Well Worn Daffy (Looney Tunes)

Well Worn Daffy
This short is anything but "well" worn.
Series: Looney Tunes Episode Number: 946 Air Date: May 22, 1965 Writer: David Detiege Director: Robert McKimson Previous episode: "Assault and Peppered" Next episode: "Suppressed Duck"

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

1. As with the other shorts from the DePatie-Freleng and Seven Arts era, Daffy is now miscast as an outright evil and villainous antagonist due to very bad flanderization, except that here Daffy is depicted at his absolute worst (Until The Chocolate Chase made him hit Rock Bottom 15 years later). In this short, he keeps away Speedy Gonzales and his friends away from "his" well for no reason other than out of greed and malice. He even taunts the mice by taking a shower with the water in front of them, chases them away with a shotgun for coming near the well, and later attempts to blow up his own well just so that Speedy and his friends won't even achieve any despite them dying of thirst.
2. The short also feels like a knockoff of the 1955 Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam cartoon, "Sahara Hare", as both Daffy Duck and Yosemite Sam are portrayed as Arab Riff Raffs in the shorts. Because of this reason, the short doesn't air that much on American television, presumably to avoid stereotypes.
3. Stock-like music from William Lava that also doesn't fit in the Looney Tunes franchise in the slightest.
4. The pacing is ridiculously slow.
5. Poor animation and art designs.
6. Outright cruel scenes, such as the camel tripping Speedy Gonzales over with a rope, and gloating over it.
7. 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

1. Speedy Gonzales is still a likable character, as with his other appearances. His friends are also likable characters too.
2. Rather impressive desert background designs, perhaps more so than the other DePatie-Freleng Enterprises Looney Tunes cartoons.
3. Mel Blanc, as always, does an amazing job with the voice work.
4. 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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