Duck Soup to Nuts

Friz Freleng's 'Duck Soup to Nuts' is one of the great Daffy-terrorizes-Porky cartoons. The quality of these simple scenario shorts depend entirely on the quality of the antagonist's heckling and in 'Duck Soup to Nuts' it is top notch. Tedd Pierce's script is hilarious giving Daffy plenty of inventive pranks and bits. Unlike Robert McKimson's weak take on this premise in 'Boobs in the Wood', 'Duck Soup to Nuts' is beautifully animated (just watch Daffy's impression of a fish) and extremely funny. Energetic and witty, the laughs keep on coming throughout, right up to the climax in which Daffy says goodbye to his hysterically named "children". There's not much to say about 'Duck Soup to Nuts' really, other than it demands to be seen. It's a basic, bare-bones scenario done 100% right and while it might not have the inventiveness to set it apart as a true classic, it sure makes for a rib-ticklingly entertaining seven minutes

"I kind of stand out from the crowd, don't I?" Yeah, Daffy, you certainly do, which is why we love you.

Anyway, that's the question my favorite duck asks in the beginning of this cartoon as we see four ducks just sitting there on a pond doing nothing, except for Daffy. He's filing his nails! When Porky Pig comes by firing shotguns, the ducks stick their head in the water, but Daffy puts on a swim cap first. Then he walks out of the water and tells Porky that he's not dealing with the average duck.

"I'm gifted, just slopping over with talent." Yup, he's different all right. To demonstrate, he sings, dances, does imitations, a one-act drama, shows Porky his Warner Brothers contract, etc.

Unfortunately, a decent share of the humor in here is a bit juvenile or dated or just not plain funny. Some of Daffy's remarks are good, as always. Frankly, I liked the 1950s Daffy Duck cartoons better than these 1940s efforts. They are a lot more sophisticated in the humor department.

For years, many of us have been entertained by the Looney Tunes. Part of those lovable cartoon characters' repertoires has been the stuttering Porky Pig's endless efforts to trap the sneaky Daffy Duck. In "Duck Soup to Nuts", Porky is hunting Daffy, but of course Daffy keeps figuring out ways to mess up Porky's attempts.

I guess that these cartoons are meant to remind us that hunting will not net you desirable results (think Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd). And it's so great to watch slender Daffy play tricks on overweight Porky (think of them as Laurel and Hardy, or Gilligan and the Skipper). Marvellous.

Here's the recipe: take one duck who stands out amongst more realistic acting ones (preferably one filing his nails and prone to wearing a bathing cap). We simply cannot be satisfied with any ordinary every day meat on the table duck. This one must be gifted and eager to give us a taste of his entire resume: sing, dance, act (contract with Warner brothers optional). The specimen we have here earns an extra point by grabbing a wig from someone below screen (belonging to a member of the audience we suspect) to put on Porky. Yes that's right, the most evil, disgusting and intimidating character Warners could hire, Porky Pig, is the second ingredient. When the little black duck is not offering Shakespearean asides to viewers, he should be insulting the weight challenged curly tail. Start of with 'fat stuff' and work up from there. Then have these two spices try to outwit each other and sit back to watch sparks fly for seven minutes:

When mixed together the combined ingredients should taste somewhat like this: Old Fatso following this 'gremlin like' duck into the lake wearing a diving helmet, only to find himself sidetracked by 'The sellerbrush man'. Adding water to the wine, that Pig drains the entire lake one bucket at a time. This leaves Daffy flapping like a fish (please make sure all the other lake dwellers have been removed beforehand). Daffy counters with the tried and true 'telling the future by reading the bumps on your head' bit before the two of them get into the great eagle/pig debate. Now the Porkster adds gravy by pulling out bigger and better firepower. In a final act of desperation Daffy brings out the old wife and kids: Celia, Sylvester, Lathrop and Stanislaus (who spits at Porky, making his daddy proud). Which one of them will be the main course and who will be desert?

10 out of 6

Bon appetit

Duffy Duck is minding his own bee's wax when Porky Pigs comes duck hunting. Daffy uses his manic imagination to attempt to get away in many hilarious gags. This is just such a silly, fun cartoon and a joy to watch regardless of what age you are. My heart will always have a piece of it reserved to a duck and pig (please no jokes about my ex ha ha ha) While this man not be the absolute best Daffy cartoon, it IS up there and I have no hesitations to recommend it whatsoever This animated short can be seen on Disc 3 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 2.

My Grade: A