Prehistoric Daffy
“Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur” —early Daffy Duck. Early Chuck Jones, too. About the time this one was released, other directors like Bob Clampett and Tex Avery were bending time and space, trying to figure out just how fast and outrageous you could make a cartoon. Meanwhile, Jones was over in the corner, trying stuff that was completely different —films with humor based on anticipation, rather than surprise. Relaxed. Deliberate. Unhurried. We’re talkin’ SLOW here. Laurel and Hardy slow. Jack Benny slow.
So, it’s not surprising Casper Caveman talks like Benny in this one. In fact, the whole cartoon kinda has a Jack Benny radio show vibe going for it; everything is leisurely paced, with the big laughs grounded in solid characterization. And the voice impersonation is pretty good too (years later, the real live Benny did his own voice for a Warners cartoon, but I think the guy doing the impression here is Jack Lescoulie.)
Actually, I get a big kick out of the bitchy little caveman who wears boxer shorts under his animal skin. I sorta wish the Looney Toonsters had brought him back in later cartoons (I know… at the end of this one he’s, ummm, dead. But so is Daffy, and that didn’t seem to slow down his career!)
It’s Celebrity Impersonation week at ReFrederator. If you care for caricatures, check in tomorrow!
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