Release Date:

November 2, 1957

Main Character(s):

Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck

Summary:

Scheduled to perform in the same vaudeville show as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck is outraged that Bugs has more drawing power and applause than him, while Daffy only gets complete silence from the audience. Daffy attempts to do acts better than Bugs and in some cases sabotage him, to no avail.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 1465 and was released as a Looney Tune.

This is the quintessential Bugs and Daffy rivalry cartoon with Daffy’s obsession with fame being on full display here.

This cartoon would also inspire the opening sequence of “The Bugs Bunny Show” a few years later (which Warner Archive is currently still in the process of restoring, but it will be totally worth it once they’ve finished and the full show is finally made available to the public for the very first time since their original airings in the 1960’s. For me, it’ll be like seeing a new classic Warner cartoon for the first time in a long while, since by 2019, I had seen all 1000 cartoons at least once).

This is the first cartoon to use the 1957-1959 blue rings with the red background in the “That’s all, Folks!” end card.

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

The music that plays over the opening credits in this cartoon would be used for the intros on the “Behind the Tunes” featurettes made for the second-fifth volumes of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection (2004-2007).

This cartoon has been a lifelong personal favorite of mine because at nearly every homecoming and prom during my high school years (2019-2023), I would impress my friends and everyone else by doing Daffy’s dance to “Jeepers Creepers” from this cartoon, knee-sliding and all (these days, known as the “Griddy”). Unlike Daffy, though, I’d always receive applause.

The cartoon was used in the 1981 compilation movie, “The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie”.

This is the first instance where Daffy tries to kill Bugs himself, with a reuse of the “Those Endearing Young Charms” gag (unlike other times where it was used with a piano, this time it’s used with a xylophone).

Daffy’s disappearing act in this cartoon is the same one the fox did at the end of “Curtain Razor”, but to a greater effect here.

In the 1975 documentary, “Camera Three: The Boys from Termite Terrace”, the host, John Canemaker, mistakenly mentions this cartoon as being scored by Carl Stalling when talking about him, even though this one was scored by Milt Franklyn (to be fair, though, no one had easy access to the Warner cartoons back then like we do today).

Favorite Scene:

Daffy’s aforementioned dance to “Jeepers Creepers” as well as the climax with his disappearing act.

What Happens in This One:

A taxi arrives at the vaudeville theater with Daffy stepping out of it and asking the driver, “How much, my good man?” The offscreen driver replies, “Ah, one block: 25 cents”. Daffy is mildly outraged at this, “25 cents!? It’s robbery, but I’ll pay it!”, before telling him, “But you get no gratuity! It’s enough that you’ve had the honor of having a celebrity like me in your hack! Daffy Duck, Star of the Show. See?” He points upward to the marquee, but the camera pans up to reveal it saying “Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck”, with Bugs’ name very large and Daffy’s below in a smaller font, as the taxi is heard driving away. When Daffy sees the marquee himself, he is appalled at this, “What!? That rabbit’s name over mine?! I’M the star! I’ll just see about this!” as he storms in (animated by Arthur Davis).

From the interior of the manager’s office, he is heard talking to Daffy, “But, Daffy, we bill according to drawing power”. Daffy replies, “Oh, yeah!? That rabbit couldn’t draw flies if he was covered with syrup!”, before walking out, “Okay! This performance will PROVE I’m the star!” He walks to his dressing room, which is across from Bugs’, who has his name printed on the door, complete with star underneath it. Daffy scoffs at it before going into his, which has a sign with his name on it. He immediately comes back out, however, “There can only be one explanation for white tile in a dressing room! And that’s it!”, as he flips his sign around to reveal that his “dressing room” is actually the men’s restroom (animated by Virgil Ross).

With both dressed in top hats and coats and tails and with an orchestra playing “I’m Looking Over a Four-Leafed Clover”, Daffy warns, “Try not to trip me up with those big feet, please!”, to which Bugs replies, “I’ll try, Daffy”. Daffy realizes, “We’re on!”, as they both make their entrance on stage. Bugs and Daffy begin the show by doing an in-unison dance to “Tea for Two”, before making an offstage exit (animated by Gerry Chiniquy).

Hearing the round of applause, Daffy believes, “Boy! Listen to that! They LOVE me!”, but when he goes out to take bows alone, the audience becomes quiet. Irritated, Daffy storms back offstage. Bugs peeks his head back onstage and receives all the applause instead, also bowing. Daffy runs back onstage and rants, “I’m sick of people taking bows for MY talent! Now, do your OWN dance! I challenge you! Dance, if you’re not a coward!” When the audience applauds as a cue for him to do it, Bugs does a simple dance to “Shave and a Haircut”, which gets applause. Daffy sarcastically remarks, “Hardy-har-har!”, before stating, “If they like THAT mess, they’re starving for some REAL hoofing! I’ll kill ‘em!” He then instructs while removing his tux coat, “Music, maestro, please! E flat from the top”. Daffy does an energetic tap dance in tune to “Jeepers Creepers”, ending with him doing it a lot faster and then sliding across the stage in front of the audience on his knees. Only crickets are heard after this, causing him to walk off disgruntled and mutter, “Ingrates” (animated by Chiniquy).

Daffy presents an act, “Daffy Duck and His Trained Pigeons”, where he has a cage of pigeons placed on a table and sets up a miniature circus for them on said table. Once he opens the cage, the pigeons immediately fly out the window. Giving a sheepish grin, Daffy dances offstage, only to get a tomato thrown in his face when he peeks back out (animated by Davis).

Bugs, no longer wearing his top hat and tux, but wearing a makeshift turban, announces, “After which, I place a volunteer in this box and proceed to saw him in half”. Daffy, who’s also no longer wearing his tux and top hat, enters, “What!? Don’t tell me you’ve got the gall to pull that old sawing in half routine!” Bugs replies, “Yes, if I get a volunteer”. Seeing this as an opportunity to try and humiliate him, Daffy decides, “Volunteer? Hmm. I’LL be your volunteer!” As he gets in the box and has Bugs saw it in two, Daffy explains how fake this scenario is, “This whole thing is a fake! The way it’s done is very simple! Fake feet out one end and I’m all scrunched up in this end! The oldest trick in the book! His turban is a fake too! Just a hotel towel!” After Bugs moves both ends away from each other, the audience begins applauding, much to Daffy’s ire. He jumps out of the box and then up and down as he yells, “Don’t applaud him! Look, I’m not cut in half! Stop applauding! It’s a fake!” Upon feeling something, he realizes he has indeed been cut in half, with his body from the torso up, having been separated from his crotch down to his feet. Embarrassed, Daffy walks off, holding the feathers on his lower half up like slumping pants, “Hmph. It’s a good thing I got Blue Cross” (animated by Davis).

Backstage, Daffy hears Bugs announce, “And following my song, I’ll play the xylophone”. Daffy comes up with a devious scheme, “Xylophone? Hmm. I can get rid of the rabbit and it’ll look like an accident” (animated by Ross). He rigs the xylophone with TNT triggered to explode when a certain bar is tapped, “When he strikes this note, instead of a xylophone, he’ll be playing a harp! (laughs evilly)” With Bugs at the xylophone, he tells the audience, “And now, with your kind indulgence, I’ll play ‘Those Endearing Young Charms’”. He misses the note, much to Daffy’s ire, “That’s wrong, ya dumb bunny! Try it again!” Bugs misses it a second time, causing Daffy to lose his patience. He runs out, pushes Bugs aside, and plays it himself, “Ooh! No, no, ya stupid rabbit! Like this!” Daffy gets the explosion instead, with the aftermath leaving him charred, his beak coming loose, and the destroyed xylophone finishing the rest of the verse when its keys fall onto the stage (animated by Davis).

Bugs gets applause after finishing a juggling act, to which Daffy gets in his face, having had enough, “I hate you!” Daffy decides, “Now, you’ve forced me to use the act I’ve held back for a special occasion. Just try and top this one!” He leaves and then returns wearing a devil costume and carrying a suitcase. “I now present an act that no other performer has ever dared to execute. In fairness, I must warn those with weak constitutions to leave the theater for this performance”. After requesting for “lights”- a spotlight being shown on him-, and “some appropriate music, maestro”- where the orchestra starts playing intense music-, and thanking them both, Daffy describes everything he does, “First, I drink a generous portion of gasoline. Then some nitroglycerin. A goodly amount of gunpowder. Some Uranium 238. Shake well. Strike an ordinary match”, briefly warning “Girls, you’d better hold onto your boyfriends!”, before concluding, “Swallow the match, so!” Daffy explodes and is no longer on stage. The audience finally gives him thunderous applause. Bugs also applauds, “That was terrific, Daffy! They loved it! They want more!” As his spirit floats up into the sky, Daffy laments, “I know, I know. But I can only do it once!” (animated by Ross)

Where Can I Watch It?

At toontales.net!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕