Porky's Duck Hunt
1937 film by Fred Avery
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Porky's Duck Hunt is a 1937 American animated comedy short film directed by Fred Avery.[1] The cartoon was released on April 17, 1937. It is the 84th film in the Looney Tunes series, the 22nd cartoon to feature Porky Pig, the first to feature Daffy Duck and the first to have Mel Blanc voice Porky, as Joe Dougherty was fired due to his uncontrollable stuttering. Daffy Duck would become the series' most prominent character, appearing across films spanning 31 years until his retirement in 1968. It is also the first film in the series to credit Robert Cannon, who would become one of Avery's animators at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.[2]
Robert Cannon
| Porky's Duck Hunt | |
|---|---|
Title card | |
| Directed by | Fred Avery |
| Produced by | Leon Schlesinger |
| Music by | Carl W. Stalling |
| Animation by | Virgil Ross Robert Cannon |
| Color process | Black-and-white |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Productions The Vitaphone Corporation |
Release date |
|
Running time | 8 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
Porky prepares for duck hunting, unknowingly pointing his shotgun at his dog, who is terrified and backs away. He accidentally shoots the ceiling, hurting his neighbor who is displeased by the attack. Porky leaves for the duck pond, where multiple hunters fail to shoot a single black duck. An idiotic hunter with a bent shotgun shoots down two fighter jets.
Porky launches numerous duck decoys, which attracts the black duck. The black duck attracts his attention, so he ducks below the water with a decoy on top to shoot him, only to be easily recognized. The duck stands on a barrel of alcohol, which Porky shoots, intoxicating five fish who go on a joyride on a boat while singing.
Porky is suspicious of the black duck, only for it to bite him. Porky shoots the duck, ordering his dog to retrieve him, only for the duck to knock him out and swim to shore. Porky questions the duck for not following the film's script, only for the duck to respond nonchalantly as it bounces away. The duck eats an electric eel and is electrocuted. Porky tries to eat his lunch, only to be triggered by numerous birds, including the duck, into shooting his boat and causing it to sink. Joe Penner emerges from the water and tries to sell Porky a duck. Porky tries to shoot the duck again but his shotgun jams; the duck mockingly fixes it and bounces away. Porky finds that the duck is flying with its peers and tries to use a whistle imitating a duck to attract them, only to be fired at by other hunter. He accidentally drops the whistle in his dog's mouth, causing them to be shot at as they run home. Humiliated, Porky tries one last shot at the ducks, who party outside his house, only to shoot his ceiling again to the chagrin of his neighbor. The duck bounces away at the end card.
Voice cast
- Mel Blanc as Porky Pig, Daffy Duck
- Billy Bletcher as Bass Fish, Neighbor
- Additional speaking voices are provided by Danny Webb
- Singing performed by the Sportsmen Quartet[3]
Production notes
In this short, Porky Pig stars alongside Daffy Duck, marking Daffy's debut. Mel Blanc voices both characters, originally slated to voice only Daffy but taking over as Porky due to Joe Dougherty's firing after Porky's Romance due to his stutter.[4][5][6][7]
Home media
This short is available on disc 1 of The Essential Daffy Duck DVD set,[8] disc 2 of the Porky Pig 101 DVD set,[9] and disc 2 of the Looney Tunes Collector's Vault: Volume 1 Blu-ray set.[10]
