A Pest in the House

Infobox Hollywood cartoon
cartoon_name = A Pest in the House
series = Looney Tunes/Daffy Duck


caption =
director = Chuck Jones
story_artist = Tedd Pierce
Michael Maltese
animator = Lloyd Vaughan
Basil Davidovich
Ben Washam
voice_actor = Mel Blanc
Arthur Q. Bryan (uncredited)
musician = Carl Stalling
producer = Edward Selzer
distributor = Warner Bros. Pictures
release_date = August 2, 1947 (USA)
color_process = Technicolor
runtime = 7 min (one reel)
movie_language = English
imdb_id = 0039700

"A Pest in the House" is a 1947 cartoon directed by Chuck Jones starring Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd. The title is an appropriate play on "a "guest" in the house." Voices are performed by Mel Blanc and Arthur Q. Bryan.

The film is notable for featuring a sort of "in-between" interpretation of Daffy. He is not necessarily the zany, impish interpretation used famously by Tex Avery and Bob Clampett, nor is he the greedy, self-centered version that Chuck Jones later popularized in the 1950s. As Paul Dini said in the DVD audio commentary for this cartoon: " [In this cartoon, Daffy] is really kind of almost like a sprite. He's just a little, almost elfin creature who's not really out to hurt anybody or has any ill will or malice toward anybody. He's just completely out of his mind." [Paul Dini. " A Pest in the House" - DVD audio commentary - "".]

ynopsis

The cartoon starts with a brief narration (voiced by Blanc) describing a labor shortage that compels employers to hire "anybody or any"thing". Daffy (also voiced by Blanc) is a hotel bellboy and Elmer (voiced by Bryan) is the manager. A man (voiced by Bryan, in his natural voice) demands peace and quiet... and threatens violence against Elmer if disturbed. Daffy, in a Jerry Colonna-like, sarcastic aside to the audience, remarks: "Likable chap, "is"n't he!" Daffy does many stunts that keep the man awake. Every time he is awakened again, the increasingly-irritated man trudges to Elmer's station, to the tune of "Pop Goes the Weasel", and at the moment where the song would say "pop", he busts Elmer in the face... even when Elmer switches places with Daffy in an effort to fool the man. Daffy concludes the cartoon with another Jerry Colonna-like aside: "Noisy" little character, "is"n't he!"

Cast

Mel Blanc as "Daffy Duck"

Arthur Q. Bryan as "Elmer Fudd", "The Tired Businessman"

Censorship

*The version that aired on Kids' WB! edited out the part where the man is kept awake by a drunk man in the next room singing "How Dry I Am" and Daffy tells the man that he'll "muzzle that inebriated canary" only to drink up with the drunk man and sing along in harmony.

References

See also

*Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography (1940-1949)

External links

*imdb title|0039700