Drip-Along Daffy

Followed-up by My Little Duckaroo, Drip-Along Daffy is one of my favorite cartoons. Daffy is the star, playing a Western-type hero who becomes sheriff of a town in disarray, accompanied by his one-man fanclub, comedy relief in Porky Pig. The antagonist is Nasty Canasta, the core of all the trouble. So if our inept hero can rid the town of Canasta in a one-on-one shootout, all the problems will be solved. With Daffy responsible for the fate of the town, the prospect seems bleak, doesn't it? The animation is excellent. Jones' simple use of subtle expressions is at its glorious best here. Canasta can't really be called a character since he's just a one-dimensional prop, part of the background for Daffy and the show-stealing Porky. For any fan of the greedy, overly confident Daffy, a must-see.

Hilarious western parody directed by Chuck Jones and starring Daffy Duck as a "western type hero" and Porky as his "comedy relief" sidekick. The duo try to bring law to a lawless town which doesn't sit well with notorious outlaw Nasty Canasta. Porky sings an amusing song called "The Flower of Gower Gulch." So many funny parts of this one. Love all the signs for the people and places. The horse wearing a mask and holding up the blacksmith for horseshoes may be the most priceless gag I've seen all year. Some very funny dialogue from Daffy. Great voice work from Mel Blanc. Lively music from Carl Stalling. The animation is excellent with nice colors and well-drawn characters, backgrounds, and action. It's a real classic; one of my favorite Daffy & Porky shorts.

Drip-Along Daffy (1951)

*** (out of 4)

Daffy Duck and his comedy relief Porky Pig arrive in a lawless town so Daffy decides to become sheriff and clean the place up. Before he can do that he must deal with the ruthless Nasty Canasta. This spoof of the Western genre is a winning entry into the Merrie Melodies series and I'm sure fans of the genre will get a nice little kick out of it. It's certainly not the best the series ever offered up but it's still 7-minutes worth of nice entertainment. The best thing about the movie is of course Daffy who really goes all out in his maniac-type of way. The scene involving the mixed drinks was priceless as was another sequence when Daffy first kicks through the bar doors. Being from Jones I always look for that small little thing that some might not notice and this time out it was the great whiskers on Porky.

Of all Chuck Jones's brilliant genre spoofs featuring Porky Pig and Daffy Duck, 'Drip Along Daffy' is one of the best loved and is only dwarfed by the classic duo of 'Robin Hood Daffy' and 'Duck Dodgers in the 24th ½ Century'. A hilarious parody of Westerns, 'Drip Along Daffy' finds Daffy all too willingly taking on the role of cowboy hero. A bewhiskered Porky, we are informed by a caption, is the comedy relief. This proves to be somewhat of a misnomer as it is in fact Daffy who provides the majority of the laughs as his heroic posturing is quickly diminished by his trademark buffoonery and a frightening encounter with villain Nasty Canasta. Despite some impeccably timed physical comedy, the biggest laughs in 'Drip Along Daffy' come from the verbal gags, a particularly on form Mel Blanc nailing every line with hysterically accurate observation. I find myself particularly floored every time by Daffy's disbelieving "You wouldn't dare", as he witnesses Nasty Canasta's horrifyingly toxic drink being mixed. 'Drip Along Daffy' is another typically classy Jones film which shows exactly why he's such a treasured director. Porky's final line is the icing on the cake.

Especially the opening of this cartoon is terrific. Daffy Duck becomes sheriff in a town where someone gets shot every second, what we see in the opening sequence. Porky Pig is his helper. There is one big villain and in a man to man duel Daffy and the villain will decide who will live and who will not. Porky has an important role in that part.

A very nice short with, like I said, an opening sequence that will make you laugh many times. The other parts of the short are nice, although not hilarious. With Daffy things do not go as planned and that gives Porky the chance to make us laugh a couple of times. A fun cartoon. Mel Blanc as the voice of Daffy Duck and Porky Pig.