Looney Tunes: "Tom Turk and Daffy"

Released February 12, 1944.

"The yams did it!  THE YAMS DID IT!"
-Daffy Duck

Daffy Duck (Mel Blanc) is building a snowman and singing "Jingle Bells".  Suddenly, a turkey named Tom (Billy Bletcher) runs into Daffy and asks him to help him hide from a hunter.

Daffy complies, but does so in a rather tortuous manner.

The hunter arrives in the form of Porky Pig (Blanc again) dressed as a Pilgrim.  Daffy hides Tom inside a snowman, and refuses to tell Porky where to find him.  Porky expresses disappointment over the possibilty of a Thanksgiving dinner without a turkey, giving a vivid description of items on the menu.  Daffy still doesn't budge, telling Porky "I ain't no stool pigeon."

 But Daffy gives in when Porky mentions yams.  Tom has other ideas and pins his tail feathers onto Daffy's tail, making Porky think Daffy is the turkey.  A chase through the snow ensues.

Daffy's lips are sealed!

J.A. Morris says:
I'm a huge fan of Warner Brothers' cartoons, but I hadn't seen this one until recently.  It's a great short, it's got some hilarious sight gags, especially one that involves a bucket of water thrown at Porky.

  It's also very fun to see Porky go from docile to furious here, as Daffy drives him into a murderous rage!

And Daffy's rendition of "Jingle Bells" will be stuck in your head for a long time.

Daffy sells out Tom for yams.

Some historical notes on this cartoon:
-Tom calls Daffy a "quisling" when Daffy shows Porky where the turkey is hiding.  During World War II, a quisling was someone who was collaborating with the Axis Powers. 

Tom hides out in a snowman.

-Daffy sings the song "Angel In Disguise" while hiding Tom in a snowman.  This song was introduced in the 1940 film It All Came True where it was performed by Ann Sheridan.

"Tom Turk And Daffy" is available on a dvd called Porky & Friends:Hilarious Ham. 

 If you're a fan of Looney Tunes, you'll want to make it part of your annual Thanksgiving entertainment.

J.A. Morris' rating:
  

4 pumpkin pies!

RigbyMel says:

This is perhaps an underrated/overlooked Looney Tunes short, which is a shame as it features classic, anarchic direction by Chuck Jones.   I was amused to see some gags from more familiar shorts show up in this cartoon.

For example, we see Porky turn into a literal "sucker" when he realizes he's been had and Chuck Jones shorts are always good for comical uses for signage.

Wait, where is the turkey again? ;-) 

In addition to Mel Blanc's sterling voice work as both Porky Pig and Daffy Duck,  we get a vocal appearance by Billy Bletcher as Tom Turkey.

Bletcher is probably best known today for his work as "Peg-Leg Pete" in assorted Disney shorts from the 1930s through the 1950s and he does a great job here.

This short is relatively new to me, and makes me laugh out loud every time I watch it.   It stands up well to repeated viewings.

RigbyMel's rating

4 pumpkin pies!