The Henpecked Duck
Encyclopedia
The Henpecked Duck is a Warner Bros.
cartoon released in theatres in 1941, directed by Bob Clampett
and featuring Daffy Duck
and Porky Pig
. The film is set in a court room, where Daffy tries to save his marriage after losing his wife's egg.
Porky asks her to relate to the court what happened. She explains that she had left Daffy in charge of keeping their egg warm while she visited her mother. Daffy grew bored, so he took the egg and performed a magic trick, causing the egg to disappear and then reappear. Impressed with himself, he tried the trick a second time but was unable to make the egg reappear. When Mrs. Duck returned home, he had replaced the egg with a door knob, hoping to fool her. She discovers this, and ends her story by shouting "I want a divorce!" thrice more, but this time, not in a blind rage, but extremely close to tears.
Daffy pleads for one more chance, and Porky grants his request. In tears, he tries the trick again, and the egg reappears, to the court's shock. The egg hatches and the Ducks reconcile their differences.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
cartoon released in theatres in 1941, directed by Bob Clampett
Bob Clampett
Robert Emerson "Bob" Clampett was an American animator, producer, director, and puppeteer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes animated series from Warner Bros., and the television shows Time for Beany and Beany and Cecil...
and featuring Daffy Duck
Daffy Duck
Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons, often running the gamut between being the best friend and sometimes arch-rival of Bugs Bunny...
and Porky Pig
Porky Pig
Porky Pig is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. He was the first character created by the studio to draw audiences based on his star power, and the animators created many critically acclaimed shorts using the fat little pig...
. The film is set in a court room, where Daffy tries to save his marriage after losing his wife's egg.
Plot
Porky Pig resides as judge over divorce proceedings at the "Court of Inhuman Relations." He calls the case of "Duck vs. Duck." Daffy and Mrs. Duck approach the judge's stand. Mrs. Duck shouts over and over: "I want a divorce!"Porky asks her to relate to the court what happened. She explains that she had left Daffy in charge of keeping their egg warm while she visited her mother. Daffy grew bored, so he took the egg and performed a magic trick, causing the egg to disappear and then reappear. Impressed with himself, he tried the trick a second time but was unable to make the egg reappear. When Mrs. Duck returned home, he had replaced the egg with a door knob, hoping to fool her. She discovers this, and ends her story by shouting "I want a divorce!" thrice more, but this time, not in a blind rage, but extremely close to tears.
Daffy pleads for one more chance, and Porky grants his request. In tears, he tries the trick again, and the egg reappears, to the court's shock. The egg hatches and the Ducks reconcile their differences.
Cultural references
- During the title card, The Wedding MarchWedding March (Mendelssohn)Felix Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" in C major, written in 1842, is one of the best known of the pieces from his suite of incidental music to Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream...
from the incidental musicIncidental musicIncidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the "film score" or "soundtrack"....
of Felix MendelssohnFelix MendelssohnJakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Barthóldy , use the form 'Mendelssohn' and not 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians gives ' Felix Mendelssohn' as the entry, with 'Mendelssohn' used in the body text...
's A Midsummer Night's DreamA Midsummer Night's DreamA Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
can be heard in the background score.