The Stupid Cupid
| The Stupid Cupid | |
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| Production company | Warner Bros. Cartoons |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Pictures The Vitaphone Corporation |
| Release date | November 25, 1944 |
| Run time | 7:15 |
| Starring | Mel Blanc Frank Graham |
| Producer(s) | Edward Selzer |
| Music composed by | Carl W. Stalling |
| Story by | Warren Foster |
| Director(s) | Frank Tashlyn |
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The Stupid Cupid is the hundred and ninety-eighth Looney Tunes theatrical short. It was released by Warner Bros. Pictures and The Vitaphone Corporation on November 25, 1944. It was written by Warren Foster, produced by Edward Selzer, and directed by Frank Tashlin.
The mischievous god Cupid (Elmer Fudd) shoots arrow at animals to make them fall in love. But things take a different turn when he faces with Daffy Duck.
Detailed summary
Memorable quotes
Daffy: Say, keep your arrows out of other people's business-ss-ss-ss-ssesses... buster! You shot me last year, and look what happened. Tied down, no more fun. Now look at me! A has-been, a hen-pecked duck, a canvasback Casanova. And it's your fault, you bare-backed bandit. So beat it, bub. Take a powder. Scram!
Daffy: Wait a minute, bub! Wait a minute, it's not my fault. Something came over me like a flash. It was that stupid Cupid! Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo! Whee! Woop! I'm not a wolf, I'm a family man myself. Please forgive me. I apologize to you and your charming wife. Forgive me. I beseech you and you'll never see me again. I throw myself on my tender mercies. Whaddya say?
Rooster: Well, okay. It might've been a mistake.
Daffy: Thanks a lot, pal! (to audience) Gee, he's a sweet fella! He's a peach charming boy! Swell, I tell ya, swell!
Characters
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Locations
Objects
- Cupid's bow and arrows
Vehicles
- Daffy's car
Production
Casting
In most cartoons, Elmer is voiced by Arthur Q. Bryan, but since he has no dialogue in this short, Frank Graham provides Elmer's laugh.
Filming
It was copyrighted in 1944 (MCMXLIV).
Lost ending
The last scene in known prints involve the rooster kissing the hen with Daffy quickly zooming in between the two lovers before kissing the hen himself. The scene ends abruptly after the rooster's reaction when the hen taps his shoulder to alert him of Daffy's presence.
When The Stupid Cupid was reissued as a Blue Ribbon release, an ending scene is believed to have been removed. Theories speculate that the short had an ending, instead of a fade out like in later prints.[1] Director and animation historian Greg Ford speculates that the ending involved Daffy turning to the audience and saying, "If you haven't tried it, don't knock it." It is unknown whether this was deleted from the original release print or from the Blue Ribbon reissue.[2]
Music
The score was composed by Carl W. Stalling.
Release
Dates are in order of release:
- United States: November 25, 1944; September 1, 1951 (Blue Ribbon reissue)
Behind the scenes
- The MPAA certificate number is 9706.
- The bulldog does an impression of French actor Charles Boyer when he romantically pursues over the male cat.
- Daffy is revealed to have thirteen kids from his marriage, two of which are conjoined twins.
- When this short aired on Cartoon Network (as 1995 dubbed print), the scene in which the cat shoots himself with a pistol after getting wooed by the bulldog, followed by each of his nine lives, was instead cut to the next scene.[2] A more drastic cut was made with the A.A.P. print of the short when that aired on Cartoon Network (and other Turner-owned networks such as TBS and TNT) before 1995, which removed the entire scene with the cat and the bulldog; it instead cuts from the horse's reaction after getting shot by Cupid to Daffy bathing in a trough.
Errors
Legacy
- Cupid appears as a separate character alongside Elmer in the television special Bugs Bunny's Cupid Capers.
- Elmer again takes on his Cupid role in "Love Among the Toons", a segment in the Tiny Toon Adventures episode "Spring in Acme Acres".
- "Valentine's Daffy", an episode of New Looney Tunes, follows a similar plot theme to this short, but with Daffy taking on Elmer/Cupid's position.
- Elmer's Cupid persona appears as a playable character in the mobile game Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem.
Critical reception
In The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons, animation historian Martin Goodman writes, "Though this farcical short contains some shoddy animation, Frank Tashlin's imaginative direction and Warren Foster's hilarious dialogue lift The Stupid Cupid above its shortcomings and into the realm of unforgettable comedy. As usual, Tashlin approaches his cartoon as a cinematic tableau in which wildly distorted characters experience exaggerated emotions... Outstanding timing, gags, and dialogue dominate the entire short."[3]
Home availability
- 1986: MGM/UA Home Video releases Daffy Duck Cartoon Festival Featuring "Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur" on VHS.
- 1990: MGM/UA Home Video releases Daffy Duck and Company on VHS.
- July 1, 1992: MGM/UA Home Video releases The Golden Age of Looney Tunes: Volume 2 on LaserDisc.
- November 14, 2006: Warner Home Video releases Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 4 on DVD.
References
- ↑ Javier, Vera (2002). "Iris Out Variations". Archived from the original on February 26, 2007.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "The CENSORED Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies Guide: S". Archived from the original on April 1, 2016.
- ↑ Beck, Jerry, ed. (2020). The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons. Insight Editions. p. 177. ISBN 978-1-64722-137-9.
