Daffy Duck & Egghead

Directed by Tex Avery this is an early Looney Tunes cartoon which features a lot of hilarious Avery trademark gags. And stars Daffy Duck and The Pre-pubescent Elmer Fudd. It's a great cartoon with the Looney/Cock-eyed first draft Daffy Duck.

3(***)out of 4(****)stars

'Daffy Duck and Egghead' is very early Daffy Duck and does show him still evolving, not just in his barely recognisable character design but to a lesser extent in personality. It is still a great cartoon though, and one of his better early ones if not quite up there with the masterpieces he would be involved in later.

Make no mistake, Daffy is still very funny, especially in the musical number and the rifle gag, and while still evolving the wacky, manic energy is certainly evident even in early stages. Egghead, later to become Elmer, is a great foil and entertainingly nutty. Their chemistry is hugely enjoyable throughout. Plus there is a scene-stealing turtle and a suitably annoying audience member.

Production values are very high, with Tex Avery's unique and deliciously wild style unmistakable and very well suited to the cartoon with plenty of visually inventive moments. The animation is richly detailed, carefully drawn and bursting with vibrant colour, with some really gorgeous and clever shots. Carl Stalling's music score as well as synchronising brilliantly adds so much to the action and enhances it, with luscious orchestration and constant high-voltage energy.

'Daffy Duck and Egghead' is hugely entertaining, and often hilarious. A definite highlight is Daffy's musical number, a perfect example of Stalling's fabulous ability of putting his own spin on pre-existing material and delivered with delicious gusto by Mel Blanc. The rifle gag and Egghead's interaction with the audience member are also great. Everything is paced and told incredibly well and everything comes together beautifully. Mel Blanc as always does a bravura job and Danny Webb is effective as Egghead.

All in all, great cartoon and while not quite up there with the masterpieces it is one of the better early-era Daffy cartoons, showing that even when he is still evolving he can still shine. 9/10 Bethany Cox

The first bit of humor is in the "disclaimer" which includes the word "roasted" and then we get the customer pond shot at sunrise which, by the way, is beautifully drawn. There's something about these late '30s/early '40s animated shorts and films that have a distinct watercolor beauty to them.

Next we see "Egghead," a prototype of Elmer Food. Another sign of the times was the silhouette of a man in the movie theater and the character on screen talking to him, usually - as is the case here - telling the person to "sit down." When he doesn't, Egghead shoots him!! (I think Bugs Bunny did that once, too, but I'm not sure.)

This very young and smaller-looking Daffy was not the funny guy he was a decade later, almost a wise-guy. This is almost an introduction to this character as Daffy sings a song explaining who he is.

The funnier characters and real-life people in here were the Italian turtle, Ben Hathaway who wrote some clever sight gags into this story and the director, Tex Avery. Just don't expect laughs from the usually-hilarious Daffy Duck.

This is part of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 3.

Isn't "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" the theme song to the Loony Tunes? Tex Avery was probably aware of this, which would make it an inside joke, adding to the countless gags which the gang at Termite Terrace used, to make each other laugh. I was watching this cartoon recently from their Golden Collection Vol. 3. This one didn't have a commentary, so I thought I'd put that out there, but I suppose most die-hard fans noticed it right away. (I wish there were commentaries for all of them.)

Also, Mel Blanc voiced the turtle referee, and he did a brilliant impersonation of Chico Marx.

While this cartoon is very good for its time (with Tex Avery to boot), I vastly prefer the 40's and 50's versions, which is why I only gave it a 7. Personal preference.

This short features a very early version of Daffy Duck (call it Daffy 1.0) and also Egghead, who would evolve into Elmer Fudd a bit later on. This features one of the zaniest duels of all time! The turtle almost steals the show here! Typical Tex Avery sight gags. A bit more talky than the aerage Avery short, but very good. Well worth seeing. Recommended.