Western Cliche Time

Directors of Westerns found different ways to set up shots of scenes leading up to the climax gun battle. In their hunt to avoid clichés, they created clichés. Director Chuck Jones, layout artist Phil De Guard and writer Mike Maltese got a chance to make fun of them in Drip-Along Daffy. It was released in 1951, a year before High Noon.

Here are the angles they came up with.



Maltese’s story has “comic relief” Porky Pig undermining the whole thing. He casually winds up a little toy that blasts, and disposes of, bad guy Nasty Canasta.

All Daffy Duck knows he is a Western hero and steadfastly continues to behave like one, walking with his guns toward a shootout that will, now, not happen, as a crowd rushes past him to mob Porky. Carl Stalling plays one of his stand-bys, “Cheyenne,” on the soundtrack.

Backgrounds are by Bob Gribbroek.