Daffy Duck Slept Here

When Porky Pig arrives in town for a convention and finds all hotel rooms occupied (hadn't he the sense to reserve a room in advance?), he finally manages to get a room. But - as there always seems to be in too-good-to-be-true situations - there's a catch: he has to share it with Daffy Duck, who spends the whole night making noise and keeping Porky from getting any sleep. Not even in "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" did Steve Martin's character have it this bad! "Daffy Duck Slept Here" is a perfect example of Daffy's early, wackier personality (as opposed to his greedy self under the direction of Chuck Jones). I wasn't sure whether to sympathize with Porky just trying to get some rest, or with Daffy doing his usual stuff. But no matter whom you side with, you're sure to laugh at their antics and then at the final gag. I have to say that these sorts of cartoons are just a pleasure to watch time and again. To be certain, it's a good thing that I first saw this now that I'm old enough to understand the setup; had I watched it when I was six or something thereabout, I wouldn't have understood the part about attending a convention, and thus wouldn't have realized what made it so funny.

All in all, I recommend this one.

Robert McKimson's 'Daffy Duck Slept Here' is one of the director's flat out funniest cartoons. Opening with some good sight gags as Porky Pig tries in vain to find a room for the night, the short really gets hilarious the moment the ever brilliant Daffy Duck appears. Forced to share a room with the roommate from hell, Porky tries everything to ignore the crazy duck to no avail. Beginning with a surreal conversation about a six foot, invisible kangaroo that parodies 'Harvey', 'Daffy Duck Slept Here' goes on to squeeze every last laugh out of two characters sharing a bed. The light is constantly switched on and off as Daffy finds more and more ways to prevent Porky from getting his good night's sleep. When the pig finally snaps and throws Daffy out of a 30th floor window, it leads to one of the strangest and funniest climaxes McKimson ever put on film. Daffy's closing line is one of my all time favourites. While 'Daffy Duck Slept Here' is well directed and performed by all involved, the real star is Warren Foster's highly original script which confounds expectations at every turn. Cartoon clichés are nowhere to be found here, replaced by witty, oddball dialogues and unusual plot twists. All in all, 'Daffy Duck Slept Here' is one of the strongest films McKimson ever directed.

Looney Tunes shorts were a huge part of my childhood, and Daffy Duck along with Bugs Bunny was always one of my favourites. Daffy Duck Slept Here is brilliant, and always has been one of my favourites. The animation is beautiful and fluid, and the music and sound effects, always having been a major part of the Looney Tunes shorts' success, are jaunty and never out of place. The story crackles with energy, with the ending especially hilarious, the writing is fresh, witty and delightfully oddball as well with Daffy's closing line one of the funniest of any Looney Tunes cartoon and the sight gags imaginative and coming by thick and fast as you'd expect. Porky plays it straight and is not as bland as he can be, but the star is Daffy who is just brilliant, hilarious and charismatic as he always is. Mel Blanc's vocals are exceptional. All in all, fantastic, not a bad word to say about it. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Daffy is annoying here - VERY annoying. But I guess he cannot help it, he's a crazy little black duck (with undiagnosed ADD). I like Daffy despite his irritating behaviour, however it becomes a wee bit boring after a while. For some reason I feel Porky was good here, coping for a surprisingly long time with Daffy's manner - and being rather cute. Daffy is a good character, entertaining all the way, though annoying to poor Porky (he never seems to be annoying to the audience here, when I am the only one in the audience anyway).

Porky Pig needs a place to spend the night, but unfortunately, at the city he stops at, all the hotels have no vacancy - except for one. Porky manages to book a room - and he finds he has to share it with a very annoying roommate. Daffy seems to go to all ends to frustrate poor Porky, every way funny for us...

I recommend this fun (and fun-ny!) Daffy Duck and Porky short to anyone who does not like to see Porky too bullied in Looney Tunes, a crazy, brilliant Daffy and a good plot theme in a cartoon. Enjoy "Daffy Duck Slept Here"! :-)

8 and a half out of ten.

There's a convention in town and Porky Pig can't find a place to stay. A lone vacancy opens up at a nearby hotel, but the catch is that the room will have to be shared. That wouldn't be a problem if the other person wasn't Daffy Duck, who barges in at God-knows-what time with his invisible kangaroo friend and wakes Porky from his much-needed slumber. 'Daffy Duck Slept Here (1948)' is all about the conflict that arises when Porky realises just how unlikely he is to actually get some sleep when sharing a bed with his hyperactive roommate. It has plenty of goofy, usually absurdist gags and operates on a distinctly cartoon logic that provides plenty of opportunity for laughter. It really makes you understand just how annoying Daffy Duck truly is, as his behavior is directed solely towards a sympathetic character. We identify more with Porky than with Daffy, so it can be a bit grating to see him act so unreasonable. It's lucky, then, that Porky ends up getting the last laugh, which leaves things on somewhat of a high note. Overall, this is an enjoyable, if occasionally frustrating, short that has plenty of amusing moments sprinkled throughout.