Daffy - The Commando
Encyclopedia
Daffy - The Commando is a 1943 Looney Tunes
cartoon directed by Friz Freleng
. Daffy Duck is a commando, dropped behind enemy lines, and causes havoc to the German commander, Von Vulture, who tries to capture him. As with many of the World War II
-themed cartoons put out by the major studios, Daffy - The Commando was placed under an unofficial ban from broadcast or video distribution by Warner Bros.
and other rights-holders such as Turner Broadcasting and AOL Time Warner. It can currently be found on the home video Bugs & Daffy: The Wartime Cartoons
and the second disc of the sixth installment in the Looney Tunes Golden Collection line of DVDs
.
accent.
After a quick "Put out those lights!" gets the lights out, Daffy uses his fingers to make shadow puppets and dancing chorus girls. When Von Vulture chases Daffy behind a curtain of asbestos
, Daffy makes a face similar to the stereotypical Japanese faces used in cartoons at the time (see, for example, Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips
), causing Von Vulture to run off frightened.
Back at his bunker, Von Vulture is presented with a bomb from Daffy, ticking down. Von Vulture hands the bomb off to Schultz, who is blown through the roof. When Schultz falls back, Daffy stops Von Vulture from hitting Schultz over the head with a mallet, and instead hits him. Von Vulture (pausing briefly to salute a skunk
with "Heil Hitler!") chases Daffy to a telephone booth, where Daffy continues to make fun of Von Vulture.
Daffy then jumps in a plane, narrowly avoiding being shot by 'a mess of Messerschmitts
', when he's shot down by Von Vulture (his plane literally being blown to pieces, its entire body progressively disintegrating and disappearing from back to front, eventually leaving just the engine and propeller, with Daffy still clinging to the controls). Daffy then runs into a howitzer
, and is shot out by Von Vulture. However, Daffy flies (as the 'Human Cannonball') into Berlin, where Adolf Hitler
is making a speech to his people. Daffy jumps up and whacks Hitler on the head with a mallet, causing Hitler to scream in pain.
-like signs with the dialogue translated for the audience (a classic example of "breaking the fourth wall
"). In many public domain prints, the signs are illegible, but read as follows:
Daffy 1: Kannst du nicht sehen diese Telefunk
ist busy? Bleiben Sie ruhig! ("Can't you see this telephone is busy? Keep quiet!")
Sign 1: ENGLISH TRANSLATION: "Can't you see this telephone is busy? Wait your turn!"
Daffy 2: Bitte, mein Herr. Haben Sie ein ein Pfennigstuck? ("Please, sir. Do you have a one pfennig
piece?") Danke schön. ("Thanks very much.)
Sign 2: "Got a nickel, bud?"
Daffy 3: "It's all yours, Von Limburger!"
Sign 3: GERMAN TRANSLATION: "Ich bin fertig mit der telefon, Herr von Limburger." ("I am done with the telephone, Mr. von Limburger.")
When Von Vulture enters the phone booth, he attempts to contact Shultz, but instead gets an operator, replying "Ist dat you Myrt?" This is a reference to the American radio comedy series Fibber McGee and Molly
, which was popular at the time. Myrtle The Operator was the never-heard switchboard operator in the show; "Is that you Myrt?" was a popular catchphrase in it that referred to him.
(successor-in-interest to Associated Artists Productions
) neglecting to renew the copyright in time. It is now featured in "Bugs and Daffy: The Wartime Cartoons" released by MGM/UA and on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 6
on the "Wartime Cartoons" disk.
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
cartoon directed by Friz Freleng
Friz Freleng
Isadore "Friz" Freleng was an animator, cartoonist, director, and producer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros....
. Daffy Duck is a commando, dropped behind enemy lines, and causes havoc to the German commander, Von Vulture, who tries to capture him. As with many of the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
-themed cartoons put out by the major studios, Daffy - The Commando was placed under an unofficial ban from broadcast or video distribution by Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
and other rights-holders such as Turner Broadcasting and AOL Time Warner. It can currently be found on the home video Bugs & Daffy: The Wartime Cartoons
Bugs & Daffy: The Wartime Cartoons
Bugs & Daffy: The Wartime Cartoons is a 1989 video containing 11 classic Looney Tunes cartoons, all of which are centered on World War II. Film critic Leonard Maltin from Entertainment Tonight tells trivia about each cartoon.- Features :...
and the second disc of the sixth installment in the Looney Tunes Golden Collection line of DVDs
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 6
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 6 is a four-disc DVD box set collection of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons. Following the pattern of one release each year of the previous volumes, it was released on October 21, 2008....
.
Synopsis
A German commander, Von Vulture, gets a telegram from the "Gestinko Gestapo", threatening him with his 'ka-rear' if he lets 'vun' more 'kommando' through. Hearing a plane overhead, he calls in a soldier, Schultz, whom he abuses by knocking him regularly over his helmet with a mallet. Schultz and Von Vulture go outside and use a searchlight to look for Daffy, who is floating down on a parachute, whilst singing in a CockneyCockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
accent.
After a quick "Put out those lights!" gets the lights out, Daffy uses his fingers to make shadow puppets and dancing chorus girls. When Von Vulture chases Daffy behind a curtain of asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
, Daffy makes a face similar to the stereotypical Japanese faces used in cartoons at the time (see, for example, Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips
Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips
Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips is a Merrie Melodies animated cartoon directed by Friz Freleng, produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions, and released to theaters on April 22, 1944 by Warner Bros. Pictures and The Vitaphone Corporation....
), causing Von Vulture to run off frightened.
Back at his bunker, Von Vulture is presented with a bomb from Daffy, ticking down. Von Vulture hands the bomb off to Schultz, who is blown through the roof. When Schultz falls back, Daffy stops Von Vulture from hitting Schultz over the head with a mallet, and instead hits him. Von Vulture (pausing briefly to salute a skunk
Skunk
Skunks are mammals best known for their ability to secrete a liquid with a strong, foul odor. General appearance varies from species to species, from black-and-white to brown or cream colored. Skunks belong to the family Mephitidae and to the order Carnivora...
with "Heil Hitler!") chases Daffy to a telephone booth, where Daffy continues to make fun of Von Vulture.
Daffy then jumps in a plane, narrowly avoiding being shot by 'a mess of Messerschmitts
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...
', when he's shot down by Von Vulture (his plane literally being blown to pieces, its entire body progressively disintegrating and disappearing from back to front, eventually leaving just the engine and propeller, with Daffy still clinging to the controls). Daffy then runs into a howitzer
Howitzer
A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
, and is shot out by Von Vulture. However, Daffy flies (as the 'Human Cannonball') into Berlin, where Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
is making a speech to his people. Daffy jumps up and whacks Hitler on the head with a mallet, causing Hitler to scream in pain.
The Telephone Booth Scene
A scene where Daffy is on a pay phone as Von Vulture is trying to get into the booth has Daffy speaking to him in German, while holding cue cardCue card
Cue cards, also known as note cards or idiot cards, are cards with words written on them that help actors and speakers remember what they have to say. They are typically used in television productions where they can be held off-camera and are unseen by the audience...
-like signs with the dialogue translated for the audience (a classic example of "breaking the fourth wall
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
"). In many public domain prints, the signs are illegible, but read as follows:
Daffy 1: Kannst du nicht sehen diese Telefunk
Telefunken
Telefunken is a German radio and television apparatus company, founded in Berlin in 1903, as a joint venture of Siemens & Halske and the Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft...
ist busy? Bleiben Sie ruhig! ("Can't you see this telephone is busy? Keep quiet!")
Sign 1: ENGLISH TRANSLATION: "Can't you see this telephone is busy? Wait your turn!"
Daffy 2: Bitte, mein Herr. Haben Sie ein ein Pfennigstuck? ("Please, sir. Do you have a one pfennig
Pfennig
The Pfennig , plural Pfennige, is an old German coin or note, which existed from the 9th century until the introduction of the euro in 2002....
piece?") Danke schön. ("Thanks very much.)
Sign 2: "Got a nickel, bud?"
Daffy 3: "It's all yours, Von Limburger!"
Sign 3: GERMAN TRANSLATION: "Ich bin fertig mit der telefon, Herr von Limburger." ("I am done with the telephone, Mr. von Limburger.")
When Von Vulture enters the phone booth, he attempts to contact Shultz, but instead gets an operator, replying "Ist dat you Myrt?" This is a reference to the American radio comedy series Fibber McGee and Molly
Fibber McGee and Molly
Fibber McGee and Molly was an American radio comedy series which maintained its popularity over decades. It premiered on NBC in 1935 and continued until its demise in 1959, long after radio had ceased to be the dominant form of entertainment in American popular culture.-Husband and wife in real...
, which was popular at the time. Myrtle The Operator was the never-heard switchboard operator in the show; "Is that you Myrt?" was a popular catchphrase in it that referred to him.
Availability
This short, as well as a few other Warner shorts, is in the public domain. This is due to United ArtistsUnited Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
(successor-in-interest to Associated Artists Productions
Associated Artists Productions
Associated Artists Productions was a distributor of theatrical feature films and short subjects for television. It existed from 1953 to 1958. It was later folded into United Artists. The former a.a.p. library was later owned by MGM/UA Entertainment and then Turner Entertainment. Turner continues...
) neglecting to renew the copyright in time. It is now featured in "Bugs and Daffy: The Wartime Cartoons" released by MGM/UA and on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 6
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 6
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 6 is a four-disc DVD box set collection of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons. Following the pattern of one release each year of the previous volumes, it was released on October 21, 2008....
on the "Wartime Cartoons" disk.