Design for Leaving

Last updated
Design for Leaving
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by Tedd Pierce
Starring Mel Blanc
Arthur Q. Bryan
Music by Carl Stalling
Animation by Phil DeLara
Charles McKimson
Rod Scribner
Herman Cohen
Layouts by Bob Givens
Backgrounds byRichard H. Thomas
Color process Technicolor
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • March 27, 1954 (1954-03-27)
Running time
6:38
LanguageEnglish

Design for Leaving is a 1954 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes theatrical animated short directed by Robert McKimson. [1] The cartoon was released on March 27, 1954 and stars Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd. [2] The title is a parody of the Design for Living House, House No. 4 in the Homes of Tomorrow Exhibition at the Century of Progress, the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago.

Contents

Plot

Daffy Duck is a persuasive salesman from the Acme Future-Antic Push-Button Home of Tomorrow Household Appliance Company, Inc. He barges into Elmer Fudd's home offering a free trial of modern household appliances. Daffy buys a bus ticket for Duluth, Minnesota against his will. Upon Elmer's immediate departure, Daffy lets in Acme employees to remodel Elmer's residence.

Upon Elmer's return, he finds his house transformed into a chaotic maze of malfunctioning gadgets, as well as some that are archaic, such as a garbage disposal that gets rid of everything (revealed to be a pig). Daffy invites Elmer to try some buttons for himself, but stops him when Elmer sees a red button standing out from the other white buttons, warning the red button is very specific. Despite Elmer's protests, Daffy continues to demonstrate the absurdity of the automated home, leading to comedic disasters like wallpaper removal, window bricking or a robotic fireman that responds to all high temperatures (including a lit cigar or the heat emanating from Elmer's enraged head). Elmer finally snaps and demands the removal of the gadgets.

In a twist of fate, Elmer says to himself he will see what the red button does, which is revealed to be "in case of tidal wave", triggering a mechanism that elevates his house into the air. Daffy, now the victim of Elmer's revenge, flies by in a helicopter saying for a small price he will install a "blue button to get you down".

Production notes

Design for Leaving reflects on the traditional door-to-door sales approach reminiscent of the "Yankee Peddler" era, as well as the contemporary direct-selling methods used by companies like Kirby Company vacuum cleaners and Fuller brushes. The film juxtaposes this with the post-World War II trend towards automation and modernization in U.S. homes. Acme's innovations, while two decades ahead of the 1933 Homes of Tomorrow Exhibition, predate The Jetsons (1962) by a decade with its depiction of robot maids and household gadgetry.

Home media

DVD – Looney Tunes Superstars - Daffy Duck: Frustrated Fowl (widescreen)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daffy Duck</span> Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon character

Daffy Duck is a fictional character created by animators Tex Avery and Bob Clampett for Leon Schlesinger Productions. Styled as an anthropomorphic black duck, he has appeared in cartoon series such as Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, in which he is usually depicted as a foil for either Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig or Speedy Gonzales. He was one of the first of the new "screwball" characters that emerged in the late 1930s to replace traditional everyman characters who were more popular earlier in the decade, such as Mickey Mouse, Porky Pig, and Popeye.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yosemite Sam</span> Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon character

Yosemite Sam is a cartoon character in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of short films produced by Warner Bros. His name is taken from Yosemite National Park in California. His real name is Aloysius Bartholamew Sam. He is an adversary of Bugs Bunny and his archenemy alongside Elmer Fudd. He is commonly depicted as a mean-spirited and extremely aggressive, gunslinging outlaw or cowboy with a hair-trigger temper and an intense hatred of rabbits, Bugs in particular. In cartoons with non-Western themes, he uses various aliases, including "Chilkoot Sam" and "Square-deal Sam" in 14 Carrot Rabbit, "Riff Raff Sam" in Sahara Hare, "Sam Schultz" in Big House Bunny, "Seagoin' Sam" in Buccaneer Bunny, "Shanghai Sam" in Mutiny on the Bunny, "Von Schamm the Hessian" in Bunker Hill Bunny, "Baron Sam von Schpamm" in Dumb Patrol,"Pancho Vanilla" in Pancho's Hideaway and many others. During the golden age of American animation, Yosemite Sam appeared as antagonist in 33 animated shorts made between 1945 and 1964.

<i>Looney Tunes: Back in Action</i> 2003 film by Joe Dante

Looney Tunes: Back in Action is a 2003 American live-action/animated comedy film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the second fully original theatrical feature film in the Looney Tunes franchise, and was directed by Joe Dante from a screenplay by Larry Doyle. Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman, and Steve Martin star in the film; Timothy Dalton, Heather Locklear, and Bill Goldberg appear in supporting roles, while Joe Alaskey leads the voice cast. Its plot, which parodies action and spy film conventions, follows Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck (Alaskey) as they become intertwined in a plot by the ACME Chairman (Martin) to transform the world's population into subservient monkeys using the Blue Monkey diamond. They accompany aspiring stuntman DJ Drake (Fraser) and Warner Bros. executive Kate Houghton (Elfman) on their journey to thwart the Chairman's plot, which doubles as a mission to rescue the former's abducted father, Damian (Dalton).

<i>Rabbit Fire</i> 1951 American animated short film directed by Chuck Jones

Rabbit Fire is a 1951 Looney Tunes cartoon starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Elmer Fudd. Directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese, the cartoon is the first in Jones' "hunting trilogy"—the other two cartoons following it being Rabbit Seasoning and Duck! Rabbit, Duck! It is also the first cartoon to feature a feud between Bugs and Daffy. Produced by Edward Selzer for Warner Bros. Cartoons, the short was released to theaters on May 19, 1951 by Warner Bros. Pictures and is often considered among Jones' best and most important films.

<i>Rabbit Seasoning</i> 1952 American film by Chuck Jones

Rabbit Seasoning is a 1952 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. Released on September 20, 1952, the short stars Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd.

<i>Duck! Rabbit, Duck!</i> 1953 film by Chuck Jones

Duck! Rabbit, Duck! is a 1953 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Charles M. Jones. The cartoon was released on October 3, 1953 and stars Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd.

<i>The Scarlet Pumpernickel</i> 1950 film by Chuck Jones

The Scarlet Pumpernickel is a 1950 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes theatrical cartoon short, directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. The cartoon was released on March 4, 1950, and stars Daffy Duck along with a number of other prominent Looney Tunes characters. The title is a play on the 1905 novel The Scarlet Pimpernel.

Beanstalk Bunny is a 1955 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on February 12, 1955, and stars Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd. The cartoon's story is derived from the fairy tale "Jack and the Beanstalk".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kids' WB Fun Zone</span> Themed attraction in Queensland, Australia

Kids' WB Fun Zone is a themed attraction in Warner Bros. Movie World on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia based on the Looney Tunes cartoons. The attraction was originally named Looney Tunes Village and was renamed in late 2007 when two new rides were added. At the same time, the Australian Kids' WB TV show began filming at the theme park. Two similar themed attractions, Looney Tunes Land and Cartoon Village, opened at Warner Bros. Movie World Germany in Bottrop Kirchhellen, Germany in 1996 and Parque Warner Madrid in Madrid, Spain in 2002, respectively, with the latter remaining to this day.

<i>The Stupid Cupid</i> 1944 film

The Stupid Cupid is a 1944 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated cartoon directed by Frank Tashlin. The cartoon was released on November 25, 1944, and stars Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd.

<i>Rabbit Rampage</i> 1955 short film by Chuck Jones

Rabbit Rampage is a 1955 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated cartoon, directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on June 11, 1955, and stars Bugs Bunny.

<i>Person to Bunny</i> 1960 film

Person to Bunny is a 1960 Merrie Melodies animated cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on April 1, 1960, and stars Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd. It is the last cartoon to feature Arthur Q. Bryan as the voice of Elmer, and was released shortly after Bryan's death.

<i>A Star Is Bored</i> 1956 American film

A Star Is Bored is a 1956 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon, directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on September 15, 1956, and stars Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. The cartoon expands upon the rivalry depicted between Bugs and Daffy, in such films as Chuck Jones' 1951 short Rabbit Fire, this time placing the action in a show-biz setting. In this 7-minute short, Daffy must double for Bugs in any slapstick that Warners deems too dangerous for its top star. After each disaster, Daffy shouts "MAKEUP!". The director directing the scenes has an Erich Von Stroheim accent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elmer Fudd</span> Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon character

Elmer J. Fudd is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies series and the archenemy of Bugs Bunny. His aim is to hunt Bugs, but he usually ends up seriously injuring himself and other antagonizing characters. He lisps, replacing his Rs and Ls with Ws, so he often refers to Bugs Bunny as a "scwewy" (screwy) or "wascawwy (rascally) wabbit". Elmer's signature catchphrase is, "Shhh. Be vewy vewy quiet, I'm hunting wabbits", as well as his trademark laughter.

<i>To Duck or Not to Duck</i> 1943 film by Chuck Jones

To Duck or Not to Duck is a 1943 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. The cartoon was released on March 6, 1943, and stars Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd.

This is a listing of all theatrical animated shorts released by Warner Bros. under the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies banners between 1970 and the present. It also lists shorts originally planned for theatrical release and other shorts that were not feature films, television series, or television specials.

<i>Daffy Dilly</i> 1948 film

Daffy Dilly is a 1948 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. The cartoon was released on October 30, 1948, and stars Daffy Duck.

<i>Daffys Rhapsody</i> 2012 film by Matthew OCallaghan

Daffy's Rhapsody is a 2012 animated Looney Tunes short film featuring the characters Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd. Directed by Matthew O'Callaghan and written by Tom Sheppard, the film is an adaptation of the song of the same name which was sung by Mel Blanc and recorded in the 1950s by Capitol Records. Daffy's Rhapsody was first shown in theaters before Warner Bros.' feature-length film Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. Unlike the previous Looney Tunes 3-D shorts, Daffy's Rhapsody has not yet been released on home media. In 2016, the official Warner Bros. Animation uploaded the short to Google but eventually removed it, leaving unofficial uploads of the short being available. It took until 2021 for the short to be officially available to purchase on Stars of Space Jam: Looney Tunes Collection.

Wise Quackers is a 1949 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The film was released on January 1, 1949, and stars Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd.

<i>Looney Tunes Cartoons</i> American animated television series

Looney Tunes Cartoons is an American animated television series developed by Pete Browngardt and produced by Warner Bros. Animation, based on the characters from Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. The series made its worldwide debut at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 10, 2019, and premiered on HBO Max on May 27, 2020.

References

  1. ↑ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 259. ISBN   0-8050-0894-2.
  2. ↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 60–62. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7 . Retrieved 6 June 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.