The Scarlet Pumpernickel
1950 film by Chuck Jones
- Mel Blanc
- Marian Richman[2]
- Phil Monroe
- Ben Washam
- Lloyd Vaughan
- Ken Harris
Production
company
company
Warner Bros. Cartoons
- Warner Bros. Pictures
- The Vitaphone Corporation
Release date
- March 4, 1950 (1950-03-04)
Running time
The Scarlet Pumpernickel is a 1950 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes theatrical cartoon short, directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese.[3] The cartoon was released on March 4, 1950, and stars Daffy Duck along with a number of other prominent Looney Tunes characters.[4] The title is a play on the 1905 novel The Scarlet Pimpernel.
In 1994 it was voted No. 31 of the 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time by members of the animation field.[5]
Plot
Daffy Duck, tired of comedic roles, pitches a dramatic script called The Scarlet Pumpernickel to studio head Jack L. Warner. In the story, the daring Scarlet Pumpernickel (played by Daffy) outsmarts the Lord High Chamberlain (Porky Pig) to rescue Lady Melissa (Melissa Duck) from having to marry the villainous Grand Duke (Sylvester the Cat). When Daffy realizes that he has neglected to write an ending, he ad-libs a chaotic cliamax involving various natural disasters, culminating in the Scarlet Pumpernickel's comedic "suicide", to sell the story. Warner remains unimpressed.
Production notes
The Scarlet Pumpernickel is notable for boasting a large cast of Looney Tunes star characters, including Daffy, Porky, Sylvester, Melissa (who is named for the first time), Elmer Fudd, Henery Hawk, and Mama Bear from Jones' Three Bears series.
Mel Blanc voices Elmer Fudd, who serves as an innkeeper. While Elmer was originally voiced by Arthur Q. Bryan, Blanc imitated Bryan's voice for the character despite his reservations about impersonating another actor.[6]
Reception
Animation historian Greg Ford writes, "It's the 'real-life' Daffy, as seen in the cartoon's wraparound plot of the studio script meeting, that best clues us in to what separates this film from the spate of animated genre parodies currently being churned out. Most modern-day satires trade on anachronism, and the hero and the audience end up complicit in their smug superiority to the antiquated vehicle. But what's funny about The Scarlet Pumpernickel is the tremendous investment its hero puts into his costumed character, and the vast chasm that yawns between Daffy's inflated perception of himself and the highly flawed little black duck that he really is."[7]
Cast
- Mel Blanc as Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester, Elmer Fudd, J.L.
- Marian Richman as Melissa Duck
Home media
VHS:
- Carrotblanca
- Looney Tunes Collectors Edition: Running Amuck
DVD:
- Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1
- The Essential Daffy Duck
DVD/Blu-Ray:
- Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1
References
- ^ Beck, Jerry (1991). I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat: Fifty Years of Sylvester and Tweety. New York: Henry Holt and Co. p. 101. ISBN 0-8050-1644-9.
- ^ Ohmart, Ben (15 November 2012). "Mel Blanc: The Man of a Thousand Voices".
- ^ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 208. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
- ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 70–72. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
- ^ Beck, Jerry (ed.) (1994). The 50 Greatest Cartoons: As Selected by 1,000 Animation Professionals. Atlanta: Turner Publishing.
- ^ Barrier, Michael. Audio commentary for The Scarlet Pumpernickel on disc two of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1.
- ^ Beck, Jerry, ed. (2020). The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons. Insight Editions. p. 167. ISBN 978-1-64722-137-9.
External links
Wikiquote has quotations related to The Scarlet Pumpernickel.
- The Scarlet Pumpernickel at IMDb
- v
- t
- e
Daffy Duck in animation
short films
short films
- The Yolk's on You (1980)
- The Chocolate Chase (1980)
- Daffy Flies North (1980)
- Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century (1980)
| Theatrical |
|
|---|---|
| Direct-to-video |
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- Tiny Toon Adventures (1990–1995)
- Baby Looney Tunes (2002–2005)
- Duck Dodgers (2003–2005)
- The Looney Tunes Show (2011–2013)
- New Looney Tunes (2015–2020)
- Looney Tunes Cartoons (2020–2023)
- Bugs Bunny Builders (2022–present)
- Tiny Toons Looniversity (2023-present)
- Daffy Duck and Porky Pig Meet the Groovie Goolies (1972)
- Carnival of the Animals (1976)
- Easter Special (1977)
- Bugs Bunny in Space (1977)
- Howl-oween Special (1977)
- Battle of the Music Video Stars (1988)
- Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue (1990)
- Overtures to Disaster (1991)
