. . . literal-minded viewers might scream at their screens as the end credits roll for one of the final Looney Tunes of the 1900s, THE NIGHT OF THE LIVING DUCK. When a clock falls from his comic book shelf, conking Daffy Duck on the noggin and transporting him to LA LA LAND, he has no trouble tracking down Frankenstein and his Bride, along with Dracula and HIS brides, not to mention The Mummy, The Fly, various Ghosts and Ghoulies, Smogzilla--even Alfred E. Neuman pops up here and there for 37 cents worth of Product Placement. But there's never a trace of George Romero's slow-moving Zombies, or even Rob's fast ones. Instead, cartoon fans are treated to the sonorous (or is it somnolent?) golden tones of a sleep-walking Mel Torme Sashing out (which I believe is the opposite of "belting out") some never-ending lyric about "Monsters Lead Such Interesting Lives." Surely this is a clear case of Daffy being saddled with at least one "Mel" too many!

I do agree it isn't as good as the Looney Tunes cartoons of the 40s-50s, as it isn't as witty or as clever, and it is perhaps too short at only 7 minutes. However, it is an interesting watch, with a good enough story. There is nothing hugely hilarious, but there are some amusing enough moments, due to some sharp dialogue especially. The animation is fine, the backgrounds are lovely and the colours are vibrant. And the music is wonderful, perhaps a recycling of Carl Stalling's work, but I didn't mind, as he was for me the best composer of the music of the Looney Tunes cartoons. The highlight however is Daffy singing "Monsters Lead Such Interesting Lives", the song is wonderfully sung by Mel Torme, who has a beautiful velvety voice. Daffy is great here and is excellently voiced by the wonderful Mel Blanc, and it was nice to see Dracula, Frankenstein's monster and the Wolfman. Overall, very good and interesting, if nothing hilarious. 8/10 Bethany Cox

So, Mel Blanc lent his voice to a cartoon short for the last time. It was an OK effort. Maybe not quite like their work from the '40s and '50s, but a colorful jab at classic horror flicks, as Daffy Duck dreams that he's performing for an audience of monsters...until he antagonizes Godzilla. And with another Mel (Torme, that is) doing the singing, how can you go wrong? All in all, "The Night of the Living Duck" was a worthy end for The Man of 1,000 Voices. And he left this life the very next year (he was actually the first famous person whose death I was aware of; I was only five years old, but I knew the names of Bugs Bunny's creators). You can luxuriate in Mel Blanc's voices and Carl Stalling's music (happy birthday, Carl!).

I've debated reviewing this one because I generally don't like to discuss significant details, instead preferring to go into atmosphere and general discussion. But this cartoon has one pint that I have to discuss directly, and since there is no plot outline, it can be considered a spoiler. You are forewarned. The cartoon is principally given over to Daffy as nightclub performer to an audience straight out of Universal, for the most part: Dracula, Frankenstein and others. Spraying his throat with Eau de Torme (yes, Mel Torme), Daffy, voiced by Torme, sings,"Monsters Lead Such Interesting Lives". An otherwise unremarkable cartoon is made noteworthy by the voice of the Velvet Fog! The idea still enchants me some twelve years later! It's also why I gave it a nine rather than the seven it would have had otherwise. Mel Torme, I salute you!