see his butt! They actually got that on screen in 1943! Of course, these cartoons were always looking for ways to push the limits. I'd better be certain of that or my name isn't Lee Eisenberg...and it isn't! (just kidding: it is)

Something I've often wondered about is the term sportsman for a person who takes a powerful rifle or shotgun and fires at a defenseless creature. I'm not anti-hunting, just annoyed by that term. In this one, Daffy has had enough and decides to settle things with Elmer Fudd in the boxing ring. Daffy has a clear advantage and many cartoons that followed used some of the same bits. Elmer does get the last word.

I guess I might have enjoyed this cartoon a lot more if it weren't for the fact that there were so many better Looney Toons cartoons that also paired Daffy and Elmer Fudd. The most famous of these later pairings also included Bugs Bunny and it was all about whether or not it was duck or rabbit hunting season. There also was another where Elmer took Daffy home after a hunt and Daffy pretended to be Santa! Both of these are classics.

As for this cartoon, the animation isn't quite as pretty as some of the cartoons from the late 40s, but it's still awfully good. The story begins with Elmer and his dog hunting. Daffy is hit and caught but he begins to verbally attack Elmer for "unsportsman-like behavior" and challenges him to a very one-sided and obviously fixed boxing match--with another duck as the referee. The laughs are there and there is a lot to like--but I never loved this or laughed like I did for the later times that I saw these two great Looney Tunes characters together.

Unlike many other reviewers on this website, I did not enjoy this short that much. Personally I found it too short, a little boring, plot-less and mediocre. I felt the animation was not worked on nearly as much as it could have been (unlike other Daffy episodes at the time) and I also found the slapstick a little overdone, especially as I expected something with hardly any slapstick in it all (like a lot of Daffy episodes at the time).

There were things I did like about it as well. The STYLE of animation for Daffy is one of my favoured ones and there also happen to be quite a few good gags on here. Also I quite like the referee, quite a nice jolly duck.

This short is mainly for those who prefer episodes with much Looney Tunes slapstick and the same sort of theme as episodes of the 50's and 60's and for people who like ALL Daffy Duck stuff.

I may have submitted quite a negative review, but don't forget some of you out there will enjoy this! ;-)

5 and a half out of ten.

Available on YouTube