Western Animation / Deduce, You Say!

Name: Shropshire Slasher Occupation: Shropshire Slasher

"Deduce, You Say!" is a 1956 Looney Tunes short directed by Chuck Jones. Daffy Duck is Dorlock Holmes, with Porky Pig as sidekick Watkins, as they attempt to track down the notorious Shropshire Slasher.

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"Deduce, You Say!" provides examples of:

• Almost Dead Guy: Subverted. The case is touched off when a man collapses on their front stoop. However, when Dorlock begins to analyze the "corpse," he gets up. Turns out, he just tripped over the step.
  Man: You'd best have that step fixed, guv'ner!
  Holmes: Just for that, you get no gratuity.
• Aside Glance: As Dorlock boasts of his superior physical skill while completely failing to restrain him, Slasher briefly looks at us in confusion.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: Aside from narrating, Watkins addresses the audience directly a few times.
• Butt-Monkey: Daffy, of course.
• Corrupted Character Copy: Dorlock Holmes is clearly a Sherlock Homage — he's a British detective; his name matches Holmes' almost exactly, and he has a politer sidekick called Watkins (whose name is a few letters from Watson). He's as clueless as Holmes is super-competent, as well as being flighty and quick-tempered where Holmes is controlled. Finally, though Holmes is a jerk, he legitimately wants to stop evil and protect the innocent. Dorlock threatens a little old lady with arrest for "hawking dandelions without a license."
• David Versus Goliath: Dorlock lampshades this as he starts to take on the Slasher.
  "You may be big, but I'm small!"
• Deadpan Snarker: Watkins.
• Disproportionate Retribution: When an old woman arrives to the bar selling flowers, Holmes instantly jumps all over her and threatens to have her arrested for peddling without a license. Unfortunately for Holmes, she's the Slasher's mother.
• Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: When Dorlock begins to harass a flower woman, the Slasher recognizes her and beats him up. They then leave together.
  Slasher: I promised the nice gentleman I'd give meself up now, Mother.
  Slasher's Mother: You always was a good boy, Slasher.
• Great Detective: Dorlock thinks he's an awesome detective. Unfortunately, he's rather clueless.
• His Name Really Is "Barkeep":
  • The Shropshire Slasher confirms to Watkins that his apparent title is actually his name.
    Watkins: N-n-name? S-speak up, now, speak up!
    Slasher: Shropshire Slasher.
    Watkins: O-o-occupation?
    Slasher: Shropshire Slasher.
  • At the end, the crook's mother actually calls him "Slasher."
• Hypercompetent Sidekick: Watkins, who is Dorlock's sidekick and the most competent person in the short. (Not that he has a lot of competition.) It's ultimately him and not Dorlock who ends the Slasher's reign.
• Large Ham: Daffy gets ridiculously giddy and theatrical whenever he finds a "clue."
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Dorlock fails miserably against Slasher every time, but it's threatening to arrest the man's mother that really gets him pummeled.
• Non Sequitur, *Thud*: At the end, after Holmes has been put through so much abuse by the Slasher:
  Watkins: Tell me, Holmes, at what school did you learn to become a detective?
  Holmes: (dazed) Elementary, my dear Watkins. Elementary.
• Oh, Crap!: When Dorlock attempts to arrest a little old lady for "hawking dandelions without a licence", the Slasher recognizes her as his own mother. Given that he's failed miserably every time he's fought the Slasher, this quickly tells Dorlock that he's in trouble:
  Shropshire Slasher: Muvver!
  Dorlock: Mother? Mother...(in a terrified squeak) really?
  (No-Holds-Barred Beatdown ensues)
• Parody: Of Sherlock Holmes.
• Politeness Judo: The Shropshire Slasher gives himself up just because Watkins politely asked him to.
• Pun-Based Title: The title puns on "The deuce^note devil you say!"
• Punny Name: "Dorlock Holmes"
• Rude Hero, Nice Sidekick: Exaggerated. Daffy as Dorlock Holmes rudely interrogates innocent civilians; Porky's Dr. Watkins gets the villain to give himself up just by asking him politely.
• Sherlock Homage: Daffy as "Dorlock Holmes". Unfortunately for Daffy, he's every bit as incompetent as Holmes is supercompetent.
• Stiff Upper Lip: Watkins is a spoof of this.
• Subverted Catchphrase: What kind of detective school did Holmes go to? Elementary!
• Talking the Monster to Death: After all of Holmes' fighting skills fail to subdue the Slasher, Watkins gets him to give up willingly just by asking him nicely.
• Weak, but Skilled: Conversed; Holmes boasts that he can't see how the Slasher can hope to withstand Holmes' superior skill, but the Slasher demonstrates exactly how immediately: by flexing his arm to reveal a bicep almost as big as Holmes himself.

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