Daffy Duck in Hollywood

Film studio producer I. M. Stupendous rejects Daffy Duck as an actor and puts the pressure on the director. Daffy holds a grudge and causes all kinds of havoc in the production. He slices up an edit of the movie with various random shorts. To everyone's shock, Stupendous is overjoyed.

Wow! I do not like that voice work. I hate the director's voice. I get the cartoon voice, but it is trying too hard. Also I find it annoying. Annoying is not good comedy. It is also something that cannot be overlooked. It is not like the director goes away. The annoying voice just keeps annoying me until the end.

This short by Tex Avery lampoons Hollywood and the filmmaking process and does so quite well. Daffy wants to be an actor in the worst way, but can't manage that, so, by cutting and splicing clips from film archives, he "directs" his own movie. As a personal aside here, one of the saddest things here is that his "movie" is better than some of the product being turned out in recent time that has separated entirely too much of my money from my pockets with little benefit for me! Hilarious gags abound here. Well worth watching. Recommended.

In this short cartoon, a tensed-up director is trying to complete a movie, but Daffy Duck comes up with several ways to delay it, including bullets in a camera. One gets the feeling that the creative team behind "Daffy Duck in Hollywood" was probably poking fun at Hollywood. But even ignoring that, we get a real surprise once we see the finished movie.

So, this is partly a look at old-style Hollywood (especially the old-style editing), but it remains entertaining in the 21st century. Motion pictures really are our best entertainment.

A real treat, isn't it? Yes sir, yes sir, yes sir, ye-e-e-e-s sir!

This isn't much. Daffy Duck didn't really become that funny until later, at least a full decade later. I'm glad they got rid of his stupid, laugh. He's my favorite cartoon character of the '50s, but not here, not this early in his "career." He's smaller, has a different voice and his humor is generally geared to little kids.

All the laughs in here were in the first minute, such as the exaggerated German film director rolling his "r's," which was funny at first but then overdone.

The cigarette lighter gag was clever, then Daffy blowing smoke rings that say "Wanrer Brothers" just so "I can give my bosses a plug. I've got an option coming up." It's that kind of clever stuff we saw in later years. The rest of this - Daffy being a nuisance in the filming of a movie - really wasn't that good.

By the way, you know it's an older cartoon when the characters are all dressed like human beings but they have animal-heads.

Daffy Duck is one of Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies', and animation's, most iconic characters, as well as one of the best, most interesting and funniest, with several cartoons ranging from very good to masterpieces.

Tex Avery was one also talented animator/director, with a style unlike any other and one that is immediately distinctive. He has also been responsible for some classic cartoons and also some memorable characters. 'Daffy Duck in Hollywood' was an early effort for both Daffy and Avery, and to be honest both have done much better than this. Not bad, in fact very nice on the whole, but both were more than capable in doing much more than just very nice.

A noticeable flaw is the animation and character design of Daffy. Here in 'Daffy Duck in Hollywood' he moves awkwardly and looks crude, like there was still uncertainty as to how he should look. In fact, the character designs generally are not as carefully drawn or as fluid as they could have been.

Didn't care much for the live action at the end either, oddly enough what the cartoon has been said to be most interesting for. The placement just seemed clumsily inserted and random, almost out of place, also didn't think they were needed or added much. The director character is amusing and interacts very well with Daffy, but the exaggerated way he speaks occasionally later on feels overdone.

On the other hand, the rest of the cartoon is quite beautifully done, with lovingly detailed backgrounds and vibrant colours. The music brims with lively energy and luscious orchestration, not only being dynamic to the action and adding to it but enhancing it as well. The writing is witty and amusing, and there are some great moments in terms of humour. Particularly good are the incredibly clever cigarette gag and the scene with Daffy, the hen and the rooster and what happens afterwards.

Characters carry 'Daffy Duck in Hollywood' extremely well and are fun, same with the rapport between them, and nothing can be complained about with the expert voice acting either, Mel Blanc especially having a ball.

On the whole, nice but considering this was Daffy Duck and Tex Avery couldn't help expecting more, both have done much better. Worth a peak though. 7/10 Bethany Cox