Être ou ne pas être canardé

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)

After Elmer declares himself to be a great sportsman, Daffy Duck challenges him to a boxing match to see if he's such a great sportsman without his rifle and hunting dog. This cartoon uses one of the most memorable gags that I can remember from any cartoon. As the boxing referee goes over the rules, he uses Elmer as a dummy on what not to do (None of this, or this, or like so). That will never leave me and I hope to use that tactic to my own advantage someday (Hee, hee, hee!) The boxing match is pretty much the only highlight of the cartoon. Everything leading up to it is so-so, but it is a very memorable sequence of comedy. I especially liked when Elmer's dog, Laramore, was pelted with garbage from the all-duck crowd when he booed what was going on in the ring. This is just a classic cartoon for the Warner Brothers team.

My IMDb Rating: 9/10

To Duck or Not To Duck (1943)

*** (out of 4)

Elmer Fudd and his beloved dog Rover are out duck hunting when they com across Daffy Duck. Soon Daffy and Elmer are in a boxing ring where you know the duck isn't going to play by the rules.

If you're a fan of Daffy and Elmer then you're obviously going to want to check this early teaming out. I don't think this here is one of the best shorts together as the series would eventually get much better but there are still plenty of nice laughs here that make it worth viewing. There's no question that the highlight happens early on when there's some "duck shot" being fired at Daffy as he flies through some clouds. As you'd expect the animation is of the highest quality.

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.

'To Duck... Or Not To Duck (1943)' pairs the fast-talking Daffy Duck with the affable Elmer Fudd. The former wants to fight the latter mano-a-mano in a much 'fairer' setting than usual, opting for an odd boxing match that might just be rigged in his favour. The short really centres around this idea, even if it seems incredibly 'left field' when it's first introduced. Arguably, it's more entertaining before the boxing ring even comes into play, with Daffy's daft dialogue and Fudd's likeable apologies combining for a compelling dynamic. Still, the flick is constantly enjoyable and often quite funny, finding humour in both its visuals and its narrative. It ends on a nice note, too. 7/10