The 1930s


KEY

How to read the guide

Film's Title (Year of Release)Director (see below) Years of Colorization (see below) Blue Ribbon (see below)

Short synopsis (or is that "short's synopsis?")

Cast (click here to learn about our new ongoing project, The Mel Blanc List)

Vintage Review (where available)

Critique

Video Release of the Cartoon (Video Studio, Video's Year of Release)

Director Key

TA - Tex Avery / RC - Robert Clampett / CJ - Chuck Jones

Additional years following the directors' credits indicate when black and white cartoons were colorized. The 1968 process involved tracing every other frame or so, coloring them in by hand, and then reshooting them over colorized copies of the backgrounds, essentially creating a very stilted, ugly final film. The 1990s process involved a computer adding color to the original animation. A number of the black and white cartoons are in the public domain, but for some reason public domain video releases have also used the 1968 versions, even though those are still copyrighted by Warner Bros. For video releases that are listed, titles without an asterisk include the original black and white version, while titles with an asterisk include the 1990s version. The 1968 versions, meanwhile, have never been officially released on home video (see below for public domain explanation).

The notation BR following the directors' credits indicates a color cartoon that was reissued in the studio's "Blue Ribbon" series. From 1943 to 1956, the process involved removing the individual shorts' title and credits sequence, replacing them with a uniform title card at the end of the standard Warner Bros. bullseye opening. Only very recently has Warner Bros. started restoring these cartoons with their original title sequences. For video releases that are listed, titles with two asterisks include the original print of the cartoon with its original title sequence.

Video titles in red are out of print. Titles in black or presented as entire ordering links are still in print. Links will go to the releases' respective product pages on Amazon. Since most out-of-print titles are offered either new or used by Amazon's individual sellers, order links are provided for most (just click on the video's release information). We also recommend eBay for your out-of-print needs. When you shop online for older videos, do take caution and know exactly what you are buying, as many sellers usually aren't sure what they're selling!

(DISCLOSURE: Our site will receive an affiliate commission on any purchase made from the Amazon or eBay links.)

Shorts with the phrase PUBLIC DOMAIN in their synopses are (obviously enough) shorts that are in the public domain and can be found on many ultra-budget video releases produced by unheard-of fly-by-night companies. Since it would be futile to track down and list every single public domain video release, we have listed a very scant number of key releases to help point you in the right direction. A few public domain video releases use film prints that may be unintentionally missing scenes. We will do our best to note such edited versions. And again do note that for black and white cartoons that are in the public domain, some video releases have instead used the 1968 colorized versions.

All releases listed here are in the NTSC color format, the North American standard. All titles are VHS unless noted. All appearances on Blu-ray, HD DVD, or UHD are in high definition unless noted.

Jump to the guide
or select a specific short....

Porky's Duck Hunt - Daffy Duck & Egghead - Porky & Daffy - The Daffy Doc - Daffy Duck in Hollywood
Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur - Scalp Trouble - Wise Quacks

An ad appearing in the Plattsburgh Daily Press in Plattsburgh, NY on May 8, 1937.
Porky's Duck Hunt (1937)TA 1968 1990

Tex Avery's groundbreaking classic that pitted hunter Porky against an as-yet-unnamed "crazy darn fool duck." Features Mel Blanc voicing Porky for the first time.

Mel Blanc: Porky Pig, Daffy Duck
Billy Bletcher: Upstairs Neighbor, Bass Fish
Jackie Morrow: Joe Penner
Paul Taylor Choristers: Singing Fish

Vintage Review
"Highly entertaining...full of clever twists and novel departures that make it refreshing" (Motion Picture Daily, June 8, 1937)

Critique
As tempting as it is, using the word "revolutionary" is something of a disservice. There's certainly a paradigm shift in the narrative structure of the Warner Bros. cartoons, where a more linear story will start getting replaced by a loose plot to hang individual comedic sketches onto. But this is really just the next logical step in the natural evolution of the studio's films, resulting in a perfect storm of the right idea and the right director at the right time. The fact that it also just happens to be such a culturally historic cartoon is a happy coincidence. Having just the year before helming such masterworks as I Love to Singa, Page Miss Glory, and The Blow Out, Tex Avery continues his trajectory as one of the medium's finest directors. If anything, this is perhaps the start of the screwloose, anything-goes Avery that people would more associate with his MGM work. Some of the gags lean a tad on the hokey side (the cross-eyed hunter, the eel bit), but the cartoon as a whole is so entertaining that the stronger sequences help along the ones that don't quite work. Daffy meanwhile is introduced so intentionally nondescript and natural that when he pops up later to remind Porky "Heh heh, it's me again!", it throws the audience for a loop--the ducks are all taunting the pig, but this one wants to be a thorn in his side! Add to that Bob Clampett's animation of the duck's screwy dance across the lake--with a manic, unhinged energy unlike anything seen in any prior Warner picture--and it's clear we're witnessing the start of something magical. Apart from Daffy, this is also the debut of Mel Blanc as the voice of Porky, a role he would continue for the next fifty-two years and definitely make his own. Already his assuming of the role leads to snappier dialogue and crisper delivery to better respond to the anarchy around the pig. (It's doubtful Joe Dougherty would have been able to master the comic rhythm of Porky telling his dog, "Be v-very, v-very, v-very ki-uh-qui-qui-uh-k-k-qu-qu-quiet.") Tex Avery was likely not looking to make such a monumental and crucial cartoon, but thank goodness he did--and thank goodness it's thoroughly enjoyable from start to madcap finish.

Daffy Duck: The Nuttiness Continues... (WHV, 1985)
The Essential Daffy Duck (WHV DVD, 2011)
Porky Pig 101 (WHV/Warner Archive DVD, 2017)
Looney Tunes Collector's Vault Volume 1 (WHV/Warner Archive Blu-ray, 2025)

An ad appearing in The Massena Observer in Massena, NY on February 11, 1938.
Daffy Duck & Egghead (1938)TA BR

Egghead tries his hand at duck hunting, and he too comes across Daffy. Features Daffy singing "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" and Egghead shooting a member of the audience. Daffy's first color cartoon and the first time he's named on screen.

Mel Blanc: Daffy Duck, Turtle Referee, Sanitarium Duck, Egghead (woo-hooing)
Danny Webb: Egghead

Vintage Review
"Should make an audience chuckle" (Motion Picture Daily, April 30, 1946)

Critique
A bit more casually paced than Porky's Duck Hunt with not as many wall-to-wall antics, but even with the restrained lunacy the set pieces all work and at times resonate more than in the earlier film (or at least offer sharper punchlines, like with Daffy's "T'aint funny, McGee" sign). Egghead's characterization is a little more subdued than it was back in Egghead Rides Again, where he came off as more grating than funny. This meeker version provides a better juxtaposition to the screwier prey, a dynamic Avery would perfect in A Wild Hare with Bugs and Elmer. Daffy's centerpiece musical number is charming but wholly unnecessary, and it will soon get to the point where the Merrie Melodies will be entirely character-driven and no longer require a focal song--although the sequence does kick off the occasional trend of Daffy singing about his psychosis. And of course, the short's most memorable moment has nothing to do with the duck, with Egghead gunning down an annoying audience member in cold blood. It's certainly not the first or last time the fourth wall was broken, but the ingenuity would never be topped. It's classic, essential Tex Avery.

Daffy! (MGM, 1988)
Daffy! & Porky! (MGM Laserdisc, 1988)
The Golden Age of Looney Tunes (MGM Laserdisc, 1991)
The Golden Age of Looney Tunes Volume 2: Firsts (MGM, 1992)
The Golden Age of Looney Tunes VHS boxed set (MGM, 1992)
 **Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Three (WHV DVD, 2005)
**The Essential Daffy Duck (WHV DVD, 2011)
**Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1-6 boxed set (WHV DVD, 2011)
**Looney Tunes Collector's Vault Volume 1 (WHV/Warner Archive Blu-ray, 2025)

An ad appearing in The Winona Republican-Herald in Winona, MN on January 5, 1940.
Porky & Daffy (1938)RC 1968 1990

Porky is a boxing manager who sends his fighter, Daffy, to take on The Champ, a large snarling rooster.

Mel Blanc: Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, The Champ, Pelican Referee, Audience Members

Vintage Reviews
"Fair cartoon" (Film Daily, July 18, 1938)
"It will perk up any program" (Motion Picture Daily, August 1, 1938)

Critique
Such a screwy farce that serves as a shining example of Clampett's early, freewheeling directing style, with characters that don't so much "squash and stretch" as they do spin and flail in mid-air. This short also marks the formal start of Porky and Daffy as a comedy duo, with the pig serving more as a straight man and the duck as an unhinged anarchist. Apart from moments with the almost-scene-stealing pelican referee, the boxing match is really just a backdrop for Daffy to play around in--the short has no aspirations to be a by-the-book sports spoof in the way of Avery's Porky the Wrestler or Jones's later To Duck....or Not to Duck. Porky largely has little to do but shout instructions, but his coming through at the end to wake Daffy up is a more effective use than in other Clampett shorts of the era where the pig completely takes a backseat to another character. But it's clearly a Daffy showcase focusing on his attitude (or lack thereof) and offering a genius line that might as well serve as his motto these first few years: "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible."

*Daffy Duck: Tales from the Duckside (WHV, 1992)
Looney Tunes the Collector's Edition: Porky and Daffy (WHV/Columbia House, 2001)
Angels with Dirty Faces (WHV DVD, 2005)
Warner Bros. Pictures Gangsters Collection boxed set (WHV DVD, 2005)
Warner Bros. Pictures Gangsters Collection Vol. 1 boxed set (WHV DVD, 2005)
 Porky Pig 101 (WHV/Warner Archive DVD, 2017)
Angels with Dirty Faces (WHV/Warner Archive Blu-ray, 2021)
James Cagney Collection (WHV/Warner Archive Blu-ray, 2025)

An ad appearing in the Elmira Star-Gazette in Elmira, NY on January 21, 1939.
The Daffy Doc (1938)RC 1968 1995

Fired by his boss Dr. Quack, Dr. Daffy Duck tries to find himself a patient to operate on. He finds happy-go-lucky Porky, who isn't sick at all.

Mel Blanc: Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Dr. Quack

Vintage Reviews
"Funny short" (Film Daily, December 1, 1938)
"Porky's efforts to escape and the complications of the 'iron lung' will earn a chuckle" (Motion Picture Daily, December 7, 1938)

Critique
One of the essential black and white Daffy cartoons. Porky makes his obligatory appearance in the second half, but really it could have been any character Daffy goes after (although the duck stealing Porky's coin after conking him on the head is a dementedly nice touch). The seemingly quieter moments (punctuated by Carl Stalling's appropriately faux-melodramatic score) help enhance the wilder ones, so when Daffy's eventual manic outbursts occur it's like watching a madman enjoying a flash of relief after getting off his meds. Throughout the short, Daffy often speaks with his beak not so much moving as simply agape--with such loose, full animation in this cartoon elsewhere it had to have been a conscious decision, as if suggesting the voices in Daffy's head are trying to escape. It not only adds a surreal layer to the duck's madness, but it also serves as something of a prelude to the classic "consultation" where he converses with himself. It's amazing to think that the signature artificial-lung sequence was at one point considered controversial, but what's more amazing is that Bob Clampett himself didn't think much of the short as a whole, regarding it more as a side project to rush through while he labored over the blander The Lone Stranger and Porky. Ironically, it's the one the director spent less time and care on that people still remember.

Daffy Duck: The Nuttiness Continues... (WHV, 1985)
Marx Brothers Collection boxed set (WHV DVD, 2004)
 Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Five (WHV DVD, 2007)
Turner Classic Movies Greatest Classic Films Collection: Marx Brothers (WHV DVD, 2010)
Turner Classic Movies Greatest Classic Legends Film Collection: Lucille Ball (WHV DVD, 2011)
The Essential Daffy Duck (WHV DVD, 2011)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1-6 boxed set (WHV DVD, 2011)
 Porky Pig 101 (WHV/Warner Archive DVD, 2017)
Room Service (WHV/Warner Archive DVD, 2020)
The Citadel (WHV/Warner Archive Blu-ray, 2025)

An ad appearing in the Lawrence Journal-World in Lawrence, KS on November 7, 1939.
Daffy Duck in Hollywood (1938)TA

Daffy wreaks havoc on a movie director's set, and then splices together his own film to show to the head of the studio.

Mel Blanc: Daffy Duck, I.M. Stupendous, Sound Engineer, Rooster Actor, Chef, Boxing Announcer, Assistant Directors, Von Hamburger (woo-hooing)
Rolfe Sedan: Von Hamburger, Daffy Duck (imitating Von Hamburger)
Sara Berner: Hepburn Chicken, Beauty Contest Winner
Jim Bannon: Newsreel Announcer

Critique
Tex Avery's swan song with the duck is another home run, and thankfully one that eschews the hunting motif. Daffy isn't so much screwy for screwy's sake as he is reacting to his rejection by I.M. Stupendous (although in all fairness, the opening scene is just a goofy way to say, "And now Daffy is at a movie studio."), which makes his antics a little milder and more grounded than in previous shorts. When the duck isn't on screen, the short simply plays out like a satire of the Hollywood studio system, with Von Hamburger taking center stage as the pompous archetype. Avery's use of actual stock footage for Daffy's "film" is pretty inventive and helps sell the idea that this was something cobbled together and that we're seeing a vandalization of an actual motion picture--if it had all merely been animated then it would have instead come off like the studio's typical newsreel spoofs (Nutty News, Porky's Snooze Reel, etc.). (To say nothing of the fact that Gold Is Where You Find It is the title to an actual but nearly forgotten Michael Curtiz western released around the time.) Some of the clips are lame and corny (the talking lion), while others are strangely enjoyable (the crashing plane, the boxing match). The cartoon's "what goes around, comes around" ending is a little hokey and more or less expected, but the fluid animation of larger-than-life Von Hamburger flailing about is fun to watch. It definitely echoes Egghead's similar breakdown in Daffy Duck & Egghead, so whether Avery was trying to make it a running gag in his Daffy shorts that the madness was contagious, we'll never know. It would have been wonderful to see what else the director could have done with his first star character, but thankfully for everyone he had a greater, grayer destiny before him.

Daffy! (MGM, 1988)
Daffy! & Porky! (MGM Laserdisc, 1988)
The Golden Age of Looney Tunes (MGM Laserdisc, 1991)
The Golden Age of Looney Tunes Volume 9: Hooray for Hollywood (MGM, 1992)
The Golden Age of Looney Tunes VHS boxed set (MGM, 1992)
Looney Tunes the Collector's Edition: Tex-Book Looney (WHV/Columbia House, 1999)
 Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Three (WHV DVD, 2005)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1-6 boxed set (WHV DVD, 2011)
 Jezebel (WHV/Warner Archive Blu-ray, 2019)
Cats Don't Dance (WHV/Warner Archive Blu-ray, 2023)
Bette Davis Collection (WHV/Warner Archive Blu-ray, 2025)

An ad appearing in the Plattsburgh Daily Press in Plattsburgh, NY on September 13, 1939.
Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur (1939)CJ

Casper Caveman and pet brontosaurus Fido go duck hunting. Daffy eludes them with a gigantic inflatable duck.

Mel Blanc: Daffy Duck
Jack Lescoulie: Casper Caveman

Vintage Review
"Leon Schlesinger delivers good color cartoon work...but the striving for whimsy hits only in spots" (Motion Picture Daily, March 30, 1939)

Critique
Chuck Jones's first Daffy Duck cartoon is entertaining but definitely tamer than what Avery and Clampett have done. It's paced a bit faster than some of Jones's other early work, but there's still a general casualness to the proceedings. The few times we do see Daffy act out he's in fine form (even if in a more defensive way), but the mania is surrounded by more-leisurely sequences with no real cool down. The use of Jack Lescoulie's spot-on Jack Benny impression for Casper Caveman is an odd choice, and the illusion is continually broken whenever Casper starts screaming at Fido, as Benny was often flustered and annoyed on his show but rarely aggressively hostile (although this is partially saved by having Casper admit to the audience that he's cranky before breakfast). Fido, meanwhile, is an extremely cute character, helped by a charming design and some rather elegant lumbering animation. Right from the start the cartoon itself is aware of the unnecessariness of taking place in prehistoric times, and that little device does a lot to set it apart from just another typical hunting picture--it makes it a more unique outing than simply, say, a watered-down version of Daffy Duck & Egghead. The finale with the inflatable duck is more akin to Jones's early shorts, with a giant threat (even though fake) towering over smaller characters. All of the increasingly ridiculous advertisements in the buildup to the fake duck are pretty effective at creating a sense of suspense, even though it all gets spoiled by a pretty routine "surprise" ending. Jones wouldn't direct Daffy again for another three years (nor would the duck appear in another color short during that whole time). His skills would increase substantially in the meantime.

PUBLIC DOMAIN

Daffy Duck Cartoon Festival Featuring "Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur" (MGM, 1986)
Inside Termite Terrace Volume II: Tokio Jokio (Bosko Video, 1988)
Daffy Duck and Company (MGM, 1990)
The Golden Age of Looney Tunes Volume 3 (MGM Laserdisc, 1992)
Cartoon Explosion Vol. 1 (Front Row Entertainment DVD, 2001)
Cartoon Craze Presents Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur (Genius Entertainment DVD, 2004)
 Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Three (WHV DVD, 2005)
Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection 7 (WHV DVD, 2009)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1-6 boxed set (WHV DVD, 2011)

An ad appearing in the Plattsburgh Daily Republican in Plattsburgh, NY on June 28, 1939.
Scalp Trouble (1939)RC 1968 1995

Indians attack Porky's cavalry fort, where Daffy the captain (sporting a Napoleon hat) has a bad physical reaction to ammunition.

Mel Blanc: Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Cavalry Scout, Reveille Bugler, Singing Soldier, Tenth Indian, Colonna Indian

Critique
Good gag-filled cartoon despite a plot that would be considered distasteful today (although, to be fair, the stereotypes here are on the milder side of cartoon racism). Porky being late to roll call is a tad uncharacteristic for him, as in previous military-themed shorts he's usually all too eager to prove his fighting worth. It wouldn't have taken too much imagination to merely have Daffy and Porky's roles reversed. Despite a funny introduction, Daffy doesn't have much to do in this one, with Porky and the other troops doing most of the heavy gag-lifting. (Sure enough, when we cut back to Daffy for the climax, he's on the ground hiding under his hat for some reason.) There's some recycled animation of the Native Americans on horseback, but then the cartoon also pays it forward by establishing some tropes that would become standard in other Indian-attack shorts, particularly the now-cringeworthy "Ten Little Indians" gag later seen in Tom Tom Tomcat and Horse Hare. The "here we go again" ending is a good, corny fit typical of Clampett's shorts of the time, which helps elevate it a little higher than the director's other entries in the Porky series.

Porky Pig 101 (WHV/Warner Archive DVD, 2017)

An ad appearing in the Plattsburgh Daily Republican in Plattsburgh, NY on August 12, 1939.
Wise Quacks (1939)RC 1995

Drunken Daffy becomes a father, and Porky has to defend the ducklings from a squad of eagles.

Mel Blanc: Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Dog, Lead Eagle, Baby Duckling, Daffy's Ducklings, Drunk Eagles
Harry E. Lang: Mrs. Daffy Duck

Vintage Reviews
"Really cute" (Motion Picture Daily, July 28, 1939)
"It is filled with humor, appealing cartoon delineation, human interest, plus sufficient imagination and silliness" (Film Daily, July 31, 1939)

Critique
Sluggish retread of the "Porky saves barnyard fowl from predators" story done much better in Porky's Poultry Plant and Clampett's just-released Chicken Jitters (even repeating animation from both, including the director's own overused "duck family emerging from a barn" clip). Daffy's wife speaks in a quasi-Donald quack (supposedly provided by Harry E. Lang, at least according to Graham Webb's Animated Film Encyclopedia) that quickly loses its charm and later becomes unbearable when she's trying to engage in actual dialogue. Daffy himself is pretty much wasted here (no pun intended) as he's portrayed not so much as wacky as just drunk--his only "woo-hoo" comes after he takes another drink before chasing after the eagles. Porky at least has a chance to play the hero while saving Daffy's youngest, a nice change of pace as usually he's been hanging out on the sidelines in his own films of late. The runt of the family has a funny shtick where he nods and then says "no," or shakes his head and says "yes," etc.--a cute bit but one that unfortunately grinds the cartoon's momentum to a halt each time. The comedic resolution is funny but predictable; just another indication of how creatively lazy the whole production is.

Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Five (WHV DVD, 2007)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1-6 boxed set (WHV DVD, 2011)
 Porky Pig 101 (WHV/Warner Archive DVD, 2017)

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