Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur (Clan of the Cave Duck)

 

Director(s): Chuck Jones (credited as “Charles Jones”)

Summary: A caveman who sounds like radio and TV comedian Jack Benny goes hunting for duck with his pet Brontosaurus, Fido.

Fun Facts:

1) This is Chuck Jones’ first Daffy Duck cartoon, though since this is the era of Chuck Jones being Disney-esque, it does suffer from being slow-paced and not as heavy with the jokes as what you get if this were a Tex Avery or Bob Clampett cartoon (coincidentally, Dave Monahan, who wrote this cartoon, worked with Tex Avery when he was employed at Termite Terrace). I think Letterboxd (whose reviews on classic Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts can be a bit harsh, though I mostly chalk that up to the writers completely missing the point) said it best here: 

“Largely dull earlier Daffy Duck cartoon that Daffy isn't even really in that much. It's most focused on a stupid caveman and his moron dinosaur…” 

There’s also this review, which…yeah, best to put that in a journal (an actual paper journal): 

“This one made me extremely sad as a child. Not sure why, it’s a rather sanguine affair. Possible that the implication of “billions and billions of years ago” sent my brain down a dark thought hallway. The idea that people used to live without McDonalds and television was really depressing to me as a kid, which is an unbelievably bleak thing to consider. People ask why this caveman and dinosaur didn’t come back in other shorts and I’m here to set the record straight. They died. “But Branson, why didn’t Daffy die, too?” Because he survived.”

Yeah. What the hell?

2) Though this is Chuck Jones’ first time with Daffy Duck, he’s already altering Daffy’s personality away from just being “the wacky duck.” It’s not the greedy, cowardly jerk Daffy just yet. It’s more “half-wacky, half-cunning,” especially during the climax with the overly-inflated duck.

3) There wouldn’t be another color cartoon starring Daffy Duck until 1942’s “Conrad the Sailor.”

The Channel(s): Cartoon Network and Boomerang (American feed only)

Part(s) Edited: About the most insignificant edit so far. The fade to black between the shot of the “For The Pause That Refreshes – Duck!” and the shot of the Jack Benny caveman and his brontosaurus, Fido, staring at the neon sign that reads, “Only 50 Ft. to the Duck” with an arrow pointing to the right was cut.

What Grinds My Gears About the Edit(s): EVERYTHING! There’s no reason this edit should exist, not even if it’s one of those “cut for time/pacing” edits. The jump in audio is obvious and there’s nothing offensive about a fade to black (unless it’s some kind of visual joke that ends in a stereotypical depiction of a black/African-American person). I haven’t been able to find a logical explanation of the cut from an outside source. If anyone out there knows why this was cut, please let me know.

Video Comparison: 

Availability Uncut: Fortunately for me (and you, the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies fan), this cartoon has been in the public domain since 1967, so it’s available on a lot of gray-market, unofficial home media releases (if you were a kid back when VCRs were around, you probably remember seeing this one a lot, alongside, “Yankee Doodle Daffy” [the one where Porky is a talent agent about to go on vacation, and Daffy holds him up by advertising a lollipop-licking child star as the next big thing in stage and screen], “Daffy – The Commando” [my first World War II cartoon, even though it wouldn’t be until sixth or seventh grade that I knew everything about it. It’s basically a less offensive, but still outdated and problematic version of “Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips.” In fact, “Daffy – The Commando” and “Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips” would make for a great WWII cartoon double feature], “Fresh Hare” [one of the four Bugs vs. Elmer cartoons where Elmer is fat to better match his voice actor, Arthur Q. Bryan. This one is to the Banned Bugs Bunny 12 what “Goin’ to Heaven on a Mule” is to The Censored Eleven: it’s not officially on there, but it does qualify because of the ending where Bugs, Elmer, and the Royal Canadian Mountie firing squad are in blackface. The main difference is that “Fresh Hare” did air on TV…with the ending censored, of course, before the short got phased out. Classic WB cartoon fans are still waiting for “Fresh Hare” to have an official DVD or Blu-ray release, uncut, uncensored, and digitally restored], and “The Wabbit Who Came to Supper” [another Fat Elmer cartoon; this is the one where Elmer has to keep Bugs as a pet due to an inheritance from a rich uncle]). If you want an official release of this short, then you can easily find “Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur” on:

• An Associated Artists Productions (a.a.p) Super 8 (year unknown, though assume it’s the 1970s or thereabouts)
• Viddy-Oh! For Kids Cartoon Festivals: Daffy Duck Cartoon Festival Featuring “Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur” (VHS, 1986)
• Cartoon Moviestars: Daffy Duck and Company (VHS, 1990)
• Golden Age of Looney Tunes (laser disc, 1992, volume 3, side 9: Porky and Daffy)
• Looney Tunes Golden Collection (DVD, 2005, third volume, disc four)
• Looney Tunes Collection All-Stars (DVD, 2006, volume 4 [Australia only])
• Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection (DVD, 2009, volume 7, disc 2)
• Looney Tunes Collection (DVD, 2018, volume 3 [Australia only])

Is/Was It on Streaming or Digital Download: If this short is everywhere on home media (both officially and unofficially) because of its public domain status, then it should be everywhere on streaming and digital download, right? Well, it is and it isn’t. While it’s very easy to find on YouTube, YouTube-style video sites, iTunes, and Tubi, you can’t find it on the Boomerang streaming app or HBO Max (f.k.a “Max”). They did used to have “Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur,” but Boomerang streaming ditched it in 2024, while HBO Max/Max ditched it in 2025.

‘Til next time, Stay Looney, and Be –

No, NO! Th-th-th-that’s not all, folks! Since this is a somewhat iconic short that a lot of people dismiss as boring because this was when Chuck Jones was trying to be Disney-esque, I wanted to tack on some bonus material. First, we have a compare and contrast of how the short was remastered from television to home media:

And here’s a list of Warner Bros. shorts that (at least in the United States) have fallen into the public domain due to not renewing the copyright in time or it never being copyrighted in the first place.

Now, we can Stay Looney and Be Merrie, ‘til next time.