Next Looney Tunes: Non-Sexual "Boobs in the Woods"

Our next Looney Tunes, called... hoh boy... Boobs in the Woods, well, it's kinda lame, but I still kinda like it.  It's not a Clampett or a Jones, and doesn't have any terribly classic gags in it... which makes it a perfect McKimson.  Arguably, this 1950 Looney Tunes is a lot like 1942's My Favorite Duck, only without the inherent dramatic tension of "No Duck Hunting" signs, but this is addressed when an irritated Porky gets out the shotgun and threatens to use it on Daffy.
Just before Daffy became the "greedy coward" of Ducking the Devil fame, and Bugs' eternal foil of the hunting trilogy and of other fare such as A Star is Bored, Daffy was lunacy incarnate on the silver screen.  He's mellowed somewhat here but he tries to keep the spirit of St. Loony Up the Cream Bun and Jam alive.  He's got those dead eyes again!  Creepy.  And yet, Arthur Davis' fingerprints are otherwise not on this one.  Anyway, Daffy gives us an opening song, then disappears underwater, with a sign saying "See You Later!" floating up in his wake.

ACT ONE

As much as this can be broken up into acts, Act One consists of Porky's introduction.  The great American road trip has certainly evolved over the years, but it had special significance in the '50s, what with paved roads finally being perfected and all.  Leave the drag racing to the kids in the big cities, I say.  Well, Porky's got no kids to pile in the car to take with him, but he certainly needs to get away from the big city for a while, if only to avoid being turned into semi-organic bacon.  His hobby on this trip?  Painting.  We start with a nice subtle visual gag with Porky's painting.  The animators must have gotten a kick out of this one, unlike how the Korean animators who work on The Simpsons don't like the way they're portrayed.  Not one iota.  Daffy interferes with Porky's artistic creation, to put it mildly, to the point where Porky pulls a shotgun on Daffy.  Well, he's still calmer than Julian Schnabel.  No whooshing sound upon Porky's loaded return!  I'm disappointed.  Daffy uses his gift for characters and improvisation to work his way out of getting shot by Porky, and we plunge headlong into politically incorrect territory when Daffy puts on a Pocahontas outfit.  Daffy ends up in a one-man... I'm sorry, I mean a one-duck powwow.  Hard to say what's worse: Daffy's capering, or Porky's reaction to it - Porky smites Daffy to the ground, saying "Ah, shut up!"  For the moment, I think Porky's much worse.

ACT TWO

Porky decides that, since Daffy's messing with his painting too much, it's time to try some fishing.  But this is the 1950s and Porky is one of the early multi-taskers, apparently, so the fishing will be done as automatically as possible.  Porky rigs up a fishing line to a bell close to the edge of the lake.  We'll leave that aside as a viable fishing method for now.  Daffy, hiding behind the rock, waits for Porky to get far enough away, and ... yup, he rings the bell.  As I said earlier, this cartoon has its rewards, and Porky running to see the size of the fish he's apparently caught, tripping on every last thing in his path as he goes, is probably one of the best gags in this thing.  You've had a day like that.  We all have.
Now, after this first incident, Porky says "Gosh!  It must've gotten off the hook," with the usual stutter in there someplace.  Porky walks away, Stage Right.  Daffy quickly reemerges from behind the rock... and Porky LOOKS BACK AT HIM!!  Okay, Porky doesn't turn his head, but his eyes look back!

LOOK UPON IT!!!  ...boy!  I usually never use a 2nd image like that.  And so, it's like George W. Bush once said... something about shame on you for fooling him once and... something else.  Needles to say, Porky falls for the gag a second time, but he's not going to be made a sucker a third time.  Pounding his little pork fist into his hand, Porky walks slowly away Stage Right, and Daffy goes for the bell a third time.  Boy!  He's really working that bell good now!  But even Daffy's got a sense of shame in certain circumstances, and he turns white as a sheet when he finds Porky waiting for him behind the rock.  So much so that he sounds like the Nazi hotel manager from Porky Pig's Feat when he falls down the endless spiral staircase.
Porky's getting ready to chop off Daffy's head with an axe this time.  And then... the second stroke of genius.  Daffy's got a bell in his hand and rings it, thereby saving his skin and his head.  Porky goes over to check the line.  To Daffy's surprise, a very very large fish is on the hook.  Dayamn!  That fish is taller than Porky!

ACT THREE

Now, technically, the Third Act should start when Daffy destroys Porky's car engine, but I think this juncture might ultimately be a little more apt.  "Have you got a FISHING license?" Daffy asks Porky. Porky produces the license.  Daffy asks for a dog license.  Porky produces one.  Daffy's next request is a tricky one, but Porky happily obliges, Porky's previous grievances with Daffy apparently all but forgotten.  Daffy quickly fixes that with his next line of inquiry: marriage license.  Daffy's eventual response is another stroke of genius, IMHO.  Porky's snapped out of his spell and gets angry anew at Daffy.  Daffy messes with Porky a little more, but frankly, Porky had it coming.  Porky chucks a rock at Daffy.  Can you believe that?  Daffy turns it into a game of baseball.  Daffy messes with Porky, but only until Porky ends up in a giant puddle of mud.

EPILOGUE

Porky finally decides to cut his vacation short, saying "I'm gonna get out of here before I'm as nutty as that duck!"  The angrier he is, the less he stutters. 
As with the rest of the cartoon, Daffy's antics are in response to what Porky's doing.  Porky's preparing to leave, so naturally Daffy has to leap into the car's engine and rip it out piecemeal!  Much like Bluto in The Spinach Roadster, but Daffy's got far loonier plans in mind.  Porky just misses seeing Daffy destroying his car's engine, and he didn't look around on the ground to see the various parts strewn about.  You think that wouldn't be hard to miss!  Oh well.  That's Porky for ya, stubborn as a mule.
Porky tries to start his car.  Daffy mimics the engine noise, thereby creating "Speed Buggy."  Porky gets out of the car and walks over to the engine, and Daffy starts making the engine noise again, thereby startling Porky.  Same thing happened in Case of the Missing Hare.  I knew I'd remember it!  The magician puts swords into a box and Bugs makes pain noises.  However, Bugs' timing was off on the third sword, and the magician got wise to Bugs.  Never try to fool a magician, even one as clunky as the one in Case of the Missing Hare.
Porky looks inside his car's engine to find Daffy in there, messing about.  Ah, Daffy the Method Actor.  Even the director couldn't make him stop.  Porky jumps inside the car's engine and does some tinkering of his own, and the result is strangely perverse!  Porky has engineered a duck-powered car, and the choke lever on the car's console causes Daffy to actually get choked.  I guess you could call this a variation on getting your face stuck in a goofy position.  You know, that old saw about getting slapped on the back when you're making a face?  It worked in One Crazy Summer, if memory serves...  please don't make me watch that again.  Alas, Savage Steve Holland and John Cusack weren't destined to ever work together again.  Same with Demi Moore and Lara Flynn Boyle.
Anyway, as you can see from the first attached pic (that you don't have to move to your inbox to see, by the way), Porky's got the proper permit to do that to Daffy.  Frankly, I can hardly blame Porky, but I still sort of don't feel right about it.  So while the cartoon with the non-future-proof title Boobs in the Woods isn't the best Looney Tunes ever, it certainly isn't the worst.  I still think that that dubious honour goes to Catch as Cats Can.

***1/2
-so sayeth The Movie Hooligan