Ain't That Ducky

Ain't That Ducky
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Airdate:	19 May 1945 Blue Ribbon reissue: 2 May 1953
Series:	Looney Tunes
MPAA Number:	10046
Production Number:	5-15 1313 (reissue)
Copyright Renewed:	13 November 1972
Starring:	Daffy Duck Little Yellow Duck
Crew
Voice Characterizations:	Mel Blanc (uncredited) Victor Moore (uncredited)
Director:	I. Freleng
Written By:	Michael Maltese
Producer:	Eddie Selzer (uncredited)
Animated By:	Gerry Chiniquy Manuel Perez (uncredited) Ken Champin (uncredited) Jack Bradbury (uncredited) Richard Bickenbach (uncredited)
Layout Artist:	Hawley Pratt (uncredited)
Background Artist:	Paul Julian (uncredited)
Film Editor:	Treg Brown (uncredited)
Musician:	Carl W. Stalling

Ain't That Ducky is a 1945 Looney Tunes short directed by Friz Freleng.

Title

The title is a double meaning, as "ducky" can refer to something cheerful, and the more obvious reference to Daffy's species.

Plot

Daffy is taking a bubble bath in a pond when he hears the sobbing of a little yellow duck carrying a briefcase. When Daffy tries to find out what's wrong with the duck, it stops sobbing long enough to emit a loud "AAH, SHUT UP!" When Daffy tries to find out what's in the briefcase that's causing the yellow duck so much grief, the duck tells Daffy, "AAH, KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF, MISTER ANTHONY!" (a reference to the host of the radio advice series The Goodwill Hour). Even the presence of a hunter doesn't stop the yellow duck from stopping Daffy with a loud, "AAH, LAY OFF, YOU... DUCK!"

A hunter then came in and then asks the little yellow duck if he can help, and gets the same obnoxious, "AAH, SHUT UP!" When Daffy confronts the hunter, the hunter decides to go after Daffy instead. The next few minutes follow a typical "Hunter/Prey" cartoon, with some exceptions - when Daffy comes across an empty space, he tells the artist that there's supposed to be a barrel in the scene - "It says so in my script! Someone's been laying down on the job. J.L. will hear of this!" A hand of an artist then draws a barrel for Daffy to hide in, but with the yellow duck inside.

Daffy and the hunter team up to try to get the briefcase, but are stopped when they run down the road. The hunter then tries running after Daffy, but runs over a cardboard cutout of Daffy, thinking it's the real thing. When the little yellow duck ruins Daffy's fun at the expense of the hunter, Daffy decides enough is enough and tries grabbing the briefcase away - but is knocked down the side of the mountain, 'melting' down the rocks. When the hunter is also knocked down, he reveals that he was somehow able to swipe the briefcase. The two take a look inside, and soon are just as distressed as the yellow duck - as it turns out, the content is a piece of paper with the words "The End" on it.

Caricatures

• Victor Moore - the hunter
• Red Skelton's Mean Widdle Kid

Censorship

• On Cartoon Network and Boomerang in the United States, as well as MeTV, the part where the Victor Moore-esque hunter shoots above Daffy's head, causing his hair to turn into that of a stereotypical black girl was cut (though some primetime showings of this cartoon aired this scene intact and the scene is left uncut on overseas Cartoon Network and Boomerang airings). While Cartoon Network and Boomerang's versions cut off after the Victor Moore hunter shoots above Daffy's head following Daffy's sarcastic "Ooh, I'm shaking like a leaf", MeTV's version cut the scene after the Victor Moore hunter discovers that Daffy fits perfectly in the roasting pan and decides to go after him instead of the crying duck with the satchel case.
  • MeTV+ airs the short uncut, but the cartoon runs with a disclaimer similar to the ones on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVDs from volumes four to six, stating that the cartoon may contain racially insensitive content that modern audiences might find offensive, but will nevertheless air uncensored for historical reasons. On 10 June 2023, MeTV aired the uncut version of the cartoon with the disclaimer.

Availability

8mm
(Associated Artists Productions print)

(1986) VHS
Viddy-Oh! For Kids Cartoon Festivals Daffy Duck Cartoon Festival Featuring "Ain't That Ducky" (damaged)

(1989) VHS
Cartoon Moviestars Just Plain Daffy

(1988) VHS
The Cartoon Collection

(1992) LaserDisc
The Golden Age of Looney Tunes, Volume 3, Side 9, Porky and Daffy

(1995) VHS
Bumper Edition (Woolworths Exclusive)

(1996) VHS
Further Adventures of Daffy Duck

Notes

• This cartoon says "The End" instead of "That's All Folks" in the Blue Ribbon reissue, as cartoons reissued in 1952-53 season had a red background with green Color Rings saying THE END. The dubbed version print instead uses the "That's All Folks" card with the Turner dubbed disclaimer.
• This is the first cartoon to use the 1945-1946 abridged Looney Tunes opening music. There is much more brass and woodwinds, and a tuba plays the low melody of "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" instead of the usual bass clarinet when the key changes again.
  • Also starting with this cartoon, it is most likely that the mugshots of Daffy and Porky are temporarily retired until "Kitty Kornered".
• The Cartoon Festivals print is a damaged a.a.p. print, where the a.a.p. logo plays first, then the 1947-49 Blue Ribbon rings from Inki and the Lion open, instead of the 1952-53 rings. There are also light blue borders. The 1939-40 version of Merrily We Roll Along plays instead of the 1941-45 version. The print then changes to another print titled "Ain't That Ducky", with the music changing for the last three seconds. This is an MGM/UA print and probably was hacked off by United Artists in the 1980s.
• On European PAL Cartoon Festivals VHS releases, such as the Cartoon Collection UK 1988 VHS and the "Les Aventures de Daffy Duck" (translation: The Adventures Of Daffy Duck) mid-1980s French VHS release from MGM/UA Home Video , a print of the cartoon uses the 1939-1940 a.a.p. opening rings from "The Hardship of Miles Standish", instead of the 1952-53 Color Rings, with the 1939-40 version of "Merrily We Roll Along" playing instead of the 1941-45 version. The print then changes to another print titled "Ain't That Ducky", with the music remaining for the last three seconds.
  • In addition, in this Cartoon Collection UK 1988 VHS release the cartoon's Blue Ribbon ending card is cut.
• MeTV aired this short 17 November 2021 on Toon In with Me; however, this airing appears unrestored.
• Daffy’s line “J.L. will hear of this!” is a reference to Warner Bros. studio head Jack L. Warner.

Gallery

The censored scene

The "THE END" card

Layout drawing

Unrestored title card

Model sheet of the Little Yellow Duck

Lobby card