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Daffy Dilly is a 1948 Merrie Melodies short directed by Chuck Jones.

Title[]

The title is a play on the flower known as the daffodil.

Plot[]

Daffy Duck is a novelty gag salesman operating on the sidewalk of a large city, selling things like flower squirters, a Joe Miller joke book, a rib-tickler, a cheap chicken inspector badge ("It's ... it's ... only 13 cents ...") and a 200-volt electric hand buzzer, even shocking himself with it in the process ("it's ... shocking ..."). However, he fails to sell anything to anyone. But after hearing a radio report declaring that the mirthless buzzsaw tycoon J.P. Cubish is offering a one million dollar reward to anyone who can make him laugh before he passes on, Daffy promptly sets off for the millionaire's home with dollar signs in his eyes.

Upon arriving at Cubish's mansion, Daffy finds that the butler (whom Daffy calls "Jeeves," "Ruggles," "Meadows," and other commonly-used servant names) is not willing to let him in. Appearing not to take this rejection personally, Daffy offers to shake hands with the butler, only for him to fall victim to Daffy's hand buzzer, followed by a series of pranks with his other novelty items until the butler agrees to let Daffy in. He escorts Daffy to a room which leads outside, causing him to land in the backyard fountain. Daffy does not seem to mind though, as he "was a bit dusty." Daffy tries several ways to get inside (scaling the wall with a grappling hook, swinging in through the window on a rope, etc.), all of which end in failure (in one case, removing the butler's dentures in the process!). Daffy finally sneaks into the house by hiding in a package designed to look like a bottle of champagne (which the butler tries to keep for himself). Daffy ran for his life as the butler tried to kill him using an axe and cannon. Daffy climbs to the top of the building, only to run into the butler again ("Whoops. How are things in Glocca Morra?"). As the butler corners Daffy ("Once and for all, I'm going to..."), the wily duck starts interrogating the butler a la Humphrey Bogart ("Not so fast, my man, Goddfrey! It becomes increasingly apparent that I'm not wanted around here."), suspecting him of not wanting Cubish to return to his good health ("Are we to assume that there is anything significant in this attitude of yours? That A: A butler might not want his master to recover his good health. That B: Said butler should endeavor to remove from the premises the only person capable of restoring said health, to said master."), and even accusing the butler of attempted murder ("Where were you, the night of April the 16th? A likely story! I see it all now. You and the upstairs maid! 'Do the old boy in', you said! 'Elderberry wine and old lace', you said! 'Then, the quick getaway', you said! Rio de Janerio, tropical nights, romance and a heavy bank account! But you weren't smart enough John, alias Johnny, alias Jack, alias Jacky! Phew! What's Humphrey Bogart got that I ain't got?"). Ultimately, Daffy tricks the jittery butler into fleeing the house in disguise, so as not to be arrested. ("But just to show you I'm not all copper, I'm gonna give you a ten-minute head start!", "Don't try to thank me now, get going! Hurry! They're on your trail! Run! Out this way! [screams] And stay on the straight and narrow!")

At last, Daffy makes it to Cubish's bedroom, but before he can even unpack his novelty items, he slips on a rug and falls on a tray of food, covering himself in cake. Cubish finds this sight hilarious and laughs uproariously. In the end, Cubish keeps Daffy on hand as his personal jester, merrily throwing pies at the duck's face while he stands against a target. "It's a living," Daffy asides before he is hit in the face with one last pie.

Availability[]

  • (2017) Blu-ray - All Scrappy, All Warners (original opening, credits and ending)

Notes[]

  • This is only time Chuck Jones uses Daffy's salesman role.
  • This cartoon was edited into and served as the genesis of the plot for the 1988 compilation feature Daffy Duck's Quackbusters. In the film, Cubish "dies laughing" and leaves his entire fortune to Daffy, on the grounds that he use it to perform a beneficial public service "and to display honesty in all business affairs". When Cubish returns in spectral form and threatens to take away Daffy's inheritance, Daffy forms a ghost-hunting business to "rid the world of disgusting ectoplasmic slime like J.P. Cubish!...Uh, I mean, :nice: ectoplasmic slime like J.P. Cubish."
  • This is the third Daffy Duck cartoon, and twelfth cartoon in general that was released in Cinecolor in the 1940's.
  • This was one of only five post-1948 Warner Bros. Cartoons to get a Blue Ribbon reissue prior to 1956 - with the original credits cut. The others were "The Foghorn Leghorn", "Kit for Cat", "Scaredy Cat", and "You Were Never Duckier".
    • This is the only one out of the five that does not have its original titles restored for DVD release. However, a 16mm print of this short with the original titles is known to exist. As Warner Bros. does not restore non-35mm prints, the Blue Ribbon titles were restored instead.
    • This is the only one of the five to have been originally released in Cinecolor; the others were released in Technicolor. Since the short was originally released in Cinecolor and re-released in Technicolor, the original closing titles were omitted and replaced with Blue Ribbon closing titles.
  • When this cartoon aired on the channel SBT in Brazil, the Blue Ribbon opening rings were cut off and instead were replaced by the opening rings of "The Stupor Salesman" before cutting to the blue ribbon title card with the music still playing. In addition, the ending card is replaced by the ending card of "Odor of the Day", with the Looney Tunes theme being replaced with a shortened, synthesized version of the Merrie Melodies ending theme.[2]
  • Vitaphone release number: 1731[3]

Gallery[]

References[]

Preceded by
You Were Never Duckier
Daffy Duck cartoons
1948
Succeeded by
The Stupor Salesman
Daffy Duck Cartoons
1937 Porky's Duck Hunt
1938 Daffy Duck & EggheadWhat Price PorkyPorky & DaffyThe Daffy DocDaffy Duck in Hollywood
1939 Daffy Duck and the DinosaurScalp TroubleWise Quacks
1940 Porky's Last StandYou Ought to Be in Pictures
1941 A Coy DecoyThe Henpecked Duck
1942 Conrad the SailorDaffy's Southern ExposureThe Impatient PatientThe Daffy DuckarooMy Favorite Duck
1943 To Duck .... or Not to DuckThe Wise Quacking DuckYankee Doodle DaffyPorky Pig's FeatScrap Happy DaffyA Corny ConcertoDaffy - The Commando
1944 Tom Turk and DaffyTick Tock TuckeredDuck Soup to NutsSlightly DaffyPlane DaffyThe Stupid Cupid
1945 Draftee DaffyAin't That DuckyNasty Quacks
1946 Book RevueBaby BottleneckDaffy DoodlesHollywood DaffyThe Great Piggy Bank Robbery
1947 Birth of a NotionAlong Came DaffyA Pest in the HouseMexican Joyride
1948 What Makes Daffy DuckDaffy Duck Slept HereThe Up-Standing SitterYou Were Never DuckierDaffy DillyThe Stupor SalesmanRiff Raffy Daffy
1949 Wise QuackersHoliday for DrumsticksDaffy Duck Hunt
1950 Boobs in the WoodsThe Scarlet PumpernickelHis Bitter HalfGolden YeggsThe Ducksters
1951 Rabbit FireDrip-Along DaffyThe Prize Pest
1952 Thumb FunCracked QuackRabbit SeasoningThe Super SnooperFool Coverage
1953 Duck AmuckMuscle TussleDuck Dodgers in the 24½th CenturyDuck! Rabbit, Duck!
1954 Design for LeavingQuack ShotMy Little Duckaroo
1955 Beanstalk BunnySahara HareStork NakedThis Is a Life?Dime to Retire
1956 The High and the FlightyRocket SquadStupor DuckA Star Is BoredDeduce, You Say
1957 Ali Baba BunnyBoston QuackieDucking the DevilShow Biz Bugs
1958 Don't Axe MeRobin Hood Daffy
1959 China JonesPeople Are BunnyApes of Wrath
1960 Person to Bunny
1961 The Abominable Snow RabbitDaffy's Inn Trouble
1962 Quackodile TearsGood Noose
1963 Fast Buck DuckThe Million HareAqua Duck
1964 The Iceman Ducketh
1965 It's Nice to Have a Mouse Around the HouseMoby DuckAssault and PepperedWell Worn DaffySuppressed DuckCorn on the CopTease for TwoChili Corn CornyGo Go Amigo
1966 The AstroduckMucho LocosMexican MousepieceDaffy RentsA-Haunting We Will GoSnow ExcuseA Squeak in the DeepFeather FingerSwing Ding AmigoA Taste of Catnip
1967 Daffy's DinerQuacker TrackerThe Music Mice-TroThe Spy SwatterSpeedy Ghost to TownRodent to StardomGo Away StowawayFiesta Fiasco
1968 Skyscraper CaperSee Ya Later Gladiator
1980 The Yolks on YouThe Chocolate ChaseDaffy Flies NorthDuck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century
1987 The Duxorcist
1988 The Night of the Living Duck
1990 Box Office Bunny
1991 (Blooper) Bunny
1992 Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers
1995 Carrotblanca
1996 Superior Duck
2003 Attack of the Drones
2004 Daffy Duck for President
2012 Daffy's Rhapsody
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