Yankee Doodle Daffy

Yankee Doodle Daffy (1943)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Middle ground Looney Tunes short has agent Porky Pig getting ready to leave on vacation when Daffy Duck busts in with his nephew Sleepy LaGoof. Daffy goes into a wild rant trying to get Porky to give the little one an audition but it appears Daffy is more the performer. This has never been one of my favorite shorts in the series but it does have one thing going for it and that's the insane Daffy. Seeing the out of control Daffy is the main reason to sit through this 7-minute short that doesn't have too many laughs but the duck is the star. As far as the laughs go I really can't recall any but that doesn't totally kill the movie thanks again to Daffy. I thought Porky was pretty much wasted in his part but Sleepy does end up getting the best moment at the very end of the film.

Porky Pig is the President of Smeller Productions and he's leaving for vacation. Daffy Duck interrupts his quick exit and forces him to stay. Daffy is an agent with a young prospect named Sleepy Lagoon who may not be up to auditioning. Daffy starts doing all kinds of song and dance by himself.

I assume that they are trying to introduce this Sleepy Lagoon. I don't know why. It is not a good cartoon character. This would work so much better with Daffy representing himself. It fits Daffy's nature and would make much more sense in this short. All this needs are Porky and Daffy. Sleepy just gets in the way.

Yankee Doodle Daffy is an enjoyable cartoon. It isn't the best though, the pace is a tad too fast and the title is enough to leave you puzzled as it has little to do with the cartoon itself. But Daffy himself elevates it, he is absolutely brilliant here, uproariously funny as you'd expect. Porky is once again sidelined but he is good, and Sleepy is entertaining with a voice that is totally unexpected, though they could've perhaps made the ending longer I felt it ended rather abruptly. Other than Daffy, I immensely enjoyed the song and dance routines, especially the Carmen Miranda impression. The pictorial signs while maybe ambiguous to a newcomer to Looney Tunes were also a hoot. There are some great gags and the plot allows Daffy to have fun. All in all, I enjoyed the cartoon, in spite of the head-scratching title. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Daffy invades casting agent Porky's office just as he is heading off to vacation. He is doing everything he can to get a role of some kind. It is the usual frenetic, no holds barred craziness, dominating the scenery. Daffy is like an amphetamine junky, never stopping. It's a decent cartoon with lots of action.

Under the watchful gaze of a statue of an Oscar, "Daffy" tries to extol the talents of "Sleepy Lagoon" to top casting agent "Porky". Thing is, his act just sits on the sofa sucking on a lollipop whilst it's the hugely overactive "Daffy" who does a series of turns with everything from Carmen Miranda to wartime pilot on display. Try as he might, "Porky" can't escape the relentless onslaught - and neither can we, so thankfully he agrees to let the kid try. Maybe he needed a lozenge? Anyway, it's Ok this, but the freneticism of the duck was never my favourite at the best of times, and here it's just a bit in your face and goes on too long.