Release Date:

March 8, 1958

Main Character(s):

Daffy Duck, Porky Pig

Summary:

Daffy Duck, as an inept Robin Hood, attempts to prove he is indeed the heroic outlaw to Porky Pig, as a skeptical Friar Tuck, who wants to join Robin Hood but is only convinced Daffy is a traveling clown. Daffy’s attempts to rob an oblivious wealthy traveler only make Porky disbelieve him even further.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 1470 and was released as a Merrie Melodie.

This is my second favorite out of anything parodying Robin Hood, with “Rabbit Hood” being my most favorite.

This is not only the last of Jones’ genre parodies with Daffy and Porky, but also his last Golden Age cartoon with Porky overall. Like with Elmer in “What’s Opera Doc”, Jones definitely ended his time with Porky on a high note.

Daffy’s backfiring attempts, along with the traveler never being aware that Daffy is trying to rob him and “give it to some poor unworthy slob”, have the cartoon play out like a Roadrunner cartoon.

The cartoon is in the 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons book.

The cartoon was used in the 1979 compilation movie, “The Bugs Bunny-Roadrunner Movie”.

Surprisingly, Porky doesn’t stutter ONCE when he sings a beautiful rendition of “Barbara Allen”.

I love the music that plays whenever the traveler is shown onscreen.

Favorite Scene:

The whole bit with the trees (“Yoicks and away!”).

Runner-up is Daffy’s spear inadvertently helping the traveler cross a chasm.

What Happens in This One:

A fired arrow hits the bullseye on a target with its banner having the cartoon’s title on it. Another is pinned to this arrow’s rear with a banner of the credits while Jones’ director credit is then pinned onto that one. This is all revealed to be Daffy’s doing as he shoots a final arrow, “Starring Daffy Duck”. Realizing the audience saw him doing all of this only a few feet away from the target, he grins in embarrassment before sneaking away (animated by Richard Thompson).

Numerous wanted posters of Daffy are all over Sherwood Forest as he begins singing a lovely original tune on his mandolin, “Oh, join up with me so joyous and free, let’s way to oh Sherwood High!; for I’m Robin Hood and I’m very good at avoiding the sheriff’s eye!; so trip along merrily o’er the greensward so gracefully; to trip it, trip it, trip it, trip it, trip it up and down!; to trip it, trip it, trip it, trip it-” He then carelessly goes down on a steep hill, repeating “trip it” numerous times before falling off a cliff into the river, “Trip it!” Upon emerging from the water, Daffy finishes, “So trip it up and down!” (animated by Ken Harris)

He then hears someone laughing at him (animated by Harris), which turns out to be Porky having witnessed him fall into the river. An annoyed Daffy climbs out of the river with his pants full of water. After staring at the sight, Porky continues his laughing fit, with Daffy trying to pull his pants back up, only for the water to now go down into his shoes. Having removed his shoes to get the water out, Daffy declares, “‘Ho ho and ha ha’, eh? Well, I’ll ‘ho ho’ and ‘ha ha’ YOU, fat Friar!” He runs off and then returns, “With my trusty quarter staff!” Daffy confides to us, “Actually, it’s a buck and a quarter quarter staff, but I’m not telling HIM that” (animated by Abe Levitow).

Daffy gets on a tree laying across a small gap to demonstrate his skills, “Ho! Ha ha! Guard! Turn! Parry! Dodge! Spin! Ha! Thrust!”, only to hit himself in the beak, bending it. After adjusting it back, Daffy thinks to himself, “Hmm. Let’s see now. Something amiss here. Hmmph. I’ll run through it. Ah, ho, ha ha, guard, turn, parry, dodge, spin, ha, thrust”. His beak bends again, causing Daffy to realize, “Got it!”, before adjusting it back. He tries again, “Now then. Ho! Ha ha! Guard! Turn! Parry! Dodge! Spin!-” Porky just walks up to him and uses a stick on Daffy’s staff in the midst of his “spin” to cause Daffy to spin into the river again, also taking Daffy’s staff with him (animated by Harris). As Porky is about to laugh again, Daffy comes up to him initially angry, before the laughter becomes infectious and Daffy is suddenly joining Porky in the uncontrollable laughter. After picking him up in his arms, Daffy comes to his senses and stops laughing, with Porky slapping him on the back. Daffy irritably drops him and sulks, “Oh, knock it off! How jolly can ya get?” (animated by Levitow)

Later, Daffy is walking along with Porky getting his laughter under control and asking him while following, “Eh, p-p-p-prithee, O, t-t-t-traveling clown. Eh, c-c-couldst thou directest me to Robin Hood’s, uh, hideout? I wouldst fain eh, j-j-join me up with his band of j-j-j-jolly outlaws”. Daffy stops in shock at this and gives the audience a sly eye raise. He then stands atop a rock and proudly presents himself, “Look no further, good Friar, for I am he for whomst thou seekest-t-t. I am Robin Hood!” Not believing him and thinking he’s trying to joke around, Porky begins to walk away, “Oh, eh, c-c-cut it out. I-I-I-I’m serious. I-if you don’t know where he is, just say so!” Daffy swings alongside him and assures, “But honest and truly, I AM Robin Hood!”, only to swing back-first into a tree. Porky walks past him and sarcastically answers, “SURE you are”, with Daffy’s beak bending again (animated by Thompson).

Daffy then attempts to talk to Porky, “Look g-give me a chance, can’t ya? I-I’ll PROVE that I’m Robin Hood!” He then shows Porky a traveler bouncing along the trail on his burrow with his sack of coins always jingling whenever he moves, “See yon rich unwary traveler?” After a shot of the traveler, Daffy tells Porky, “I’ll rob him of his gold and then give it to some poor unworthy slob. That’ll prove that I’m Robin Hood! Hmm, prithee, hmm?” (animated by Thompson)

Daffy prepares to shoot an arrow from a bow at the traveler and instructs Porky, “Now then, fatso! Watch as I put a clothyard shaft through his wishbone!” Porky answers, “I-I’m watching, eh, j-j-jester”, before looking up and whistling. Instead of firing the arrow, Daffy ends up firing through the bow instead and flying smack into a tree, with his feet and crotch sticking out one end and his head and neck sticking out the other. Porky asks sarcastically, “Oh, I eh, d-d-don’t know HOW I could have, eh, d-d-doubted you. Eh, sh-sh-shall we spend the gold all in one place?”, as Daffy, wearing the tree around his body, enters and responds in an equally sarcastic manner, “Ho ho, very funny. Ha ha, it is to laugh” (animated by Thompson).

Porky yawns while leaning against a tree, as Daffy is planning to swing down to the traveler on a rope. Jumping off the branch to swing down, he yells, “YOICKS AND AWAY!”, only to fly smack into another tree. Daffy keeps smacking into tree after tree after tree, with his “Yoicks and away!” getting groggier with every hit. After the last one, Porky gives the audience a bored “Seriously?” look. Irritated at all the trees in the way, Daffy mutters, “Why, you-!”, before returning shortly with an ax and proceeding to chop the tree he just smacked into down. After he has chopped down all the other trees in the way, Daffy tries the swinging attempt again, “Now then, YOICKS AND AWAY!” He is too pleased with himself to realize that he’s swinging towards a large rock and doesn't see it until it’s too late. The traveler then passes by as the rock begins to crack from the impact of Daffy hitting it (animated by Harris).

As Porky sings “Barbara Allen” while walking along the trail, Daffy interrupts him and takes him over to his next attempt, “Come on, come on! I REALLY got it made THIS time!” Porky leans against a cliff and informs, “Here we g-g-go again”. Daffy intends to pull a wrecking ball perched against the cliff opposite of the one he’s standing on down onto the traveler. When he pulls on the rope, he ends up sliding off the cliff he’s on and swinging into the side of the other cliff before falling onto the ground. After the traveler passes and the wrecking ball itself begins to fall, Porky informs Daffy, “I’m eh, s-s-sorry, clown. I-I-I enjoy your hijinks but I r-r-really mustn’t tarry longer”. Realizing he’s about to be crushed by his own wrecking ball, Daffy lets out an “Oh, no…”, before it does so. He sticks his arm out from under to grab Porky’s outfit and prevent him from leaving, angrily grumbling, “Come back here!” (animated by Levitow).

The traveler is almost to his castle before Daffy slingshots a spear at him. It only ends up getting stuck in a gap where a bridge is out, allowing the traveler to safely cross. An irritated Daffy sees Porky waving at him, before he runs off to stop the traveler from entering his castle, going through the moat and all. Apparently not knowing how a drawbridge works, Daffy stands in front of it in order to block it, “Ah ha! Now!”, only for said drawbridge to release and push Daffy front-first onto the ground as the traveler crosses it and enters. The drawbridge goes back up with Daffy briefly having the same expression he did when it opened, before he rolls up like a curtain shade (animated by Levitow).

Porky apologizes, “I’m sorry, b-b-b-but I can’t join you. I’m convinced you’re just not Robin Hood”. From offscreen, Daffy replies, “Never mind joining me. I’ll join YOU”, entering with a friar robe of his own and with the top of his head bald, “Shake hands with Friar Duck”. As Porky does so, Daffy’s beak bends back once more for the iris-out (animated by Levitow).

Where Can I Watch It?

At toontales.net!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕