Release Date:

March 6, 1943

Main Character(s):

Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd

Summary:

Daffy Duck challenges hunter Elmer Fudd to a one-sided boxing match where the referee and audience are all ducks and the referee describes all the illegal moves as an excuse to beat up Elmer.

That’s Not All, Folks:

This is the first pairing of Daffy and Elmer.

This is the third Looney Tune in color as well as the first color Looney Tune to not be reissued.

Porky’s headshot is featured although he doesn’t appear.

This is Elmer’s first physical appearance in a “Looney Tune”, since he was the offscreen narrator in “Nutty News”.

The cartoon is in the public domain.

The referee would later gain the absolutely hilarious name of “Ducky Wheeze” in the Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries episode “Furgo”.

This is the only time that “We Did It Before and We Can Do It Again” is used in a scene that doesn’t have to do with war or patriotism. In this case, it plays when the referee and Daffy abuse Elmer when demonstrating what they can’t do in the ring.

What I Like About This One:

Daffy “swimming” and “bicycling” through the air while scatting to “Why Don’t You Fall in Love with Me”. Every time Elmer shoots up in the sky, Daffy quickly zooms out of the way, creating holes in the clouds that Daffy describes as “duck shot”. He then brags, “Confidentially, those hunters couldn’t hit the broad side of a duck!”, only for Elmer to shoot his tail feathers, resulting in Daffy falling (animated by Phil DeLara).

Elmer’s dog, Larrimore, is instructed by Daffy on how to retrieve a duck- demonstrating by holding Larrimore in HIS mouth (animated by DeLara).

Elmer politely apologizing to Daffy that he had to plug him and explaining he’s a sportsman. Daffy challenges him by that title: “Listen, sport! You don’t know the meaning of fair play! What chance has a poor helpless fluffy little-winged creature like me against you?” He then starts stealing Elmer’s hunting gear and clothes and stripping him down to his underwear while continuing his rant: “You with your bullets, and your shotgun, and your knife, and your duck call, and your hunting clothes and your hunting dog, and all kinds of stuff like that there!” Daffy then shows his protection- a bulletproof vest which is just steel lining under his feathers as well as a small featherless spot underneath it, which he hides in embarrassment (animated by Ken Harris).

As Daffy backs Elmer into the ring (animated by Harris), the referee bursts into a laughing fit when about to introduce the “champ”, Elmer. He eventually controls himself and properly introduces him to the audience: “Elmer…. Fudd”. Elmer politely says hello, but the audience boos him since they’re all ducks. Sitting alone elsewhere, Larrimore says “Hooray” to which the audience throws several objects at him. When the referee humbly introduces the challenger, “Daffy Good to His Mother Duck”, the audience cheers wildly. Larrimore boos, causing the audience to throw objects at him again (animated by Rudy Larriva).

The referee demonstrating all the moves that aren’t allowed and then allowing Daffy to repeat them for clarification as an excuse to beat up Elmer. Referee: “No rough stuff. None of this! (punches Elmer with his elbow) Or this! (steps on Elmer’s foot) Or this! (kicks Elmer in the shin) Or like so! (butt-bumps Elmer in the chin) Or this! (kicks Elmer in the knees) Or this! (pulls Elmer’s hat over him) Or this! (punches Elmer out of his hat, giving him a black eye) You understand?” Daffy: “Yeah, you mean none of this? Or this? Or like so? Or this? Or this? Or this? How about a little of THIS?”, to which he punches Elmer across the ring. The referee shakes his head and confirms, “Absolutely uh-uh” (animated by Cannon).

Larrimore’s comments on the fight: “You know, there’s something awfully screwy about this fight! Or my name isn’t Larrimore! And it isn’t”. (animated by Cannon)

Daffy offering something to Elmer to “stimulate the scalp”: smashing a glass over his head (animated by Cannon).

When Daffy and Elmer are instructed to shake hands, Daffy has Elmer guess which hand is the one he should shake. The right hand is the wrong answer, so Elmer guesses the left hand to which Daffy knocks Elmer out cold with a mallet (animated by Ben Washam).

After “round 1”, the referee uses the bell to cause Elmer to collapse to the floor and speeds up the 10-count: “1,2,3,9,10, you’re out. The winner and new champion, Daffy Duck!” As the audience goes wild and Daffy and the referee repeatedly shake hands and bow, Elmer suddenly walks up to them: “I’m not the one to compwain, Mr. Wefewee, but I thought you said no wough stuff”. He then uses the same moves on Daffy and the referee at the same time. “None of this! Or this! Or this! Or wike so! Or this! Or this! Or this!” (animated by Washam)

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕 ½