Daffy - The Commando

Daffy The Commando is a Looney Tunes short starring Daffy Duck that is another in a long line of World War II propoganda cartoons made to support America during the conflict. However, while some are done to educate people with shocking images, this is one of the few that are meant to have a good laugh against our enemies.

Here, in a Nazi bunker, Commander Von Vultur, a vulture who is with the Nazis, is in trouble with his superiors (known only as the Apes of Wrath, which is clever play on The Grapes of Wrath), with his job on the line if one more commando gets through. He and his assistant, Schultz, is about to have trouble, as another commando parachutes down. And unfortunately for them, that commando happens to be Daffy Duck.

This wartime cartoon is mainly aimed more towards comedy, as Daffy basically does the slapstick Looney Tunes is known for against his two foes. The voice actors all do a good job, with Mel Blanc doing a good job voicing Von Vulur, and the ending is a classic.

Daffy The Commando (1943)

*** (out of 4)

The nutty Daffy Duck finds himself behind enemy lines and going up against a German idiot who doesn't seem to know who he's dealing with.

DAFFY THE COMMANDO is another World War II spoof that was meant to rally up people in the United States. These political shorts are always interesting to view today and this here is a good one. The majority of the running time has Daffy being pretty nutty as he's constantly getting the better of the German guy who is rather dumb. The film also has a cameo from Hitler who has a rather funny meeting with Daffy. This isn't a classic by any stretch of the imagination but there are enough laughs to keep it entertaining.

This is a marvelous little bit of propaganda using Daffy to help lampoon the enemy, in this case the Nazis. I think my favorite bit is Daffy singing as he parachutes down, although the ending is a close second. Something I find myself wondering when I see this cartoon (which probably means I have way too much time on my hands) is whether the writers on the film Stalag 17 decided to name the guard in their film Schultz after this cartoon's Schultz and if, in turn, Schultz in Hogan's Heros was named after the guard in the film. My, such grand philosophical questions I ponder! Great short and most definitely worth seeking out. Most highly recommended.

WE'VE JUST RE-SCREENED this 1943 Warner Brothers' Looney Tunes Short. In a sense, it was our first viewing. We hadn't seen it in some time and perhaps it was being taken for granted. Such is the fate of those who rely too much on recollection.

BEING THAT THIS cartoon is now 71 years old, we feel reasonably certain that much of the goings on are now rendered not understandable to many or even most present day viewers. This was the very middle of World War II and all of Hollywood was waging war and doing its part to support the war effort. That meant that there'd certainly be plenty of 'messages' interwoven into the weekly movie fare.

IN SHORT, WE'LL call it what it is, Propaganda! NOW THAT'S A word that has taken on such narrow meaning because of its nearly always used in reference to 'the Enemy.' It is, however, a legitimately proper word to be used in regards to instruction meant to clarify or indoctrinate* one's own people in policy, procedure and purpose.

IN TODAY'S SUBJECT title, we find our favourite aquatic manic, Daffy Duck, thrust into a nightmare of a surrealist cartoon world, which is run by anthropomorphic animals. Although this is all an illusion and we know that it is being played strictly for laughs, there is always tiny tidbits of irony and truth behind each and every gag.

UNFOLDING LIKE A cross between a bad dream and copy from the daily newspapers of the day, DAFFY THE COMMANDO serves a two fold purpose. It allows the wartime movie goer to unwind a little and forget the harsh realities of the times. Secondly, it conditions our inner psyche about the serious business that we all faced.

CONSTRUCTING THE GAGS in a sort of rapid fire, machine gun approach, the Writer, Michael Maltese and Director Fritz Freleng used time tested gags. Tailoring their recycling to the War, it was merely packaged in the manner of the situations appropriate.

FOR EXAMPLE, WE have: Daffy's nonchalant and irreverent attitude to the Nazi fetish for the totalitarian, Daffy's using their searchlight for the purpose of projecting finger shadows on the sky, the Robot-like foot soldier 'Schultz' and the 'Nazi German' Vulture Officer's resemblance in caricature to either Eric von Stroheim (Rommel in FIVE GRAVES TO CAIRO), Raymond Massey (character in DESPERATE JOURNEY) and Conrad Veidt (CASABLANCA, Major Strasser).

OTHER THAN SO much topical humor, such as gag reference to "Blavkouts" and the Nazi Vulture's reference to telefon operator as being "Myrt" from Radio's FIBBER McGEE & MOLLY, we thought that the humor flowed freely and was followed by equally generous portions of laughs! FOR OUR MONEY, this is a true 'Tour de Force' for Daffy.

NOTE * 'Indoctrination', now there's yet another word with bad co native meanings!

The Nazi leader is given the job of keeping commandos out of his territory. Daffy is a commando (for whatever reason). He is at his manic best as he launches a full scale assault on the bad guy. A good deal of propaganda here in the midst of the U.S. involvement. The little guy Schultz is the victimized enlisted man who is constantly being hit over the head with a giant hammer. Daffy seems to understand that this is really unfair. It's action packed.