What Makes Daffy Duck

What Makes Daffy Duck is a 1948 Looney Tunes short directed by Arthur Davis.
== Title ==
The title is a pun of the novel What Makes Sammy Run?.
== Plot ==
Daffy sneaks across the meadow, dodging hunter's bullets. He hides behind a tree, his teeth chattering and knees knocking. He is startled on seeing the audience, but calms down and explains, "You see, it's duck season, and, confidentially, I'm a duck!"
He crawls across the meadow and takes a morning shower while singing "King for a Day". While he sings in the shower, a fox and Elmer Fudd approach the shower from opposite directions, each unaware of the other's presence. They reach into the shower to grab Daffy, but he emerges from the shower untouched. They look inside the curtain and see their fingers literally tied together, much to their annoyance.
The fox and Elmer start grabbing at Daffy, but Daffy stops them. He tells them to race to a pine tree, and the first one to reach it "gets tender, juicy me as first prize." When he fires the starting gun, only Elmer takes off; the fox stays behind, grabs Daffy, and flees. Daffy calls to Elmer and tells him he has been swindled. Elmer starts chasing after the fox. Meanwhile, Daffy deliberately squirts oil on the hill, and the fox slides downhill. At the bottom of the hill, Elmer aims his gun at the fox and demands that he leave. The fox turns to escape, only to run smack into a tree, knocking him out cold.
Now Elmer turns his gun on Daffy, but Daffy puts Elmer on a guilt trip, melodramatically complaining about the misery of being constantly pursued by hunters. Catching Elmer off guard, he hits Elmer on the head with a mallet, knocking him out.
A little later, Daffy is admiring himself in a mirror. Elmer puts on a semi-realistic female duck disguise and calls to Daffy from a pond. Daffy begins flirting with the duck, but dives underwater, sees Elmer's boots, and sees through his game. Still, Daffy plays along, and offers to bring some art collectibles for "her" to see. He slips away and awakens the fox (who was still unconscious until now) with a duck call. The fox sees the "female duck", grabs it, and runs away, until he notices the neck stretching. Curiously, he confusedly asks "What kind of a duck is this?" as he opens the lid of the duck costume, and Elmer pops out pointing his gun in the fox's face. Elmer, still in costume, chases after the fox, but is caught by the boot with a long rope, pulling him out of the costume and getting him entirely stuck in the boot, sadly asking himself, "How am I ever gonna catch that scwewy duck?" Daffy, who lassoed him, replies, "Precisely what I was wondering, my little nimrod!"
Suddenly, the fox grabs Daffy by the throat and flees the area with him, trying to put as much distance between himself and Elmer. But just when he thought he had gotten far enough away, he turns and runs into Elmer and his gun. Elmer forces the fox to give up Daffy and sends him away. Then Elmer, by now greatly irritated, drags Daffy away to shoot him, while Daffy calls to the fox to stop Elmer. Elmer pins Daffy to a tree and squeezes the trigger, but instead of gunfire, there is a pop. The fox has returned and stuck his fingers in the gun barrel to stop Elmer. The fox and Elmer start cursing in each other's faces, and their argument turns to fisticuffs, while Daffy watches from atop the tree, cheering them on.
While the fox and Elmer are fighting, a dog in a ranger uniform appears and nails two signs to the tree: DUCK SEASON CLOSED and FOX SEASON OPEN. He blows a whistle. The fox and Elmer read the signs, and then Elmer glares menacingly at the frightened fox, who flees for his life. The dog gives Elmer a more appropriate hunting hat and a horse to ride, and Elmer chases the fox on horseback. As the fox, Elmer and his horse run away into the distance, the dog pulls off his rubber mask to reveal Daffy in disguise, and he comments, "Obviously, I am dealing with inferior mentalities."
== Availability ==
All prints have the 1950 green Merrie Melodies ending title card.
Adfgdhfgdhgsdfasws.jpg|8mm (Associated Artists Productions print)
Lt ddcffatd.png|(1986) VHS Viddy-Oh! For Kids Cartoon Festivals: Daffy Duck Cartoon Festival Featuring "Ain't That Ducky" (only in PAL regions)
lt cel elmer.jpg|(1987) VHS Elmer!
Cartoon Moviestars 8.jpg|(1988) VHS Cartoon Moviestars: Elmer!
LT Laserdisc 1.jpg|(1988) LaserDisc Cartoon Moviestars: Bugs! and Elmer!
Golden-Age-of-Looney-Tunes-2-F.jpg|(1992) LaserDisc The Golden Age of Looney Tunes, Volume 2, Side 8
Lt bumper woolworths.jpg|(1995) VHS Bumper Edition (Woolworths Exclusive)
8158quVPv4L. AC SL1500 .jpg|(2003) VHS Daffy Duck
LTPC VOL 2 Blu Ray.jpg|(2012) Blu-ray Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 2, Disc 1, original opening rings but 1950 green Merrie Melodies closing Color Rings
LTPC VOL 2 DVD.jpg|(2012) DVD Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 2, Disc 1, original opening rings but 1950 green Merrie Melodies closing Color Rings
=== Streaming ===
lt boomerang.jpg|Boomerang App (2017 - ) (original opening rings but 1950 green Merrie Melodies closing Color Rings)
Lt hbo max.jpg|HBO Max (2020 - 2023) (original opening rings but 1950 green Merrie Melodies closing Color Rings)
Lt max.jpg|Max (2023 - ) (original opening rings but 1950 green Merrie Melodies closing Color Rings)
== Censorship ==
When this short was broadcast on the former WB Network the following scenes were edited:
* The scene where the fox captures Elmer dressed as a female duck, opens the duck costume ("What kind of a duck is this?"), and gets Elmer's rifle in his face ("Muscwing in on my tewwitowy again, eh? I'm gonna put your--"), then closes the costume and runs off with Elmer chasing after the fox and yelling, "I'll get you, you cwazy character!" was cut, going from Daffy waking the fox up with a duck call to Elmer running after the fox and yelling, "I'll get you, you cwazy character!"
* The entire sequence after the fox makes off with Daffy and unplugs the boat, causing it to sink where Elmer scares the fox off by, once again, threatening him with his rifle, Elmer taking Daffy, Daffy begging the fox to come back for him, Elmer slamming Daffy against a pole and going to shoot him, only for the fox to reappear and plug the rifle was completely cut, going from the fox sinking the rowboat to Elmer calling the fox a "doggone cwook" and the two fighting over who gets Daffy (before a game warden changes the hunting season from duck to fox).
== Notes ==
* The original ending title was replaced with the 1950 Merrie Melodies ending card before the sale to Associated Artists Productions, as the a.a.p. print also had the 1950 Merrie Melodies ending card. However, both American and European Turner prints, recognize this short as a Looney Tune and as such use the 1947-48 dubbed Looney Tunes closing.
** The original closing titles are presumed to be lost, as the short only exists with the 1950 Merrie Melodies closing titles, even on the restored DVD release. However, the original ending survives on a pre-1950 16mm print.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZFZfma26bY&pp=ygUVd2hhdCBtYWtlcyBkYWZmeSBkdWNr
* This short is the only Elmer Fudd short to be directed by Arthur Davis.
* Although the short was released in Cinecolor, the lobby cards say that it is in Technicolor. A possible explanation is that the short was planned to be released in Technicolor, but had to be in Cinecolor for budgetary reasons.
== Gallery ==
WhatMakesDaffyDuckCredits1.png
WhatMakesDaffyDuckCredits2.png
51lcMF5+h1L.jpg|Lobby card
45505027 1111006089063530 6750562509016530944 n.jpg|Lobby card
Elmer3.jpg|Sketches of Elmer
What Makes Daffy Duck (1948) - Duck Shower.jpg
== References ==
es:What Makes Daffy Duck
Category:Daffy Duck Cartoons
Category:Elmer Fudd Cartoons
Category:1948
Category:Shorts
Category:Looney Tunes Shorts
Category:Cartoons directed by Arthur Davis
Category:Cartoons written by Bill Scott
Category:Cartoons written by Lloyd Turner
Category:Cartoons animated by Basil Davidovich
Category:Cartoons animated by Bill Melendez
Category:Cartoons animated by Don Williams
Category:Cartoons animated by Emery Hawkins
Category:Cartoons with layouts by Don Smith
Category:Cartoons with backgrounds by Philip DeGuard
Category:Cartoons with music by Carl W. Stalling
Category:Cartoons with orchestrations by Milt Franklyn
Category:Cartoons with film editing by Treg Brown
Category:Cartoons with sound effects edited by Treg Brown
Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Arthur Q. Bryan
Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Mel Blanc
Category:Cartoons produced by Eddie Selzer
Category:Cartoons in a.a.p. package
Category:Cartoons originally produced in Cinecolor