La patrouille de l'espace

Chuck Jones's 'Rocket Squad' is a gag-filled spoof of 'Dragnet' and the more obscure police drama 'Racket Squad'. Of all the genre spoofs starring Porky and Daffy that Jones directed, 'Rocket Squad' is probably the least well known. This may be due to its more limited look and its almost spot-gag style which doesn't allow the cartoon to build up the same head of steam as, say, 'Robin Hood Daffy' or 'Duck Dodgers in the 24th ½ Century'. Speaking of which, long time cartoon fans will recognise several reused backgrounds and idea from 'Duck Dodgers…', which adds to the air of cheapness that pervades 'Rocket Squad'. Despite not being as sumptuous or energetic as it predecessors, 'Rocket Squad' is still an excellent cartoon for many reasons. For one, it has a cracking script by Tedd Pierce filled with tons of great one liners ("My names Monday, my partner's name is Tuesday. He always follows me") and an unusual opportunity for the lead characters to play the material entirely straight. Aping their 'Dragnet' counterparts, Porky and Daffy maintain hilarious deadpan expressions throughout and Daffy's ongoing narration is accordingly monotone and emotionless. While it will never be as highly respected or well-loved as Jones's other genre spoofs, 'Rocket Squad' is still well worth seeing just for the fact that it is a very funny cartoon which takes something of a different approach which pays off in spades.

Joe Monday (Daffy Duck) and his partner Shmoe Tuesday (Porky Pig) are space cops in the future. They are assigned to investigate a series of bank robberies. They use all kinds of strange advance tech. The case turns back on them.

This is a futuristic take on Dragnet. Daffy is more reserved than usual. They are doing old hardboiled cops. The look is Jetsons which is a few years away. I love all the visuals. I love most of this except the ending. It is too abrupt and not well set up. This is almost begging to be something longer. I wouldn't mind cutting out the ending and extend this into a full half hour.

This cartoon is a takeoff on the old radio/television show Dragnet. It's one of the better teamings of Porky and Daffy. Pay attention to the dialogue and the character names. Dragnet fans will either love or hate it, but I think it's very funny and well worth watching. Daffy is as insufferable as usual and Porky more than holds his own.

More than any other Looney Tunes cartoon, "Rocket Squad" proves - in my opinion, at least - that they didn't have to do much to be hilarious. In this case, the setting is the space age (in fact, pretty much the same setting as "Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century") and humans now populate the entire universe. The men in charge of law enforcement are Sgt. Joe Friday (Daffy Duck) and his sidekick Sgt. Shmoe Monday (Porky Pig). Even though Friday never gets the time right, he always springs into action when called upon to stop crime. In fact, it's really easy, as the transport machine is labeled "Scene of the Crime". Having collected the evidence, they set out to find the perpetrator. Only there's a twist at the end.

Aside from the simple "Dragnet" spoof, it's just a riot how this cartoon offers a new gag every minute. Aside from the transporter, there's the no-parking sign, the chief on the TV, and the ubiquitous in-joke: the names of criminals features John Burton, Tedd Pierce, C.M. Jones, Mel Blanc and Eddie Selzer. No matter how irreverent they get, you can't assume that it's the limit.

I should identify that Daffy and Porky aren't their usual wacky selves here. In fact, they mostly stare and talk softly. Of course, since they're spoofing "Dragnet", they have to imitate it. And maybe the creators did sort of rip off "Duck Dodgers..." with the backgrounds, but that's no crime. This cartoon is a laugh riot the whole way through. I'm sure that the creators must have had a great time making it.

I was really surprised at how much I loved Rocket Squad. I love Looney Tunes and I love Daffy Duck, and I loved this. Why? Well for starters the art work is absolutely fantastic here, the colours, the rockets, the sceneries and backgrounds are top notch throughout, with some truly delightful visual ideas(ie. tubes for stairs). The music is lovely as well, and the dialogue is wonderful in a deadpan sort of way. You can argue that the supporting characters are rather stereotyped, yes they are in a sense, but I was enjoying myself too much to really care. Daffy, in manic and cynical mode is on top form, and while Porky is merely a side character he does well with what he has. Once again, the one and only Mel Blanc does a stellar job with the voices. Overall, visually imaginative and funny cartoon. 10/10 Bethany Cox