Release Date:

December 13, 1952

Main Character(s):

Daffy Duck, Porky Pig

Summary:

Daffy Duck, insurance salesman for the “Hotfoot Casualty Underwriters Insurance Company”, is determined to sell Porky Pig an accident policy and attempts to convince him that dangers are all around his house, only to take the brunt of everything he sets up.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 1222 and was released as a Looney Tune.

The cartoon was given a Blue Ribbon reissue. When it was restored for the Looney Tunes Super Stars Porky and Friends Hilarious Ham DVD set in 2012, the original opening and closing rings were put back in.

Daffy returns to being a salesman, but this time, he is the antagonist (unlike in “The Stupor Salesman”, where he comes out on top most of the time, here he never wins).

Despite Porky being seen in bandages in the title card, he actually doesn’t get injured at any point in the cartoon (unless you count the black eye he gets near the end).

The title is a pun for “full coverage”.

The cartoon was originally titled “Premium Ham”.

McKimson would do another superb cartoon where Daffy attempts to scam Porky with “Dime to Retire” (1955).

You can find out who animated what scene here.

This is one of a few Warner cartoons to have backgrounds by Carlos Manriquez instead of the regular background artists. Here, he does it in place of Richard H. Thomas.

The hat Daffy wears in this cartoon would be worn by him again in 1953’s “Muscle Tussle” (also directed by McKimson). Interestingly, in that cartoon, HE gets scammed by a salesman selling phony muscle-building merchandise at the beach, although he never finds out.

I love the rendition of “Keep Cool Fool” under the opening credits.

Favorite Scene:

The entire ending where after Porky is convinced to sign Daffy’s policy after witnessing Daffy fall victim to the various mishaps intended for Porky, Daffy reminds Porky of the required provisions for Porky to be given the 1 million dollars for a black eye, only for literally every provision required to actually happen, along with one he added himself.

What Happens in This One:

Daffy first comes up to Porky’s door and places a shoe on a cane in his door as he introduces himself, “Good morning, sir! I represent the ‘Hotfoot Casualty Underwriters (animated by Keith Darling) Insurance Company’ of S-S-Schenectady!”, and also backs Porky into the house as he comes in. Porky tries to talk, “B-b-but I-”, before Daffy continues, “As everybody knows, most accidents occur right around the home (animated by Phil DeLara). A Hotfoot accident policy PAYS you for any injury incurred in the home”. Porky tries to talk again, “Eh, b-but-but-b-b-but I-”, but Daffy keeps talking, “For instance, Hotfoot pays you one million dollars for a black eye”. Porky’s initial refusal turns into amazement, “B-b-but I don’t wa-one million dollars for a b-black eye!?” (animated by Charles McKimson)

Daffy responds, “Oh, uh, of course, there are a few minor provisions. I’ll read it to ya”, and inexplicably puts a pair of earmuffs on Porky before he reads the fine print on his paper about said provisions, “Provided the accident occurs as the result of a stampede of wild elephants in your own living room on the Fourth of July- of any year- between the hours of 3:55 and 4 pm, uh, during a hailstorm”. He takes the earmuffs off of Porky and asks him, “Did that come through okay?” Porky begins to answer, “W-w-why-”, but Daffy takes this as a yes and tells him, “Alright, just sign here on the dotted line” (animated by Charles) Porky declines, “Oh, eh, b-b-but I don’t want a policy. I n-n-never have accidents in-in my home”, and begins to push Daffy out the door, “N-n-now you’ll have to excuse me. I have a great deal to do today. Eh, g-g-good day, sir”, before shutting the door on him (animated by Herman Cohen).

Outside, Daffy says to himself, “Oh, he doesn’t HAVE accidents in his home, eh? Hmm”, and tries to look into the house through the window on the porch, but instead goes to the window on the side of the house to find Porky in the kitchen. Porky wonders to himself, “Now, uh, wh-where did I put that screwdriver? I-I’ll bet I l-l-left it in the oven”, so he opens the oven door and lights a match to look in there. Daffy enters through the window and walks up to him just as Porky finds his screwdriver. Porky sees that Daffy’s back when the latter asks him, “No accidents in the home, eh? You should NEVER use a match to look in the oven”. Porky dismisses the advice, “Oh, eh, f-f-fiddlesticks!” and leaves. Daffy adds, “You should use a flashlight, like so”, and demonstrates with said flashlight, only for the oven to explode on him once he looks inside it. Daffy figures, “Must’ve been a short in my battery!” (animated by Cohen)

Looking around the house, Daffy says to himself, “I’ve just GOTTA prove to this meatball that the home is LOADED with pitfalls” and wonders if the hall closet is an example. After opening it, he hears all of the various stuff in there about to fall out due to it being so overstuffed. “Ah ha. Just as I thought. A veritable booby trap”. He puts some more stuff in there, “I’ll just, uh, prime it a little” and quickly shuts the door after he does (animated by DeLara). Porky begins to climb the ladder to paint his ceiling white as Daffy asks from the bottom of the ladder, “Do you have a tennis racquet I could borrow?” (animated by Darling) While painting, Porky answers, “Eh, n-n-no I don’t”. Daffy asks if he has water skis, golf clubs, an outrigger canoe, a croquet set, an elephant gun, and a sidesaddle, all of which Porky doesn’t have as Daffy starts to fret. Daffy then asks Porky if he has a yo-yo, to which Porky says he does happen to have. Daffy asks, “Well, where is it!?” Porky points towards the closet, “Eh, r-r-right there in the hall closet”, to which Daffy responds, “Well, why didn’t ya say so in the first place!?”, and runs (animated by Rod Scribner) to the closet. After opening it, all of the stuff falls atop him. Daffy emerges from the fallen items and begins twirling the yo-yo in an annoyed manner (animated by DeLara).

Daffy then saws out a hole in the floor before covering it up with a carpet and then sawing off the back legs of a rocking chair so Porky will rock backward into the hole easily. He then finds Porky sweeping the kitchen floor, “Uh, don’t you think you’d better take it easy? Uh, mustn’t overdo, ya know”. He starts pushing him towards the living room, “You look all in. Better come in here and sit down and relax a while”, but Porky becomes irritated, “Oh, eh, f-fiddlesticks! I don’t wanna sit down!” After he has Porky sit down in the rocking chair, Daffy says, “There we are, in our nice cozy rocking chair!”, much to Porky’s annoyance: “Eh, b-but-but-eh, b-b-but-but-b-b,oh, drat it!” Daffy tells him, “Well, go ahead, rock. Don’t just sit there like a bump on a log. Rock!” Porky decides, “Oh, alright. Eh, j-j-just to humor you” but rocks back and forth quickly several times in an irritated manner that prevents him from rocking backward into the hole. Irritated, Daffy exclaims, “Not that way, ya idiot!”, and brings in his own rocking chair next to Porky, “Like this!” He rocks forward and then backward with such force that he ends up falling backward into another hole in the floor behind him, also covered up by a rug (animated by DeLara).

Daffy gets out a glob of lard from a jar of the stuff as he says, “Slipping in the bathtub is a very common household mishap”. Upon hearing Porky say, “I’ve simply gotta fix that light in the b-base-b-b-base-eh, eh, cellar”, Daffy puts the glob of lard back in its jar and follows him to the cellar as Porky heads there with a candle. “It’s probably a l-l-l-loose wire or something”. Daffy goes down there and asks him, “What are ya, doin!? Just LOOKING for an accident!? What if that candle blew out and you fell down the stairs?” Daffy blows it out himself before someone is heard tumbling down the stairs in the dark and then crashing at the bottom. It turns out Porky is still on the stairs when he re-lights his match and wonders, “Eh, d-d-drat it. Where’s that candle?” Daffy is revealed to be the one who fell down the stairs, and he tosses the candle aside before running back up the stairs with the holder, “Stay right where ya are! I’ll get ya another one in a jiffy!” (animated by Cohen)

Instead of a new candle, Daffy gets out a dynamite stick and paints it white to look like a candle before giving it to Porky. He then hides against the wall and asks us, “How naive can ya be?”, before Porky suddenly calls to him, “Oh, uh, M-M-Mister Insurance Salesman?” Daffy asks, “Yes?”, while holding his hand up to his ear to listen, to which Porky responds, “I, uh, w-w-wonder if you’d give me a hand”. Daffy agrees, “Why, certainly”, and then asides, “Us salesmen never miss a chance to endear ourselves to a potential customer. Uh, heh” (animated by Charles). Porky finds that the trouble is a wire disconnected from the fuse box just as Daffy comes down next to him and asks, “What can I do for ya?” Porky asks him to “hold this”, and gives him the painted dynamite stick. Realizing he’s holding onto his own booby trap, Daffy lets out an “Oh, no” and attempts to throw it out the high window in the cellar, only for it to explode before he can do so. Porky finds that the explosion has created several Daffy shaped holes through the roof of each floor. “Oh, uh, m-m-my goodness. W-w-what an unfortunate accident. I’ll have to go see if he’s alright” (animated by Scribner).

Porky hears a knock on his door and tells who it is to “eh, c-c-come in”. A dazed Daffy, with two lumps on his head answers, and announces groggily, “I represent the Something or Other Insurance Company. Could I interest you in an accident policy?” This time, Porky answers, “Why, c-c-certainly!” Daffy starts to continue, “Our policy-”, before quickly grabbing onto his hat and reverting back to normal as he asks bewilderdly, “What did you say?” Porky tells him, “After eh, w-w-witnessing your unfortunate mishaps about the house, I’m eh, r-ready to sign on the dotted line” and does so. “Eh, th-th-there. Now all I have to do to make a million dollars is get a b-b-black eye (chuckles)”. Daffy dramatically reminds him while backing him up into his armchair, “Provided the accident occurs as the result of a stampede of wild elephants in your own home BETWEEN 3:55 and 4 pm ON the Fourth of July DURING a hailstorm! (evil laughs)” Porky tells us, “I kn-kn-kn-knew there’d be a catch to it!” (brilliantly animated by Scribner)

Suddenly, a herd of wild elephants stampedes through the living room as Daffy realizes one of the provisions has come true, “Stampede of wild elephants!” He looks at his watch and sees what time it is, “3:57 pm!” Then, “Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean” is heard as Daffy looks at the calendar, “Fourth of July!”, before he finally peeks his head out the door as he is hit with several things falling from above, “Hail storm!” He then sees what’s happened with Porky and exclaims, “Oh no!” Porky is seen on the ground as he answers, “Oh, YES! B-b-b-black eye! Pay me!” Daffy refuses to give him the money though, due to something else apparently being on the fine print, “Oh, no. It distinctly says, ‘A stampede of wild elephants AND one baby zebra!’”, before he chuckles quietly, “Heh, heh. I just added that one”. A neighing noise is then heard (animated by Charles up to here) and a baby zebra actually DOES come trotting through the living room! Having been trampled over by said baby zebra, Daffy sits up groggily, “And one baby zebra!”, before fainting (animated by Scribner).

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕