Drip-Along Daffy


Drip-Along Daffy is a 1951 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoon short, directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. The cartoon was released on November 17, 1951, and stars Daffy Duck and Porky Pig.
This cartoon was produced as a parody of Westerns which were popular at the time of its release, and features Daffy Duck as a "Western-Type Hero", who, with his trusty "Comedy Relief" hopes to clean up a violence-filled "". In a tongue-in-cheek nod to The Lone Ranger, Daffy's horse is named "Tinfoil". The cartoon includes an original song called "The Flower of Gower Gulch", a parody of sentimental cowboy-style love songs, Gower Gulch being an intersection in Hollywood known as a gathering spot for would-be actors in early Westerns.
Drip-Along Daffy featured the first appearance of the villain character Nasty Canasta, a Mexican rogue who would resurface in several later Jones cartoons, as well as an episode of The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries, the movie in 2003, and occasionally on the Duck Dodgers TV series.

Plot

Daffy, introduced as a "Western-Type Hero" and Porky, introduced as the "Comedy Relief", ride along the desert until they come across the small "Lawless Western Town" of Snake-Bite Center, which is so full of violence that the population sign immediately goes down a number when someone is shot ; the most recent casualty is the last sheriff, so the town needs a new sheriff. In a recorded commentary on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection, the commentator warns the viewer that "this film is literally stuffed with every western cliché ever done." This is illustrated in such spoof scenes as follows: a man is firing guns while chasing another man; both stop at a traffic light so a second pair can cross, then their chase resumes. Two riders on horseback casually approach one another; when they are in close proximity, the horses recoil and whinny in anger, then begin shooting at each other. Other scenes include: a holdup at "Custard's Last Stand"; a masked horse stealing horseshoes from a smithy at gunpoint; a gunman shot off someone's balcony is caught by waiting stretcher-bearers, who trot him off to "Rigor O'Mortis / The Smiling Undertaker"...whose funeral parlor towers several stories above the neighboring buildings.
Seeing the "Sheriff Wanted" sign, Daffy picks a sheriff badge out of his collection of badges and rides into town on his horse, Tinfoil, with Porky following behind on his donkey. At the saloon, Daffy is about to enjoy a pasteurized milkshake and swami yogurt-chaser...when Nasty Canasta walks in past his 'Wanted' poster. Daffy tries to intimidate Canasta with his gun, but Canasta just bites off most of the gun and eats it. Canasta then threateningly orders himself and Daffy "two of the usual", a drink made of various poisons and toxic materials like cobra fang juice, hydrogen bitters and old panther. Canasta downs the drink with no side effects ; Daffy gets Porky to drink the other one, and Porky comes through seemingly with no side effects either. So, Daffy demands one for himself and pours it down his throat. A few seconds later, Daffy and Porky exhibit wild side effects, including reciting "Mary had a Little Lamb" in Elmer Fudd-ese, turning green, and acting like they are motorized; Daffy's bullets shoot by themselves and create a hole in the floor, which he falls into, then rockets out of before coming back to Earth. As he floats down, Daffy sternly says to Canasta "I hate you." Eventually, Daffy challenges Canasta to a showdown in the street.
Daffy and Canasta start walking towards each other, the street deserted, when Porky takes matters into his hands by winding up a small British toy soldier and letting it go towards Canasta, accompanied by Raymond Scott's "The Toy Trumpet". Canasta picks up the toy, chuckling, until it points its gun at Canasta and fires, sending Canasta to the ground. With Canasta defeated, the rest of the people in town rush over to Porky, while Daffy is still pacing his way to the middle of the street. Daffy finally notices the adoration given to Porky, and in vain tries to get their attention. Porky is now the town sheriff, and Daffy reiterates his claim that he would "clean up this one-horse town" to the camera — except now he is a sanitation worker. Porky remarks: "L-l-l-lucky for him it is a one-horse town."

In popular culture

This cartoon is included with the original ending restored in Disc Two of ' and Disc Two of '.