Release Date:

August 7, 1948

Main Character(s):

Daffy Duck, Henery Hawk

Summary:

Daffy Duck is very disgusted that the National Poultry Show is awarding $5,000 to the best rooster and only $5.00 to the best duck. So he disguises as a chicken to get the higher money. Meanwhile, Henery Hawk is inspired by his father, George K. Chicken Hawk’s comment on how he’s the “greatest judge of chicken flesh in the world”, and goes out to get a chicken of his own. He mistakes Daffy for one, and Daffy mistakenly believes that Henery is taking him to meet the poultry show’s judge personally, only to end up having to avoid becoming a false chicken dinner for Henery and George K.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 1046 and was released as a Merrie Melodie.

The cartoon was given a Blue Ribbon reissue. When it was restored for the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 5 DVD set in 2007, the original titles were put back in.

Following his debut in “The Squawkin’ Hawk”, this is the only other time that Jones used Henery and is also Henery’s only other appearance outside of a Foghorn Leghorn cartoon (aside from a brief cameo in Jones’ 1950 masterpiece, “The Scarlet Pumpernickel”).

This is the final Jones cartoon to be written by Tedd Pierce until 1955’s “Knight-Mare Hare”.

This cartoon is the start of a new direction in Daffy’s character as while he’s not the jerk character he is in the 1950’s and the 1960’s, this is the first cartoon to center around his obsession of money (although the first time his devious side was used was in “You Ought to Be in Pictures”).

This is the first cartoon in the “post-July 1948” era (as mentioned in “Haredevil Hare” yesterday, I refuse to refer to it as “post-1948”), where every cartoon from this point onward has always been owned by Warner Bros. and had the most exposure on television, making this the oldest cartoon to have been shown on the highly-sought after “The Bugs Bunny Show” (1960-1962; the original footage for the program has been lost media for decades, but Warner Archive is currently searching for every episode and restoring them).

The title is a pun for the 1942 film, “You Were Never Lovelier”.

The store next to the poultry show is “C. Jones Shoes”. This is an obvious reference to Jones.

What I Like About This One:

Seeing the lousy prize of 5 dollars for the best duck, Daffy is very annoyed: “You mean I came all the way from Dubuque for a measly 5 bucks!?” and is further irritated by the prize of 5,000 dollars for the best rooster. “Why they can’t do this to me! It’s unconstitutional! It’s-it’s-brother, could I use 5,000 smackareenies!” (animated by Phil Monroe)

In order to gain the $5,000 prize, Daffy puts a rubber glove on his head and in order to get tail feathers, gets the rooster who has won all the previous poultry to get his tail feathers to stick up by putting a pin-up of a hen on his wall and whistling in a flirty manner. As the rooster looks at it in excitement, Daffy plucks his tail feathers off, and gives a sheepish grin as he removes the last one when the rooster looks over at him doing this. The rooster confides, “I do have the darndest dreams” before going back to sleep. Daffy sticks the stolen tail feathers on a suction cup which he puts on his rear (animated by Monroe).

Meanwhile, Henery is about to go to bed as George K. is showing him a book with pictures of different types of roosters, such as a Rhode Island Red, a White Minorca, and a Cochin China rooster. Impressed, Henery tells him, “Gee, pa, you sure know your chickens”. George K. calls himself “the finest judge of chicken flesh of any chicken hawk in this part of the country”. He tucks Henery in, telling him “now it’s time for little chicken hawks to get some shut-eye” and leaves. Inspired, Henery goes out to get a chicken of his own (animated by Lloyd Vaughan).

Henery goes to the poultry show and upon looking at the marquee advertising the prizes for best duck and rooster, decides that this is a good place to catch a chicken. Spotting Daffy sleeping in a box, Henery carries him off, but Daffy assumes he’s walking in his sleep. “But how could I be walking in my sleep if I’m awake enough to KNOW I’m walking in my sleep?”, Daffy asks before heading back to the box. “The strange things people do in their sleep. Especially if they’re awake”. Henery tries again, this time carrying the whole box with him, to which Daffy wakes up and wonders what’s going on after seeing the scenery move on its own. He looks down and sees Henery before taking the box away and referring to Henery as “a rather small and insignificant chicken rustler” (animated by Ken Harris).

Daffy tells Henery off: “Listen, squab! Stealing just an ordinary, everyday chicken is crime enough! But to attempt to snatch a genuine, pedigreed, Red Island Rhode Buff Orpington prize rooster-” (animated by Harris), before Henery asks with interest, “Is that what YOU are?” (animated by Ben Washam) Daffy confirms (animated by Harris), which causes Henery to exclaim, “Jeepers! The old man will flip his lid over this one!” (animated by Washam)

Henery threatens, “Alright, seagull. Are you coming with me quietly or do I have to slap ya around some?” Daffy asks Henery where he intends to take him and Henery responds with, “I’m takin’ you to me old man! The greatest judge of chicken flesh in the world!” Thinking Henery is referring to the poultry show’s judge, Daffy eagerly goes with him. “Sufferin’ succotash! What’re we waitin’ for? Lead the way, sonny, to your esteemed father. Hey, by the way, what sort of cigars does he smoke?” (animated by Harris).

George K. hears Daffy call the hawks’ tree home a quaint domicile for a judge to live before sporting an evil smile upon seeing Henery with Daffy. Daffy brags about the type of chicken he apparently is to “Judge- Judge- what was the name?” George K. answers him and puts emphasis on his full name, “Chicken Hawk. George K. Chicken Hawk”. “CHICKEN HAWK!?”, Daffy exclaims in horror as he does a fantastic take before quietly saying in fear, “Chicken hawk. Eats us chickens” (animated by Monroe).

Daffy attempts to leave (“Well, so long. I gotta go. I think my judge is burning, fudge. Um, uh, my fudge is burning, ju- I mean my mother wants me. I got to crochet a cake. Um, uh, goodbye!”), but Henery shuts the door before he can escape, leaving Daffy’s beak stuck in the door. With only his beak being seen, he gives a pathetic “Help” before he is pulled offscreen and fighting noises are heard. His beak goes back into the door to reply, “I distinctly said help” before the offscreen fight continues (animated by Monroe).

Daffy finds himself upside down with his feet tied up and on a hook like a chicken about to be decapitated when he sees George K. putting on his chef’s hat and Henery setting out plates for their potential meal. Daffy tries to set him straight, “Mr. Chicken Hawk, sir, you’re making a ghastly mistake. I’m an impostor. A charlatan. A fake. I’m a duck masquerading in the guise of a chicken. Look, I’ll prove it!” He jumps down from the hook, swims in a small water bucket while imitating the onomatopoeia for a duck, before hopping back up to the hook. “That ought to convince you” (animated by Washam).

George K. takes out his meat cleaver as Daffy realizes “it’s these appurtenances that deceive you” and that it’s just a disguise, but finds the rubber glove on his head very difficult to pull off and also ends up getting his whole body stuck in it. Henery and George K. testing out how sharp the meat cleaver is by means of Henery floating a small hair down towards it, which gets sliced in two. By the time Daffy gets out of the glove, he sees George K. marching towards him with his meat cleaver and attempts to run for it, but George K. grabs the glove, resulting in Daffy flying backward into him (animated by Washam).

After the crash happens offscreen, George K. is now wearing the glove on his head, with Daffy (now wearing the chef’s hat) in his arms like an embrace. Daffy chuckles, “I didn’t know you cared” and gives George K. a wacky kiss before kicking him in the face and running off again. George K. chases Daffy around and around, with Henery accidentally malleting George K., who only gives him a sheepish smile (animated by Vaughan).

At dawn the next morning, Daffy is seen exhausted from the previous night’s events. “Whew, the trouble you can get into just because you want 5,000 bucks”. He then realizes why he even disguised as a chicken in the first place: “5,000 bucks!? Sufferin’ succotash! I gotta get back there before the judging starts!” Daffy zooms back to the city and dons another glove (animated by Washam).

At the poultry show, the $5,000 award is given not to Daffy, but to George K. who is still wearing the original glove on his head. When the $5 award is announced, Daffy decides, “Oh, well. Who am I to sneer at a fast fiver?” and takes the glove he was wearing off of his head. But it’s instead given to Henery who’s disguised as a duck, with a clothespin on his beak and wearing flippers! (animated by Vaughan)

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕 ½