The Up-Standing Sitter
The Up-Standing Sitter is a 1948 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon, directed by Robert McKimson.[1] The cartoon was released on July 3, 1948, and stars Daffy Duck.[2] All voices are by Mel Blanc.
| The Up-Standing Sitter | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Robert McKimson |
| Produced by | Eddie Selzer (uncredited) |
| Story by | Warren Foster |
| Starring | Mel Blanc |
| Music by | Carl Stalling |
| Animation by | Phil De Lara Manny Gould John Carey Charles McKimson |
| Layouts by | Cornett Wood |
| Backgrounds by | Richard H. Thomas |
| Color process | Cinecolor |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date | July 3, 1948 (USA) |
Running time | 7 minutes |
| Language | English |
The title is a play on the expression "up-standing citizen" and on standing being opposite of sitting (a fact which figures into the film's closing gag.) The cartoon was made in Cinecolor when a 1948 strike briefly halted production at Technicolor.[3] This is also Daffy's latest cartoon in the a.a.p. television package as his next cartoon (You Were Never Duckier) would be in the post-1948 package.
Plot summary
Daffy Duck, working for a baby-sitting agency, is sent to a farm to sit for a hen who is literally "sitting" on an egg and wants to take a trip. Soon after the hen leaves, the egg hatches, producing a yellow chick whose shape, voice and attitude are similar to that of Henery Hawk.
The chick first calls Daffy "Mother", then "daddy", "cousin", "uncle", etc. When Daffy points out he is not a relative, the chick says he is not supposed to talk to strangers, and runs away with Daffy in hot pursuit of his charge. The chick first simply eludes Daffy, and then begins to torment Daffy with one violent gag after another (anticipating Home Alone by decades).
At one point, Daffy (whose voice is identical to Sylvester's but electronically sped up)[4] invokes a phrase more closely associated with Sylvester's "Sufferin' succotash!"
Another part of the cartoon shows Daffy walking on the wire with an umbrella where the baby rooster is standing. The chick blows very hard at the umbrella, making Daffy fall into the pigpen, which prompts the baby rooster to say, "Aren't you going to chase me anymore? Or would you rather be a pig?", surely referencing Bing Crosby's song, "Swinging on a Star".
In the process, Daffy also incurs the wrath of the barnyard's bulldog, especially as many of the chick's gags lead to Daffy crashing into the dog's house, and demolishing it many times over. The film's final joke has Daffy over the dog's knee as he applies a loud and painful spanking to Daffy. Daffy calls his agency and tells them he will have to do his next "sitting" job standing up.
Availability
This cartoon is featured, restored, with the original Cinecolor issue (the first Cinecolor cartoon to be restored) on disc 1 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 5.
See also
- Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography (1940–1949)
- List of cartoons featuring Daffy Duck
References
- Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 178. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
- Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 70–72. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
- http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/oldcolor/cinecolor2.htm
- That's Not All, Folks!, 1988 by Mel Blanc, Philip Bashe. Warner Books, ISBN 0-446-39089-5 (Softcover), ISBN 0-446-51244-3 (Hardcover)
External links
| Preceded by Daffy Duck Slept Here |
Daffy Duck Cartoons 1948 |
Succeeded by You Were Never Duckier |