Porky & Daffy

Despite the title, Porky Pig only is seen at the beginning and end of the cartoon. Otherwise, it's a Daffy Duck cartoon...back when Daffy was certifiable and much more frenetic than in later films.

When the story begins, Daffy's boxing manager, Porky, reads that the champ is offering a lot of money to anyone who can stay in the ring with him. So, he arranges for a match with Daffy and things get pretty goofy.

The introduction of Daffy Duck into Looney Tunes cartoons in the late 1930s was a great thing as up until then, the cartoons were looking for an identity and edginess...something sorely lacking in earlier productions. But this Daddy was MUCH less subtle or subdued compared to the 1940s-50s Daffy...and that is welcome when you see these films today. The score of 9 is relative to other cartoons of the day...and this one is a lot of silly fun.

This is easily some of the most unhinged energy from any Clampett cartoon in his early career and this was only one of the very first appearances of Daffy Duck in anything. Clampett clearly saw the duck's potential from the get go (especially having animated his wackiest moments in the duck's debut short "Porky's Duck Hunt) and went all out in showing just how nutty a cartoon character could be at the time.

As for the cartoon itself, it follows a very basic premise as Porky secures a boxing gig for Daffy to fight the champ (a rooster). While very simple in concept, Clampett and his team make the short thoroughly entertaining from Daffy's chaotic energy and madcap mayhem, elevated further by Mel Blanc's delightful performances. While the short's timing isn't quite as punchy or brisk as the cartoons that would follow up in later years, the energy is all there to make the experience fun and exhilarating. In addition, Carl Stalling's score lightens things up with a lot of up beat tempos that add into the insanity on screen. It just goes to show you how much fun you can make of something with the right amount of wackiness on display.

Daffy Duck is certainly is daffy in this early outing.

Porky really plays a bit part. He is the trainer of Daffy Duck the boxer who takes on the champ who is a rather flimsy looking rooster.

Once unzipped, he is a ferocious beast. Daffy is going to be no match for him who can only hide inside the heron's bill.

Only Porky Pig knows how to rile Daffy Duck, it involves a quick visit home.

Originally made in black and white. It involves wonderful voice work from Mel Blanc. The cartoon short is frenetic and fun.

Porky and Daffy were always great and even better when featured in the same cartoon together. This was an earlier version of Daffy I think. Back when he was a silly and crazy looney tune and before he was the duck trying upstage Bugs. Either way Daffy is hilarious. I think he steals the show.

You can always see how in Daffy's early days, he existed for no other purpose except to be as outlandish as possible, doing things that even the Marx Brothers never imagined. "Porky & Daffy" plays this to the fullest extent, as Porky enlists Daffy in a boxing match against an aggressive rooster. At first, the game looks totally one-sided. But when Daffy does things involving the referee, all bets are off...with a vengeance! I just have to try and imagine how much fun they must have had creating these cartoons. Clearly nothing was sacred to those guys. As for the fact that this cartoon got featured in "Rocky"...well, it's the sort of cartoon that could give anyone hope. Really funny.