Release Date:

August 30, 1941

Main Character(s):

Daffy Duck, Porky Pig

Summary:

Daffy Duck’s wife wants to divorce him for losing her egg while he was made to babysit it (he was performing magic tricks with the egg due to sitting on eggs being boring). She explains the story to Judge Porky Pig when she brings Daffy to court.

That’s Not All, Folks:

This is the last cartoon to use the 1940-1941 Looney Tunes intro.

When Daffy is impressed with his magic trick of making the egg disappear, he comments, “If Major Bowes could see me now. This is a reference to “The Major Bowes Amateur Hour”, a popular talent radio program at the time.

This is the first cartoon where the male of a species has to sit on an egg, and states extreme displeasure in having to do so. Daffy would later be made to sit on an egg again in “Baby Bottleneck” (1946) while “The EggCited Rooster” (1952) revolves around Foghorn Leghorn having to sit on his wife’s egg while she’s away playing bridge and also having to endure torture from the barnyard dog and Henery Hawk.

What I Like About This One:

Porky’s courtroom is called “Court of Inhuman Relations”. In addition, several others are heard exclaiming, “I want a divorce!” offscreen.

John Carey’s animation of Daffy walking up to Porky very depressed.

Mrs. Duck demanding Daffy to say something while she’s berating him. Daffy is about to, but Mrs. Duck then says, “Don’t you dare open your mouth!” (this is a good example of hypocritical humor).

As the flashback begins, Daffy is clearly getting annoyed with having to respond to every one of his wife’s commands with “Yes, my love” with each one getting more and more sour (this is the equivalent of someone getting very annoyed with having to say “Yes, ma’am every single time). As soon as Mrs. Duck leaves for her mother’s, Daffy starts repeating “Yes, my love” in a mocking tone before Mrs. Duck suddenly comes back and opens the door, demanding, “What’s that!?” Daffy then runs back to the nest and responds with a meek “Yes, my love”.

Daffy’s magic words for his disappearing trick: “Hocus pocus flippety flam razzmatazz and alakazam!”

Although Daffy’s trick works the first time, he realizes to his horror that he can’t make it reappear. He gets so frantic to the point that he starts yelling “Alakazam!” over and over again before calmly asking at one point, “Say, is there a magician in the house?”

By the end of the day, an exhausted Daffy’s attempts to bring the egg back still prove to be futile. In an act of desperation, Daffy uses an egg-shaped doorknob. Mrs. Duck isn’t fooled however and her once again screaming a divorce ends the flashback.

Porky allowing Daffy one more chance to bring the egg back. Daffy says the words once more (and prays in desperation during the middle of it) and to his utter relief, the egg reappears! A chicken imitating Zasu Pitts remarks, “Alakazam and you get an egg? Oh dear, and for 15 years, I’ve been doing it the hard way!”

As Daffy reconciles with his wife, the egg hatches as the baby duck imitates a judge saying, “Case dismissed! Step down!”

Where Can I Watch It?

On YouTube!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕 ½