His Bitter Half is a 1950 Looney Tunes short directed by Friz Freleng. It stars Daffy Duck as a simple bachelor who discovers, when reading the want ads, that a rich widow is looking to marry a "refined, single, gentleman duck." Daffy, drawn to the prospects of both marriage and money, immediately rushes to marry her. Unfortunately for him, she turns out to be a physically huge woman with an incredibly domineering personality. To make matters worse, she has a bratty son named Wentworth who constantly torments and causes trouble for Daffy, with the widow showing zero sympathy for the poor black duck.
The cartoon was remade in 1962 as Honey's Money, with Yosemite Sam in the role of Daffy and Wentworth being an oafish but well-meaning young child rather than a spoiled brat.
Tropes:
- Asshole Victim: Daffy marries a wealthy widow with the clear motivation of money, and loses his romantic streak the moment the wedding is over. As it turns out however, the widow was holding an even worse facade and henpecks him straight after.
- Awful Wedded Life: Let's just say that marriage to the widow is less than fulfilling for Daffy.
- Bowdlerization:
- The FOX Merrie Melodies Show version of this short cut the part where Wentworth plays Cowboys and Indians and pretends to be shot and dying.
- The version of this cartoon shown on Nickelodeon's Looney Tunes on Nickelodeon cut the part where Wentworth cautiously tries to light a string of fireworks as Nickelodeon censors feared kids will imitate this dangerous act. It should be noted that that scene was left uncut until 1992 and the above scene that FOX edited was shown uncensored on Nickelodeon both before and after 1992.
- Bratty Half-Pint: Wentworth. He does everything from scalp Daffy during a game of "Cowboys And Indians" to dressing like a lit firecracker to fool Daffy. To make matters worse, his mother is either completely oblivious to or just doesn't care about her son's destructive behavior.
- Cowboys and Indians: Daffy is forced to play this with Wentworth, who takes his role too seriously. Daffy returns from the game with his scalp in his hand.
- Double Standard: Abuse, Female on Male: Up to eleven! The newlywed gives poor Daffy everything from a scarring kick in the butt to a violent beating for coming home drunk. Even the title card implies abuse. Not to mention they make clear she became a widow somehow. All Played for Laughs, if bleak ones.
- Exact Words: The widow threatens to "pluck every feather off Daffy's scrawny carcass" if he doesn't take Wentworth to the zoo. When Daffy finally bails on them, it's revealed that she's done just that.Daffy: No sir. No body is telling this little black duck what to do. *angrily storms off, revealing his naked carcass*
- Foreshadowing: This is one of the first cartoons to place Daffy in a "hapless loser" role, foreshadowing where Warner Brothers (especially Chuck Jones) would take him in later cartoons.
- Gold Digger: The widow's money is what seals the deal for Daffy deciding to marry her.
- Henpecked Husband: Daffy, big time! You really feel sorry for him with everything he goes through. Even if he was a Gold Digger!
- Jerkass: The widow works Daffy to the grind and shows zero sympathy or remorse even after Wentworth nearly kills him.
- Karma Houdini: Despite how abusive Wentworth and his mother are towards Daffy, they get no real come-uppance at the end. Granted, Daffy does bail on them, but they clearly aren't phased by that. And, even then, it's revealed that the widow has dished out one final piece of abuse towards him (see Exact Words above).
- Large and in Charge: The widow, who's both physically large and incredibly domineering.
- Large Ham: Daffy assumes a number of ridiculous poses in the shooting gallery scene.
- Oh, Crap!: Wentworth disguise himself as a large firecracker to scare Daffy. After he figures it out, Daffy finds the disguised Wentworth and puts him over his knee to spank him... when the real Wentworth passes by. Daffy slowly stops spanking as the relaization kicks in, and then BANG!
- Rolling Pin of Doom: The widow holds one in the title card.
- Rule of Three: At a shooting gallery, Daffy "plunks" the gallery's operator three times before getting the daylights punched out of him. Wentworth is, of course, behind the constant plunking.
- Saying Sound Effects Out Loud: At the shooting gallery, Wentworth keeps shooting BBs at the operator to make it seem as if Daffy is the one shooting him. On the third attempt, Daffy tries to give Wentworth away by saying "Bang! Ping!" to fake a shot, and when the operator gets shot anyway, Daffy points at Wentworth. The operator still punches Daffy.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: At the end of the cartoon, Daffy finally decides that he's had enough and leaves the widow and her son for good. Unfortunately for him, the widow decided to keep a few "souvenirs" (see Exact Words above).
- The Sociopath: Both the widow and her son, with all the shameless abuse they pile on Daffy. Not to mention, they show zero remorse even after Daffy bails on them at the end.
- Tempting Fate: When the widow threatens to slap Daffy's beak off his face, Daffy defiantly says "I'd like to see ya!" She then slaps the beak off his face.Daffy: I see ya.
- Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: The large and muscular widow is at least twice Daffy's size.
