WE'VE JUST RE-SCREENED this 1943 Warner Brothers' Looney Tunes Short. In a sense, it was our first viewing. We hadn't seen it in some time and perhaps it was being taken for granted. Such is the fate of those who rely too much on recollection.
BEING THAT THIS cartoon is now 71 years old, we feel reasonably certain that much of the goings on are now rendered not understandable to many or even most present day viewers. This was the very middle of World War II and all of Hollywood was waging war and doing its part to support the war effort. That meant that there'd certainly be plenty of 'messages' interwoven into the weekly movie fare.
IN SHORT, WE'LL call it what it is, Propaganda! NOW THAT'S A word that has taken on such narrow meaning because of its nearly always used in reference to 'the Enemy.' It is, however, a legitimately proper word to be used in regards to instruction meant to clarify or indoctrinate* one's own people in policy, procedure and purpose.
IN TODAY'S SUBJECT title, we find our favourite aquatic manic, Daffy Duck, thrust into a nightmare of a surrealist cartoon world, which is run by anthropomorphic animals. Although this is all an illusion and we know that it is being played strictly for laughs, there is always tiny tidbits of irony and truth behind each and every gag.
UNFOLDING LIKE A cross between a bad dream and copy from the daily newspapers of the day, DAFFY THE COMMANDO serves a two fold purpose. It allows the wartime movie goer to unwind a little and forget the harsh realities of the times. Secondly, it conditions our inner psyche about the serious business that we all faced.
CONSTRUCTING THE GAGS in a sort of rapid fire, machine gun approach, the Writer, Michael Maltese and Director Fritz Freleng used time tested gags. Tailoring their recycling to the War, it was merely packaged in the manner of the situations appropriate.
FOR EXAMPLE, WE have: Daffy's nonchalant and irreverent attitude to the Nazi fetish for the totalitarian, Daffy's using their searchlight for the purpose of projecting finger shadows on the sky, the Robot-like foot soldier 'Schultz' and the 'Nazi German' Vulture Officer's resemblance in caricature to either Eric von Stroheim (Rommel in FIVE GRAVES TO CAIRO), Raymond Massey (character in DESPERATE JOURNEY) and Conrad Veidt (CASABLANCA, Major Strasser).
OTHER THAN SO much topical humor, such as gag reference to "Blavkouts" and the Nazi Vulture's reference to telefon operator as being "Myrt" from Radio's FIBBER McGEE & MOLLY, we thought that the humor flowed freely and was followed by equally generous portions of laughs! FOR OUR MONEY, this is a true 'Tour de Force' for Daffy.
NOTE * 'Indoctrination', now there's yet another word with bad co native meanings!
