Well Worn Daffy (Looney Tunes)
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| Well Worn Daffy (episode 945) | ||||||||||||
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This short is anything but "well" worn.
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Well Worn Daffy is a 1965 Looney Tunes cartoon starring Speedy Gonzales and Daffy Duck from the DePatie-Freleng Productions era.
Plot
Speedy Gonzales and a couple of his mouse friends show up in a desert in which leads them to dying of thirst. As they all come across a water-filled oasis, they have to overcome the greedy Arab Daffy Duck who claim the water to be reserved for him and his camel out of sheer malice.
Why It’s Not Well Worn
- As usual for the DePatie-Freleng and Seven Arts era shorts, Daffy Duck is portrayed as a malevolent antagonist. This flanderization reaches its peak in this particular short, where Daffy is at his most despicable, a portrayal that would only be surpassed by "The Chocolate Chase" 15 years later. In the narrative, Daffy hoards the well from Speedy Gonzales and his friends out of sheer greed and spite. He mocks the thirsty mice by showering in front of them, aggressively drives them away with a shotgun when they approach the well, and ultimately tries to destroy the well to prevent Speedy and his friends from accessing the water, even as they suffer from thirst.
- The cartoon "Sahara Hare" from 1955, featuring Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam, draws parallels to the portrayal of both Daffy Duck and Yosemite Sam as Arab Riff Raffs in the shorts. This similarity is likely why the short is infrequently broadcast on American television, presumably to avoid perpetuating stereotypes.
- Stock-like music from William Lava that also doesn't fit in the Looney Tunes franchise in the slightest.
- The pacing is exceptionally slow.
- The animation quality is consistently low.
- Outright cruel scenes, such as the camel tripping Speedy Gonzales over with a rope, and gloating over it.
- Speaking of the camel, Daffy's camel is a cheap attempt at a comic relief in this cartoon, as his humor doesn't work. Not only that, he is just as mean-spirited as Daffy in this short, and helps the latter keep Speedy Gonzales and his friends away from the well.
Redeeming Qualities
- Speedy Gonzales is still a likable character, as with his other appearances. His friends are also likable characters too.
- Rather impressive desert background designs, perhaps more so than the other DePatie-Freleng Enterprises Looney Tunes cartoons.
- Mel Blanc, as always, does an amazing job with the voice work.
- Although Daffy is miscast as a villain, he's actually surprisingly effective. Additionally, Daffy Duck still gets his comeuppance in the end, as with his other pairings as a villain with Speedy Gonzales.
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