The Ducksters (1950) User Reviews

Has Some Good Dark Humor But Overall Is A Little Too Mean-Spirited

[ccthemovieman-1 · 6/10 · 22 February 2007]

"Listen, Mac. You've got 32 teeth. Ya wanna try for 16?" A gangster movie? Now, a cartoon featuring a radio game-show host and his foil. Wow, this is one mean, sadistic Daffy Duck. "The Duckster" asks contestant Porky Pig a number of questions, almost all of them impossible to answer. When Porky misses, or doesn't answer in time, he is severely pounded, beaten, drench, blown up, etc. (This cartoon is not for little kids.)

Some of it is funny with excellent dark humor that made me laugh out loud. Other things made me shake my head almost in disgust, because it is too mean-spirited in parts. I guess you just have to take this as dark humor and nothing else, otherwise this is probably too nasty for most people.

Porky does get justice in the end, however, and by then all of us are glad to see that. That's the trouble with some of these cartoons: it brings out the worst revenge thoughts in all of us!!

Who's your sponsor? The Marquis de Sade?

[lee_eisenberg · 8/10 · 1 November 2006]

Yes, "The Ducksters" is almost too violent to even register as a cartoon, but the twisted stuff in these cartoons is what made them so great. It features Daffy Duck hosting a sadistic game show with Porky Pig as the contestant getting maimed in various and sundry ways for answering questions wrong (as can be expected, one of these involves dynamite). But after a while, Porky really gets fed up...I mean REALLY fed up.

So, I thought that this was a pretty funny cartoon, but I will say that it's probably not one for little children (but hey, these cartoons weren't really targeted at little children). Worth seeing.

How up-to-date really

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 24 February 2018]

"The Ducksters" is an American 7-minute cartoon from 1950, so it is almost 70 years old now and despite this age, it is in color. Don't be fooled by the photo here on imdb. The names of the 3 cartoon masterminds Jones, Maltese and Blanc show of course that this is another Warner Bros cartoon and it is from the Golden Age of Animation obviously, not one of their most or least known you could say. The title gives away that Daffy is in the center of it all and he shares the spotlight with Porky this time. They are host and contestant of a radio show where Daffy really uses the most violent and sadistic means on the poor littly piggy. But revenge is a dish best served cold and at the end the tables are (satisfyingly for the audience) turned eventually. I guess Daffy is lucky that it's not Bugs who's the contestant here because then the turning would have taken place far quicker. It is almost scary how this film fits in well with the decay of television these days 7 decades later almost. Shocking stuff and yes it's radio here of course, but this doesn't change anything. Other than that, you can say that it's interesting to hear "48 States" and the attention to detail is generally strong here because there are moments like the one about advertizing after the "help" scream etc. I may not always be a big Warner Bros. cartoons fan, at least not as often as I am for Disney, but this one here was a success for sure. Funny, entertaining and satisfying overall, I recommend you check it out if you like these old ones as much as I do.

GOOD illustrated radio

[Spleen · 27 March 2002]

It was Chuck Jones who coined the phrase "illustrated radio" to describe the excessively talky style of limited animation introduced to television by Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera in the 1960s (ironically, the two directors responsible for the inspired Tom and Jerry cartoons of the 1940s and '50s, which were almost entirely devoid of dialogue). With a good cartoon, Jones argued, it ought to be possible to watch it with the sound turned off and still "get" most of it. Watch The Flintstones or Yogi Bear with the sound off, and for the most part you'll see people standing around motionless, with fixed, stock expressions on their faces, talking to one another.

There's no denying that Hanna-Barbera television cartoons are bad. But if they're "illustrated radio", is that WHY they're bad? Certainly not in itself - because this short cartoon, directed by (who else?) Chuck Jones, is illustrated radio if anything is. Watch it without the sound and you'll miss the jokes (even the visual ones) and have difficulty making sense of it. Listen to it without the images and you'll follow what's going on easily - and it will still be funny. Moreover, what we see and here is the broadcast of a radio station quiz show, with Daffy Duck asking outrageously unfair questions of Porky Pig. If this is not "illustrated radio", what is? And yet it's one of the best cartoons ever made.

Perhaps it's misleading to point out that the cartoon makes sense without the images. To some degree the sounds imply the images. If you hear Daffy saying, "I'm sthorry, your ansthwer isth incorrect" followed by a heavy thud, part of the humour is visual: you SEE what happens, even if you have your eyes shut. The animators realise what we ought to see perfectly and (of course) outdo what we would have visualised for ourselves. The facial expressions in particular are inspired. But the carefully chosen WORDS are as crucial to the cartoon's success as any other element. The humour of Porky's desperate yet polite pleas to end the torture is almost entirely verbal - and nothing in the cartoon is funnier. Jones, despite his official stance, could easily integrate ANY kind of humour into a seamless whole, because his cartoons are always rooted in a firm understanding of character and motivation. Jones's creations NEVER step out of character. Daffy (street-wise but world-foolish, as the saying goes) shamelessly writes the rules himself; Porky (Daffy's precise opposite) gamely abides by them. Porky wins, but Jones doesn't cheat to bring this about.

"Aren't we gruesome?"

[utgard14 · 7/10 · 26 November 2015]

Fun Porky & Daffy short, directed by the great Chuck Jones. The plot has Porky on a radio quiz show hosted by Daffy Duck. Basically Daffy subjects Porky to torture for fun and, eventually, the roles are reversed. So the entire short is a series of visual gags of Daffy trying to hurt Porky, with some comeuppance in the end. I can see where this might appeal to some (in fact, many of the reviewers here call it violent and mean-spirited). Personally, I don't think it ever crossed a line where it stopped being funny and just came across as sadistic. Lively music from Carl Stalling. Excellent voice work from Mel Blanc. The animation is nice but there's something different about how the characters are drawn here. It doesn't look quite on-model for 1950. Still, it's solid. I liked the short but your opinion may differ depending on how you feel about the violence. It's worth a look. Brought to you by the Eagle Hand Laundry.

Hilarious!

[davilbr · 10/10 · 24 December 2006]

This ranks as one of the funniest Looney Tunes cartoons ever and I'v seen just about everyone in my lifetime. It was puzzled by the comments of one of the reviewers saying it lacked imagination. I was quite an imaginative spoof of the old radio show and later game show (hosted by Bob Barker)known as "Truth or Consequences." The similar parallel has ridiculous questions being asked for which there can be no answer. The difference with sadistic host Daffy is that the contestant (hapless Porky) is brutually tortured (in rather innovative ways)with everything from boulders, safes and hammers to the use of dynamite, buzzsaws and even a gorilla. This is hilarious stuff and a must see for Looney Tunes fans.

Extremely outrageous, but funny as well

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 17 January 2010]

I will warn anybody who hasn't seen this, that it is one of the more violent Looney Tunes cartoons. As a cartoon, the Ducksters is extremely outrageous, but thanks to a hilarious script, it is funny too. The animation is not at all bad, if you forgive the fact that Porky looks a little different. Daffy here is quite cynical and bullying, and while he is served well with the script I prefer him when he is manic. What I did like was the theme of the quiz show, that did show flair and imagination. The music is good, and the vocal talents of Mel Blanc are tour De force.

All in all, I do recommend it. It is not the best Daffy cartoon, but it is a good one nonetheless. 9/10 Bethany Cox

No one leaves empty handed

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 10/10 · 6 May 2004]

A rather different approach to a (radio) quiz show. If you don't answer the impossible questions in a ridiculously short time you get tortured with falling boulders, cascading water, conveyor-belts with those spinning saws and whacks of a mallet to the head.

Daffy Duck is wonderful as the demented host dishing out pain and humiliation to Porky Pig. But even Porky has his limits and soon turns the tables on the delightfully devilish Daffy.

The entire cartoon is set in a sound studio so there's not much going on with the backgrounds. In this respect it's kinda simplistic. But when that small space is filled with such hyper-madness who can refuse?

The Ducksters is probably Chuck Jones' most outrageous cartoon

[tavm · 9/10 · 5 January 2008]

This is perhaps one of the most violent of the Warner Bros. cartoons, certainly of Chuck Jones who initially made sweet Disney-like shorts. Porky Pig is a contestant on a radio quiz show hosted by Daffy Duck who keeps torturing the pig with boulders, a mallet, waters from "Niagra Falls", and a circular saw whenever Porky gets an answer wrong or takes too long (like, maybe, 2 seconds) before replying. Whenever he does get an answer right, the duck just stares into space. After Porky does eventually get the money, the tables get turned. The constant calamities are pretty hilarious and just as things get too much for the pig, he gets wise. Not recommended for children especially for what threatens Daffy at the end.

My least favourite Looney Tunes episode...

[Mightyzebra · 4/10 · 15 January 2009]

...But I still enjoy watching it every now and again! The reason this is my least favourite is because Daffy Duck, who is overall my favourite Looney Tunes character, is absolutely detestable here: he is bullying, cruel and unfair. I do not like the repetitiveness of the episode either, many of the jokes and themes are unsubtly used at least once (for example, the Niagra Falls water and the rock of Gibraltar are used more than once, although they need only be used once for humour). I also did not like the amount of slapstick. I like the character of Porky Pig, you feel sorry for him when he is bullied by Daffy. Overall I also like the quiz show theme, it is different (for a Looney Tune) and it works reasonably well.

In this episode, Porky is in a quiz show hosted by none other than Daffy Duck. Every time Porky is even slightly slow on an answer, or gets it wrong (the questions are incredibly hard and funny for the audience), Porky "hasth to pay the penalty", which is a very slapsticky punishment which would crush your bones in real life.

I recommend this cartoon to anyone who loves Daffy for being greedy, cynical and mean and to anyone who enjoys high amounts of slapstick and cartoon characters being ultimately hurt. I hope you enjoyed "The Ducksters" more than I did and if you did not, welcome to the crowd.

4 and a half out of ten.

A personal favourite. Shockingly sadistic and hysterically funny

[phantom_tollbooth · 9/10 · 18 August 2008]

Since I first saw it at a very young age, I've always found Chuck Jones's 'The Ducksters' to be one of the funniest cartoons I've ever seen. This is largely due to Michael Maltese's hilarious script but, as always, Jones displays extraordinary timing in bringing it to the screen. A spoof of radio quiz shows, 'The Ducksters' is a deliciously sadistic film in which Daffy Duck's host terrorizes Porky Pig's contestant with impossible questions and horrendously violent penalties. The timing of both the verbal and physical antics is impeccable, leading up to a thoroughly satisfying finale with the iris closing on a fantastic climactic Daffy line. Rarely discussed or praised, 'The Ducksters' is a childhood favourite of mine and a cartoon very dear to my heart. It's both rib-ticklingly witty and delightfully violent, which just about amounts to the perfect combination for this cartoon fanatic!

How many times can Porky pay the penalty?

[slymusic · 18 November 2005]

"The Ducksters" is an entertaining, yet quite violent, Daffy Duck/Porky Pig cartoon directed by Chuck Jones, and it was released at a time when radio quiz shows were widely popular around the United States. (Don't read on if you haven't yet seen this short.)

The arrogant, selfish quiz show host Daffy is the perfect foil for the hapless, innocent contestant Porky. Throughout this short, Daffy inflicts all sorts of unrealistic physical pain on Porky for guessing either incorrectly or too slowly. The opening and closing gag, involving Porky and Daffy tied up on a conveyor belt leading up to a circular saw, is very disturbing (the violence in this cartoon clearly makes it unsuitable for children). On a lighter note, a classic musical gag, utilized in other Warner Bros. cartoons, involves Daffy striking one piano key and asking Porky to name the opera.

Again, "The Ducksters" contains its lion's share of bangs and bruises, mostly inflicted on Porky. As enjoyable as this cartoon is, it is easy for me to feel sorry for the sweet, kindhearted pig. But it is gratifying to see that Porky finally sets his limit with Daffy at the end, punishing him for his abusive nature.

Ducktastrophy

[movieman_kev · 8/10 · 23 November 2004]

Porky Pig is a contestant on a sadistic game show hosted by Daffy Duck. If you guess the questions wrong you get tortured. if you get them right, you don't. One of the most violent Looney Tunes shorts that I've ever seen. The majority of it has Porky taking a horrid beating into he wises up at the end.I did find it vaquely humorous though. Still it's not close to being one of my personal favorites if for no other reason than that I never found Porky a formidable opponent for Daffy. But that's just my opinion. This cartoon can be found on Disk 2 of the "Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 1"

My Grade: C+

"You must pay the penalty . . . "

[oscaralbert · 8/10 · 30 December 2015]

" . . . good, clean, wholesome fun," Daffy Duck chortles sadistically to his hapless victim\radio quiz show contestant Porky Pig during Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes animated short, THE DUCKSTERS. The kids of the mid-1900s learned most of their American History through these cartoon shorts. THE DUCKSTERS instructs them that George Washington was our First President, and that Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin. (Since American Education has been out-sourced to the Fiends of Political Correctness, nowadays this gin's origin is credited to a random Minority-of-the-Month member--the sort of thing that leaves high school grads with minds full of much as they enter Real Life.) DUCKSTERS also reveals that Arbuckle Dreen refereed New Zealand's heavyweight championship bout in 1726, thanks to the careful tutelage of his Second Grade teacher, Ms. Abigail Twinch. World Civilization plus U.S. History here--they call that a "Two-Fer" in my nape of the woods.

Well Done Short

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 6 September 2019]

Daffy Duck plays a sadistic quiz show host. The show is one where a contestant is asked questions. If he fails to answer them, he has horrible things done to him. in the case, Porky Pig is the poor guy. Of course, most of the questions are beyond the ability of anyone and Porky suffers time after time. But, of course, Daffy will have a price to pay.

Daffy

[Michael_Elliott · 12 April 2009]

Ducksters, The (1950)

*** (out of 4)

Spoof of game shows has host Daffy Duck mistreating contestant Porky Pig by throwing boulders, safes and various other gadgets on him. Even though poor Porky is answering the questions correctly, Daffy keeps doing harm to him but soon things are going to change. There's not too much thought, screenplay wise, in this short from Merrie Melodies but it still manages to be quite charming and cute. The one thing that held it back a little for me was Daffy who just really didn't seem like himself here. We never really get that maniac attack nor any nice lines of dialogue. Porky on the other hand is his great self and the two do work well together.

Lacking in wit, imagination and spark

[bob the moo · 7 March 2004]

Daffy Duck is the host of a rather cruel quiz show on American television. Porky is the contestant on the show that tests general knowledge but doesn't award knowledge, it punishes ignorance. Daffy takes great pleasure in dishing out the penalties each time Porky gets it wrong.

I'm a really big fan of Daffy Duck and always feel that he is at his best when he is in his early persona of being manic and wacky. Even when he becomes more cynical and greedy he still manages to be one of my favourite Warner Brothers characters. I'm not sure here, what the cartoon is actually spoofing but it is obvious that the title refers some game show of the time. The cartoon basically sees Daffy dispensing punishment to Porky in a quiz show style. None of it is particularly imaginative or funny and it just doesn't have any spark to it.

It is the lack of laughs that is the problem here as there is no real flair to the delivery. The animation is OK in the background but neither Daffy nor Porky seem particularly well drawn either visually or as characters. Daffy gets the better of the cartoon as he spoofs the game show host personality but Porky has little to do except be crushed, hit or drenched - only at the end does he get more than this and by then it is too late and unimaginative.

Overall, I'm a Daffy fan but his later work didn't always work out. Usually he relies on Porky Pig to help him out but neither is given much to work with here and the material is fairly unimaginative and lacking wit or flair.