Two Nuts For The Price of One.
The one short that practically kicked off the Screwball Squirrel-type cartoon, "Fred" Avery's "Daffy Duck and Egghead", a Merrie Melodies short from January 1, 1938, while not the first in which Daffy Duck appears, is the first one in which Daffy is named, the first one in which Elmer Fudd (or rather, a prototypical version of him named Egghead) goes hunting, and the prime example of early Daffy Duck at his daffiest. Full of great gags, a song from Daffy and perfect pacing, it's a classic short to behold.
"Daffy Duck and Egghead" provides examples of:
- Amusingly Awful Aim: Egghead tries to shoot Daffy, with Daffy teasing him by putting an apple over his head a la William Tell. However, Egghead misses every single shot, even as Daffy steps closer with each shot. When Egghead misses at point-blank range, Daffy puts sunglasses on him, hangs a sign that reads "blind" around his neck, hands him some pencils to sell, and walks away sighing, "Too bad."
- Attention Whore: Daffy, as per usual.Daffy: [to the audience, after bouncing on the surface of the pond] Ain't I some cutey? I think I'll do it again!
- Born in the Theatre: The infamous moment when Egghead shoots a member of the audience that was distracting him from his hunt.note
- Bowdlerization: The infamous moment when Egghead shoots a member of the audience that was distracting him from his hunt was cut when aired on Cartoon Networknote , Boomerangnote , and the former WB network.
- Chekhov's Gag: During Daffy's version of the below song, at one point, his reflection joins in. At the very end of the cartoon, when Egghead finally catches him, this same reflection rescues him from Egghead.
- The Cover Changes the Meaning: The original "Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" implies the Merry-Go-Round broke by simply not stopping and was otherwise an enjoyable extra long ride, Daffy's version implies the Merry-Go-Round began spinning faster and faster and faster and being stuck on it drove him mad.
- Early-Installment Weirdness:
- Daffy's collar is blue instead of white.
- Daffy doesn't really use his famous lisp, except when he sings "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down", and even then, only a slight lisp is heard.
- Epic Fail: Egghead failing to shoot the apple on Daffy's head, even at point-blank range. See the example below.
- Era-Specific Personality: Moreso than "Porky's Duck Hunt", this was the beginning of the Cloudcuckoolander Daffy that Bob Clampett would eventually perfect.
- Exploding Cigar: Averted. Egghead gets a cigar from Daffy as a prize for shooting a turtle. Viewers may expect Egghead to light up the cigar, resulting in this trope. But he doesn't; he throws away the cigar in disgust and continues pursuit of Daffy.
- Facepalm: Egghead at the cartoon's conclusion.
- "I Am" Song: Daffy's version of "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down".
- Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: An interestingly justified version. Egghead must have been a top graduate of the academy. To sum it up, his aim is so awful that he can't hit the apple on Daffy's head, even when Daffy is standing in front of the gun, with the apple directly in front of the barrel. (Amusingly, he can hit the broad side of a barn.) Upon this Epic Fail, Daffy promptly fits Egghead with dark glasses, a cup filled with pencils, and a sign that reads, "Blind."Daffy: Too bad. Too bad.
- Mad Hatter: When Egghead says, "That duck's crazy!" Daffy's response is "You're tellin' me!" (He subverts it later, though: "I'm not crazy, I just don't give a darn!")
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Egghead's mannerisms are based on comedian Joe Penner. Midway through the cartoon the two are broke up by a turtle mimicking radio comic Harry "Parkyakarkus" Einstein.
- Our Lawyers Advised This Trope: Parodiednote :"The events and ducks depicted in this photoplay are fictitious. Any similarity to actual ducks, either living or roasted is purely co-incidental."
- Shout-Out: "T'ain't funny, McGee" is a reference to Fibber McGee and Molly.
- Stealth Pun: Hidden behind some reeds, Egghead reaches up, pulls a cord, and the reeds fold down in slats, allowing him to see. They are, of course, duck blinds.
- Tree Cover: Parodied when Egghead wonders aloud about any other hunters being present. Several pop out from the background from both a tree and the tall grass to answer Egghead affirmatively.
- Undesirable Prize: The cigar Daffy gives Egghead for shooting the turtle during their duel. Egghead throws it away instead of smoking it.
- William Telling: Daffy tries to initiate this by pulling an apple out of Hammerspace and placing it on his head before Egghead takes aim.
- Zany Cartoon
