Release Date:

October 30, 1948

Main Character(s):

Daffy Duck

Summary:

Street salesman Daffy Duck hears on the radio that the dying millionaire, JP Cubish, who hasn’t laughed in 50 years, will give anyone who can make him laugh 1 million dollars, so he heads on over to his mansion. However, his attempts to get in are foiled by Cubish’s butler.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 1064 and was released as a Merrie Melodie.

The cartoon was given a Blue Ribbon reissue. In 2017, the original titles were found on a 16mm print used on one of Thunderbean’s special discs.

The cartoon was produced in Cinecolor and uses the 1949 orange rings with the blue background. However, this is the only Cinecolor release that was not finished early and was released concurrently with the cartoons it was in production with.

Like with Daffy’s previous cartoon, “You Were Never Duckier”, Daffy’s money obsession is on full display here.

This is also the first cartoon where Daffy is a salesman, a role which he would assume in other equally brilliant cartoons such as Davis’ “The Stupor Salesman” (released less than a month later), and two McKimson cartoons, “Fool Coverage” (1952) and “Design for Leaving” (1954).

The cartoon was used in the 1988 compilation movie “Daffy Duck’s Quackbusters” and would also kick off the movie’s plot where Cubish eventually passes away, leaving Daffy to inherit his fortune. However, Cubish’s ghost keeps taking the money away, which inspires Daffy to set up his own ghost-busting service (hence the movie’s title). This is also the oldest cartoon to be used in any of the five compilation movies.

The title is a pun for “daffodil”.

When Daffy asks, “You see anything green? Any flies on me?”, I had for a while misinterpreted this as “slime”, as if someone being covered in green slime is a hilarious sight (something Nickelodeon clearly thought as they’re well known for it).

The cartoon’s plot would be slightly reworked in McKimson’s “Fast Buck Duck” (1963).

What I Like About This One:

In the city, Daffy is unsuccessfully trying to sell his merchandise, “this complete line of laugh provokers”. He first tries to sell the “Little Gem Flower Squirter” and advises people to not crowd as he pulls out several squirters. “Well, isn’t anybody gonna crowd? Anybody?” Other stuff that gets no attention include a Joe Miller joke book, “laughs galore” (which Daffy pronounces as “Miler”), “an Ajax rib tickler, ma’am. Amuse your boyfriend. It’s… used… like it’s… nice”. , “Special price on chicken inspector badge, sir. It’s…it’s… it’s only… thirteen cents”, “Amuse your friends with the 200-volt electric hand buzzer” and after shocking himself with it, Daffy concludes, “It’s… shocking” (animated by Phil Monroe).

The radio advises the news on JP Cubish, the multi-millionaire who hasn’t laughed in over 50 years, offering a 1 million dollar reward to anyone who can make him laugh. With his pupils briefly forming dollar signs, Daffy is excited about the opportunity. “Sufferin’ succotash! What am I waitin’ for!? I’ll make that old sad sack bust a SEAM laughing!” (animated by Ben Washam)

Arriving at the “imposing-looking pile”, Daffy rings the doorbell and the butler answers it with a very lethargic, “Yes?” Daffy announces, “Your troubles are over, Jeeves. Lead me to your stricken master”, but the butler only answers, “Be gone!” “Can’t go in, huh?, Daffy asks. “Eh, no”, the butler replies. Daffy tells him no hard feelings and offers a handshake, but shakes the butler’s hand with the electric hand buzzer, squirts him with the flower squirter, and offers him a cigarette but a boxing glove comes out of the box instead and punches the butler. Finally, he tickles the butler with the Ajax rib tickler, which seemingly convinces him to let Daffy see Cubish. He instead leads him at a door that leads to mid-air and Daffy falling into the fountain. Daffy calls up to the butler, “Watch your step, Meadows! It’s a dilly!” (animated by Washam)

Daffy attempts to get up to the window by using a hook (“Venus Little Giant Wall Scaler”), but only succeeds in pulling out the butler’s dentures (animated by Lloyd Vaughan). He then attempts to swing in on a rope which ends with the butler cutting said rope. He tries a teeter board propelled by a weight, but only hits a mallet held out by the butler. Daffy attempts to go through the chimney, but the butler is holding it off to the side, resulting in Daffy falling through and back onto the ground (animated by Monroe).

Later, the butler receives a bottle-shaped package and upon hearing the sloshing, realizes this is a bottle of champagne, so he sneakily takes it into another room so he can drink it alone. But it turns out Daffy is only posing as one, as the butler absentmindedly removes Daffy’s hat like a cork with a corkscrew, as Daffy makes the appropriate sound effect of “Pop!” He then says “gluggle” over and over again as the butler “pours” into his glass. It’s not until he’s about to drink from the glass that he realizes he’s been tricked and didn’t actually pour anything out, causing him to bite down on the glass in anger (animated by Vaughan).

The butler grabs an ax and chases Daffy around with it (animated by Vaughan). Daffy goes into the dumbwaiter but every time he opens it, he is confronted by the butler either the ax or a cannon. He then climbs the rope all the way up (animated by Monroe) and is met by the butler holding the other end. Embarrassed, Daffy asks, “Whoops! How are things in Glocca Mora?”, which references the song of the same name (animated by Ken Harris).

With red eyes, the butler threatens, “Once and for all, I’m going to-” but Daffy interrupts him and starts grilling him like a suspect which the horrified butler keeps trying to deny: “Not so fast, my man Godfrey! It becomes increasingly apparent that I’m not wanted around here. Are we to assume there is anything significant in this attitude of yours? That A: a butler might not want his master to recover his good health. That B: said butler should endeavor to remove from the premises the only person capable of restoring said health to said master. Where were you the night of April the 16th? A likely story! I see it all now. You and the upstairs maid. ‘Do the old boy in’, you said. ‘Elderberry wine and old lace’, you said. ‘Then, the quick getaway’, you said. Rio De Janerio, tropical nights, romance, and a heavy bank account!” When the butler says, “No, no” in fear, Daffy counters, “Yes, yes!” and continues, “But you weren’t smart enough, John. Alias Johnny. Alias Jack. Alias Jackie! Phew! What’s Humphrey Bogart got that I ain’t got?” (brilliantly animated by Harris)

Terrified and shaking in fear, the butler is convinced by Daffy to disguise himself with a hat, phony mustache, and shades and run out the door. “But just to show ya I’m not ALL copper, I’m gonna give you a 10-minute head start”. After rushing the butler out the door, Daffy advises him, “And stay on the straight and narrow” (animated by Harris).

Now free to enter Cubish’s bedroom, Daffy takes a look at him, and assures him, “Don’t worry, Gramps. We’ll have ya fixed up in a jiffy!” but doesn’t watch where he’s going, slips on a rug, and falls into the dessert tray, getting cake all over him. Suddenly, Cubish starts chuckling at the sight before this turns into uproarious laughter, causing him to recover. Bewildered, Daffy asks, “What’s that for, bub? I haven’t even started yet. What’s the matter? You see anything green? Any flies on me?” (animated by Washam)

A newspaper on Cubish announces, “Millionaire in Miraculous Cure. Laughter Saves Tycoon’s Life”. The next scene shows Cubish with countless pastries and still in his laughing fit as he has given Daffy a well-paying job: being the target for Cubish throwing pastry after pastry at him, with Daffy wiping each one off. Daffy shrugs and confides, “It’s a living” before he is hit with yet another pastry (animated by Washam).

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕