Ducking the Devil
| Ducking the Devil | |
|---|---|
 Lobby card. | |
| Production company | Warner Bros. Cartoons |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Pictures The Vitaphone Corporation |
| Release date | August 17, 1957 |
| Starring | Mel Blanc |
| Producer(s) | Edward Selzer |
| Music composed by | Milt Franklyn |
| Story by | Tedd Pierce |
| Animation | George Grandpré Ted Bonnicksen |
| Director(s) | Robert McKimson |
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Ducking the Devil is the four hundred and twenty-eighth Merrie Melodies theatrical short. It was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and The Vitaphone Corporation on August 17, 1957. It was written by Tedd Pierce, produced by Edward Selzer, and directed by Robert McKimson.
When the Tasmanian Devil escapes from the zoo, Daffy becomes his prey. But when the craven little coward of a duck learns of a $5,000 bounty placed on Taz, he also learns that the devil can become tame when exposed to music.
Detailed summary
Memorable quotes
Daffy: "Tasmanian Devil Escapes from Zoo"... Now what in a world is a Tasmanian devil?
Daffy: I may be a craven little coward, but I'm a GREEDY little coward. I just have to get that five Gs!
Daffy: Tasmanian devil! Here, Taz Boy! Come get your nice little, juicy duck dinner! Come, Taz!
Daffy: Like I said... I'm a coward, but I'm a GREEDY little coward.
Characters
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Locations
- Earth
- United States
- City center
- City zoo
- Daffy's residence
- Hamburger center
- City center
- United States
Objects
- Radio
- Trombone
- Bagpipes
Vehicles
- Armored van
Production
Filming
It was copyrighted in 1957 (MCMLVII).
Music
The music was composed by Milt Franklyn.
Behind the scenes
- This short is one of the few times Daffy goes after a large sum of money and keeps it by the end.
- Zookeeper Burton is likely a reference to John W. Burton, who would later take over as the producer of Warner Bros. Cartoons following Selzer's retirement the following year.
- The sequence where the patrons run away from the zoo in fear at the beginning of the cartoon is reused animation from the 1953 Looney Tunes short Wild Over You.
- Additionally, the sequence where Taz encounters Daffy combines reused animation from previous Taz cartoons: Devil May Hare (1954) and Bedevilled Rabbit, a cartoon made earlier that year.
- Ducking the Devil is notable for being the only pairing of Daffy Duck and Taz in the golden age of American animation, and the only theatrical Taz short to not have Bugs Bunny.
- The concept of Taz becoming docile when exposed to music in this short is inspired by the metaphorical phrase, "music soothes the savage beast."
- Despite Burton stating that Taz becomes docile when exposed to music, Taz seems to not be affected by certain types of music that might sound unpleasant to his ears. An example in this case, such as a Scottish bagpipe, results in Taz snatching away the bagpipe from Daffy and smashing it to pieces.
Errors
- When this cartoon got restored for the Looney Tunes Super Stars' Daffy Duck: Frustrated Fowl DVD, it was cropped to a widescreen format. It was later restored to fullscreen format in both the Tasmanian Devil DVD release of Stars of Space Jam, and on the Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1 Blu-ray/DVD set.
Legacy
- Elements from this cartoon such as the armored truck, Taz's exposure to music, and the zookeeper enemies would be used in the video game, Taz: Wanted.
Home availability
- In the United States:
- August 10, 2010: Warner Home Video releases Looney Tunes Super Stars' Daffy Duck: Frustrated Fowl on DVD.
- July 21, 2011: Warner Home Video releases Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1 on Blu-ray and DVD.
