The Scarlet Pumpernickel

The Scarlet Pumpernickel is a great and very interesting take on the Alexandre Dumas classic The Scarlet Pimpernel. The short starts with Daffy getting frustrated at only being typecast in comedy, and reads HIS version of the classic to the producer. The rest is a roller-coaster of priceless performances from the toons, swashbuckling and sight gags complete with references to Errol Flynn, with an unexpected ending to boot. The animation is pretty much spotless, and the music is rousing. The story is fun, and there are some many good moments, so much so I cannot think of my favourite part.

The toons however are the real stars here; Daffy takes on the role of "The Scarlet Pumpernickel" and does so with gusto. Porky is given little to do but does what he can with The Lord High Chamberlain, while Sylvester relishes his part as the Duke. Also Melissa is a very beautiful and cute duck I think. All thanks to the marvellous vocal talents of the immortal Mel Blanc. All in all, hugely entertaining. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Tired of being typecast in comedy-duck roles, Daffy pitches an adventure story to a studio executive. He tells the story of the Scarlet Pumpernickel, a gentleman bandit that befuddles the authorities, until, that is, the Lord Chamberlain devises a cunning plan to draw him out and trap him.

This cartoon is a mix of period piece and studio-spoof; it starts and ends in the studio and has a vague Errol-Flynn tale in the middle. The main story is surprisingly unfunny and really could have used a great deal more spark to really make it enjoyable. As it is it only has a few gags, such is the time given to the array of characters and the frame of the plot. The studio set bits are quite funny due to the joke of how hard it is to sell the story, the idea that Daffy is a real actor worried about typecasting and the delivery of the duck himself - but these aren't enough to carry it.

The cast are very good on paper, the problem is there are too many players. Daffy is funny in his twin roles as actor and character, but Porky is given too little time to really do anything. Likewise Sylvester is pretty much wasted. The feeling of an ensemble cast is not necessarily a good thing in a 4 minute long film - sometimes things need to be scaled down to be more effective.

Despite the promise shown by the film, it tries to do too many things and the end result is that it doesn't do the main story or the studio stuff justice. If anything I was surprised by just how average this cartoon was!

We've all seen the images of up-and-coming writers trying to pitch their work to studio heads. Well, in "The Scarlet Pumpernickel", Daffy Duck is trying to pitch his 2,000-page script to studio head J.L. The script casts Daffy as the Scarlet Pumpernickel, an 18th-century rogue. Seeking to trap the guy, the dastardly Lord High Chamberlain (Porky Pig) comes up with a most devious scheme: marry fair maiden Melissa off to the unpleasant Grand Duke (Sylvester the Cat). So, it all comes down to a sword-fight between Daffy and Sylvester.

Actually, it doesn't come down to that. Daffy never wrote an ending, and so at the spur of the moment, he comes up with an ending that seems a little strange to put in a cartoon. But, as he notes, that's apparently what you have to do to sell a script these days. The cartoon makes fun not only of movies starring Errol Flynn (whom Daffy mentions by name), but also of everything Hollywood-related. Chuck Jones, Mel Blanc, and that whole team probably knew all about such things. Another classic cartoon.

Daffy the actor is in the boss' office, pleading for a new role and a new image. He's tired of being typecast as a comic. He brings a script for a film he wants to do: The Scarlet Pumpernickel by Daffy Dumas Duck. He starts reading it and we see the images as the story unfolds.

"Once upon a time," Daffy starts...and then stops to say, "Great opening, huh?" Anyway, "in merry old England......."

We get the story with Daffy as the hero, and Porky Pig and Sylvester the Cat playing key roles. The colors and the art in depicting the castles, streets and costumes of the day are spectacular. The story is good; not a ton of laughs but smart enough with inside jokes (Errol Flynn references, Jewish jokes and lines) to be enjoyable for us adults. Daffy Duck cartoons, from what I've seen, are geared more for adults than kids, anyway.

Scarlet Pumpernickel, The (1950)

*** (out of 4)

Daffy Duck, tired of playing comedy roles, goes to J.L. Warner with a new swashbuckler screenplay and begins to read it. It features our hero (Daffy) trying to save the woman he loves from her evil father (Porky Pig) and the man he wants to marry her off to (Sylvester). This film has a lot of heart and imagination but not enough laughs to make it one of the best from Merrie Melodies. The visual animation is top-notch from start to finish with some beautiful looking backgrounds especially those inside the castle. The wedding scene in pedicular stands out as does the ending where we see a volcano go off as well as a dam break. Sylvester is pretty much wasted in the film as is Porky but we do have Daffy going all out.