The Ducksters


The Ducksters is a 1950 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes theatrical cartoon short, directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. The cartoon was released on September 2, 1950, and stars Daffy Duck and Porky Pig. The title is a pun on The Hucksters, a 1947 film.

Synopsis

is on a radio quiz show called Truth or AAAAHHH!!, a somewhat macabre parody of the popular quiz show Truth or Consequences hosted by Daffy Duck, sponsored by "Eagle Hand Laundry", and broadcast by the Ajax Broadcasting Company, in which the object is to answer near-impossible or ridiculously obscure questions. One such question includes: "Who, mind you WHO, was the referee for the New Zealand heavyweight championship fight in 1726?". Failing to answer the other questions correctly or in time gets him pounded in the head with a mallet and then requires him to "pay the penalty". These penalties include Porky being threatened by a buzz saw, blown up with dynamite while trying to name all the 48 states in the US, being crushed by a safe, and other forms of abuse, while the prizes for some questions are similar, such as being crushed by the Rock of Gibraltar, rained upon by "genuine" water from Niagara Falls, and others, to Daffy's amusement. Porky is unable to ask for clues and tries several times to back out, but each time Daffy manages to reel him back in, even shooting an audience member when he shouts "You'll be sorry!".
Eventually, after a particularly snide line from Daffy, Porky threatens to retaliate, forcing Daffy to offer his final challenge for a huge jackpot. Porky must guess who Miss Shush is with his only clue being a recording of her brushing her teeth on Wednesdays. Porky fails to answer correctly and Daffy invites him into Miss Shush's dressing room to meet her, but it's revealed by Daffy to be his final torture; Miss Shush is really Mamie, a 600-pound gorilla who appears in Obnoxious Pictures' "Jungle Jitters", and who proceeds to viciously and loudly maul Porky. Porky eventually emerges and advances on Daffy menacingly, and Daffy finally gives in: awarding Porky the jackpot. Porky immediately contacts the president of the Ajax Broadcasting Company and, upon learning that they will sell for the exact amount of the jackpot, buys it out.
Now Daffy's boss, Porky takes over the quiz show and then asks a very nervous Daffy: "in what latitude and longitude did the Wreck of the Hesperus occur?" Daffy fails to answer correctly in time, and Porky turns the tables, subjecting Daffy to the same "penalties" Porky had endured. The cartoon ends when Daffy is then tied to the same long plank Porky had been tied to at the start of the cartoon, moving toward the same buzz saw. Daffy lifts his head and yells at the studio audience: "Have you got a doctor in the balcony, lady?!".

Cast

portrays all voices in this short, including Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and the audience member.

Production details

The cartoon's title is a play on The Hucksters, a satirical novel about the advertising business that was made into a 1947 live-action film starring Clark Gable.