"How jolly can you get?"
"Robin Hood Daffy" is a 1958 Looney Tunes Animated Short starring Daffy Duck which, as the title implies, casts the acerbic-but-always-lovable fowl in the role of the legendary bandit Robin Hood. The plot involves Daffy's inevitably inept attempts to prove his identity to an aloof friar (played by Porky Pig), by stealing a bag of gold from a wealthy traveller.
Not to be confused with another Looney Tunes short "Rabbit Hood" (1949), which stars Bugs Bunny, also directed for Warner Bros. by the legendary Chuck Jones. This is notable as the last Daffy Duck solo cartoon he directed for the original Warner Bros. studio.
"TROPES! And awaaaaaayyyyyy!"
- Actually, I Am Him:Daffy: Look no further, good friar, for I am he whomst thou seekest! I am Robin Hood!
Porky: C-C-C-Cut it out, now, I-I-I'm serious. If you don't know where he is, just say so.
Daffy: But honest and truly, I am Robin Hood! [runs smack into a tree]
Porky: Yeah. Suuuuuuure you are. - Amusing Injuries: Daffy crashing into the trees and rock, taking a staff to the beak, falling in water, being flattened by a drawbridge.
- Aside Glance: Porky gives an annoyed glance to the side when Daffy's stunt of repeatedly slamming into a tree while swinging through the forest has gotten too drawn-out.
- Butt-Monkey: Exaggerated with Daffy!
- Calling Your Attacks: "Ho! Ha ha! Guard! Turn! Parry! Dodge! Spin! Ha! THRUST!
" (Beak Snap!)Daffy: Hmm, let's see now. Something amiss here... Hmph... I'll run through it. Ho, Ha ha, Guard, Turn, Parry, Dodge, Spin, Ha, Thrust! (Beak Snap!) Got it! (unsnaps beak) Now, then... Ho! Ha ha! Guard! Turn! Parry! Dodge! Spin! (Porky takes a stick to Daffy's quarterstaff to make him spin and fall in the water.) - Carry a Big Stick: Daffy's trusty quarterstaff.
- Contagious Laughter: Daffy doesn't like Porky laughing at him, but eventually even he has to admit it's Actually Pretty Funny. At least until Porky climbs into his arms during their mutual giggle fit.Daffy: Oh, knock it off. How jolly can ya get?
- Deadpan Snarker: Both Daffy and Porky, really. Just look at this exchange:
- Friar Porky, after one of Daffy's failed attempts to steal the gold.Oh, I don't know how I ever could have doubted you; shall we spend the gold all in one place?
- Daffy. This is his response to Porky's line:Ho ho, very funny. Ha ha. It is to laugh.
- Friar Porky, after one of Daffy's failed attempts to steal the gold.
- Did Not Think This Through: As a last resort, Daffy stands in front of a drawbridge to stop it from lowering. Big mistake.
- Failed a Spot Check: There are quite a few of the "Wanted!" Poster for Daffy in the forest, and yet Porky somehow manages to miss them all, as evidenced by his lack of any signs of recognition upon his initial meeting with Daffy.
- Failure Is the Only Option: It's Daffy Duck. This is not a spoiler, people.
- Hope Spot: One attempt has Daffy try to swing down and swipe the traveller's gold only to be foiled by several trees. Daffy cuts the trees down, then swings away with a triumphant look only to splat against a rock.
- Huge Rider, Tiny Mount: The wealthy traveller and his teeny tiny donkey.
- "I Am" Song: Daffy's little ditty that opens the cartoon.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: Daffy in the last scene.Never mind joining me, I'll join you. Shake hands with Friar Duck.
- Musicalis Interruptus: Daffy does this to himself by mistake during his intro song, while he sings about "tripping along merrily", he manages to trip down a slope and into a pond, interrupting his song. He manages to finish the line once he pops back up out of the water.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Daffy tries to kill the traveller with a giant spear. Not only does he miss, the spear actually helps the traveller by forming a bridge over a gully in his path.
- Not Helping Your Case: Failing miserably to stop the traveller only convinces Porky that he isn't Robin Hood.Porky: I'm sorry, but I can't join you. I'm convinced you're just not Robin Hood.
Daffy: Never mind joining me, I'll join you. Shake hands with Friar Duck. - Overly Long Gag: Yoiks... and away! *CRASH* Repeat.
- Road Runner vs. Coyote: Daffy and the traveller. Humorously, the traveller never seems to be aware of Daffy's exploits nor even his presence.
- Robin Hoodlum: Daffy makes for a REALLY sucky Robin Hood.
- Rule of Three: Daffy's beak. (It becomes "four" if you count the first time when he smacks himself in the face, but the beak snaps up three times on its own.
- Running Gag: The aforementioned upsnapping beak.
- Shadow of Impending Doom: As the boulder Daffy tied the rope to falls towards him.Porky: I'm s-s-sorry, clown. I-I enjoy your hijinks, but I-I r-r-really mustn't tarry longer.
Daffy: Oh, no...
* WHAM!*
(Porky walks away)note - Splitting the Arrow: The opening credits have an arrow flying into the centre of a target, followed by a series of arrows each flying into the end of the one before it. The camera pulls back to reveal that Daffy is firing each arrow from less than an inch away.
- Squashed Flat: Daffy when he stands in front of a drawbridge. After it is raised back, he rolls up like a window shade.
- Swapped Roles: The two characters have more or less come full reverse from how they originally started, here Porky is the cheerful heckler to Daffy acting as the frustrated Butt-Monkey.
- "Wanted!" Poster: Daffy has several of them at the beginning. Somehow Porky missed all of them and fails to recognize Robin Hood.
- Watch Out for That Tree!:
- Daffy swings alongside Porky while trying to convince Porky he really IS Robin Hood, only to slam back-first into a tree.
- Daffy, in his first attempt to prove to Porky that he really IS Robin Hood, tries to fire an arrow, only to somehow end up launching himself instead of the arrow... with his body missing the traveler and planting himself into a tree ahead. The next scene where he and Porky talk to each other shows him somehow managing to uproot the tree while his body is still lodged in it.
- While trying to dramatically swing through the forest, Daffy seems to hit every tree in the way.Daffy: "Yoiks... and away!" *CRASH* "Yoiks... and... away!" *CRASH* "Yoeeks...and...uhhwaaay" *CRASH*
- Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe: Daffy slips into this when announcing "I am he for whomst thou seekest".
