Elmer's the manager of a hotel and Daffy's the bellboy. A tired (and very large) businessman checks in and makes it very clear to Elmer that he needs his rest and if anyone disturbs him, Elmer will suffer the consequences. So Daffy spends the entirety of the short doing one thing after another that disturbs the poor man. Elmer gets the crap beat out of him repeatedly because of Daffy's actions. Fun Elmer & Daffy cartoon, with Daffy as annoying as possible. Several amusing gags and lines. Great voice work from Arthur Q. Bryan and Mel Blanc. Nice animation with lovely colors. The music is lively and whimsical. How much you'll like this probably depends on how much you like earlier Daffy when he was all about being wacky and zany.
10 Reviews
The thing that truly makes one an American . . .
oscaralbert30 March 2016
Warning: Spoilers
. . . is the susceptibility to be easily bamboozled. Non-Americans are particularly adept at hoodwinking the soft majority of U.S. citizens, who fancy themselves to be bleeding hearts, eager to turn the other ventricle. Aliens aggressively abuse the feckless fellowship of this ilk, who are eager to give them their last cookie, as well as their tot's final bottle of milk, and the key to the family safety deposit box WITHOUT even being asked! Elmer Fudd is the title character of A PEST IN THE HOUSE. As this Warner Bros. animated short opens, the narrator implicitly designates Daffy Duck as an unqualified Alien Hotel Hiree, signed on to save Upper Management a few bucks by not paying a living wage to a Genuine American Citizen. It's clear that Daffy actually is a Professional Disrupter--an Agitator out to sabotage the "Gland Hotel." This loud-mouth saboteur wages a Reign of Terror against one of the Gland's last few paying customers. Tortured to the end of his rope through sleep deprivation, this patron rightly punches out Daffy's mealy-mouthed enabler--Elmer Fudd--six times. Totally inept in his supervisor's role, Fudd deserves worse. Just before I played A PEST IN THE HOUSE, I heard Ted Cruz explain during CNN's Wisconsin "Town Hall Meeting" exactly WHY America cannot coddle such pests any longer. Warner just recognized the problem 69 years before Ted did.
Good help is hard to find . . .
tadpole-596-91825624 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
. . . A PEST IN THE HOUSE CONFIRMS. As America struggles out of Mass Death's icy clutches, an apparent majority of workers have decided to remain on the government dole rather than working for a living. This leaves our service economy in the hands of total goofballs, such as the title character of A PEST IN THE HOUSE. Said vermin is portrayed by Daffy Duck during this animated short. Pestilent Daffy plays the Bellhop from Hell, bent upon driving away paying customers while indulging his every least little whim. Warner Bros. Is eerily prescient in forecasting Real Life America in this our Modern 21st Century with A PEST IN THE HOUSE.
A really funny cartoon with Daffy in good ol' crazy mood
bob the moo1 February 2004
Back in the fifties, there was a labour shortage and firms were forced to hire whoever they could. It is for this reason that Daffy finds himself working as a bellhop for Elmer Fudd. When a guest arrives requiring peace and quiet to catch up on sleep but Elmer has to deal with the fact that Daffy is insane.
Being a massive Daffy fan, nothing saddens me more than to see his late 60's stuff (with the like of Speedy Gonzales), so to recover from one such cartoon I returned to this cartoon to find Daffy in suitably `crazy duck' mood. The plot here has a running gag where the guest returns to the front desk to punch Elmer; this works pretty well but it is the actions of Daffy that are the funniest bits of the film.
He is a great character, but he is at his best when he is crazy. His noisy actions are imaginative and hilarious throughout and he dominates the short. Both Fudd and the guest are good but they only really act as punctuation between Daffy's hilarity.
Overall this is proof, if proof was needed, that Daffy was never better than when he was crazy and off the wall. This short is a simple cartoon with a funny running gag but it is Daffy's craziness that makes it such fun to watch.
Being a massive Daffy fan, nothing saddens me more than to see his late 60's stuff (with the like of Speedy Gonzales), so to recover from one such cartoon I returned to this cartoon to find Daffy in suitably `crazy duck' mood. The plot here has a running gag where the guest returns to the front desk to punch Elmer; this works pretty well but it is the actions of Daffy that are the funniest bits of the film.
He is a great character, but he is at his best when he is crazy. His noisy actions are imaginative and hilarious throughout and he dominates the short. Both Fudd and the guest are good but they only really act as punctuation between Daffy's hilarity.
Overall this is proof, if proof was needed, that Daffy was never better than when he was crazy and off the wall. This short is a simple cartoon with a funny running gag but it is Daffy's craziness that makes it such fun to watch.
Hotel hell with Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd
TheLittleSongbird18 June 2016
Being a massive Daffy Duck fan and someone who likes Elmer very much, their chemistry while not as legendary as the one between Elmer and Bugs Bunny is always entertaining as well, 'A Pest in the House' is a real treat and one of their best and funniest.
The animation is beautifully done, Chuck Jones' style being unmistakable. It's very vibrantly and brightly coloured, there is plenty of rich detail in the background art and all three characters are well drawn especially Daffy.
While there may be some bias, seeing as he has as has been said many times always been my personal favourite of the regular Looney Tunes composers (an opinion that is shared by many), Carl Stalling's music is lively, lush, filled with high-voltage energy and character and once again he shows an unmatched ability to not just fit with but enhance the action.
'A Pest in the House' is never less than very funny, an absolute riot at its best. The dialogue has plenty of the looney wildness and razor sharp wit, while the gags are visually inventive and beautifully timed. The repeated gag has enough variety to stop it from being repetitive or tired too.
Daffy is hilarious here and demonstrates that he works much better when manic than when he is greedy. Sure, he is a jerk but in an enjoyable sense rather than an irritating one. One does feel sorry for poor Elmer, as he suffers as a result of being blamed for Daffy's antics, as well as the businessman in a situation that anybody staying in a hotel with noisy guests can relate to. The voice work from Arthur Q. Bryan and especially Mel Blanc is superb.
Overall, one of Daffy and Elmer's best and funniest. 10/10 Bethany Cox
The animation is beautifully done, Chuck Jones' style being unmistakable. It's very vibrantly and brightly coloured, there is plenty of rich detail in the background art and all three characters are well drawn especially Daffy.
While there may be some bias, seeing as he has as has been said many times always been my personal favourite of the regular Looney Tunes composers (an opinion that is shared by many), Carl Stalling's music is lively, lush, filled with high-voltage energy and character and once again he shows an unmatched ability to not just fit with but enhance the action.
'A Pest in the House' is never less than very funny, an absolute riot at its best. The dialogue has plenty of the looney wildness and razor sharp wit, while the gags are visually inventive and beautifully timed. The repeated gag has enough variety to stop it from being repetitive or tired too.
Daffy is hilarious here and demonstrates that he works much better when manic than when he is greedy. Sure, he is a jerk but in an enjoyable sense rather than an irritating one. One does feel sorry for poor Elmer, as he suffers as a result of being blamed for Daffy's antics, as well as the businessman in a situation that anybody staying in a hotel with noisy guests can relate to. The voice work from Arthur Q. Bryan and especially Mel Blanc is superb.
Overall, one of Daffy and Elmer's best and funniest. 10/10 Bethany Cox
A Pest in the House is another hilarious Daffy Duck cartoon
tavm30 November 2008
With this cartoon the second consecutive Daffy Duck one I've seen in which he's in his prime, I've now completely recovered from the mediocre one he made with Speedy in the '60s I watched before them. He's a bellhop who unwittingly (or maybe not) disturbs a man who just wants quiet while he sleeps but keeps hitting Elmer the manager as a result of the duck's shenanigans! And this guy's room number is 666! LOL! Hilarious from beginning to end, this Chuck Jones entry just kept me guffawing in due time. I especially loved hearing Mel Blanc's singing as both Daffy and a drunk in the next room when they're both warbling! A Pest in the House is well worth the time for anyone who loves classic Looney Tunes. P.S. How surreal was it to hear Arthur Q. Bryan as both Elmer and that man who threatens to "bust you right in the nose!"?
a labor shortage...
lee_eisenberg19 February 2007
At face value, "A Pest in the House" looks like the average wacky Looney Tunes cartoon, as bellboy Daffy Duck keeps awaking a sleepy guest who proceeds to punch clerk Elmer Fudd in the nose. But I notice something else. At the beginning, the narrator says that there was a labor shortage, so places would hire anyone...or anything (at which point we meet that famously loony member of the genus Anas*). This cartoon was released in 1947, the year of the Taft-Hartley Act. The Taft-Hartley Act cut off unions' power. Therefore, not only would a labor shortage have made sense, but one could say that they were hiring non-union labor in the form of Daffy Duck.
OK, I've gone irrevocably overboard in trying to analyze this cartoon. I'm sure that in reality, it was just intended as zany entertainment to get shown right before a feature film (and it is really funny). So check it out. And the next time that the phone rings, don't answer; it might be a fist (although in this age of text-messaging cell phones, we're probably safe).
*Anas is the genus to which ducks belong.
PS: the guest looks a little bit like Arthur Q. Bryan, who provided Elmer Fudd's voice. I don't know whether or not that was just a coincidence.
OK, I've gone irrevocably overboard in trying to analyze this cartoon. I'm sure that in reality, it was just intended as zany entertainment to get shown right before a feature film (and it is really funny). So check it out. And the next time that the phone rings, don't answer; it might be a fist (although in this age of text-messaging cell phones, we're probably safe).
*Anas is the genus to which ducks belong.
PS: the guest looks a little bit like Arthur Q. Bryan, who provided Elmer Fudd's voice. I don't know whether or not that was just a coincidence.
A series of funny gags with one repeating punch line
llltdesq22 January 2014
Warning: Spoilers
This is a particularly good Daffy and Elmer cartoon. There will be spoilers ahead:
This is a very funny short with a simple but effective premise. It sets up a basic situation where there is potential conflict and then introduces an irritant to exploit that potential for conflict in order to get laughs.
Much to Elmer's sorrow, there's one constant running gag, a punch line of sorts, all through this short and Daffy is the trigger with Elmer the unfortunate "beneficiary" of Daffy's misplaced enthusiasms. If I were the tired businessman, duck would be on the menu. But Daffy is like a kid brother. No matter what he does here, he always seems to get away with it, while you get grounded for a month because of what he did. Life isn't fair.
Would someone please send an ice bag, some aspirin and bandages to the front desk? This short is relatively easy to find, is on one of the Looney Tunes Platinum Collection sets (Blu-Ray/DVD) and is well worth watching. Most recommended.
This is a very funny short with a simple but effective premise. It sets up a basic situation where there is potential conflict and then introduces an irritant to exploit that potential for conflict in order to get laughs.
Much to Elmer's sorrow, there's one constant running gag, a punch line of sorts, all through this short and Daffy is the trigger with Elmer the unfortunate "beneficiary" of Daffy's misplaced enthusiasms. If I were the tired businessman, duck would be on the menu. But Daffy is like a kid brother. No matter what he does here, he always seems to get away with it, while you get grounded for a month because of what he did. Life isn't fair.
Would someone please send an ice bag, some aspirin and bandages to the front desk? This short is relatively easy to find, is on one of the Looney Tunes Platinum Collection sets (Blu-Ray/DVD) and is well worth watching. Most recommended.
No Sleep, No Justice
ccthemovieman-13 November 2007
Daffy the bellhop drives a customer batty. He's a big goon who only wants one thing: peace and quiet at the hotel so he can get some sleep. He tells the desk clerk (Elmer Fudd) that if he doesn't get it, he'll punch him in the nose.
"Likable chap, isn't he" asks Daffy to us, the audience. I guess that made it better to endure some guy, since he's pictured as a jerk, getting mentally tortured by our overzealous and crazy bellhop who makes life miserable for the man who wants "peace and quiet" a phrase Daffy uses six times in about 20 seconds. Yeah, this duck could drive anyone crazy! The guy's suite number is 666, too, which is an omen of things to come. Actually, Daffy is trying to help the guy. He's not nasty in here, just ignorant.
Daffy ruins the customer but poor Elmer pays the price. The gags in this one are so-so and our duck friend is so loud and obnoxious he was irritating. Justice was not served in the end, either.
"Likable chap, isn't he" asks Daffy to us, the audience. I guess that made it better to endure some guy, since he's pictured as a jerk, getting mentally tortured by our overzealous and crazy bellhop who makes life miserable for the man who wants "peace and quiet" a phrase Daffy uses six times in about 20 seconds. Yeah, this duck could drive anyone crazy! The guy's suite number is 666, too, which is an omen of things to come. Actually, Daffy is trying to help the guy. He's not nasty in here, just ignorant.
Daffy ruins the customer but poor Elmer pays the price. The gags in this one are so-so and our duck friend is so loud and obnoxious he was irritating. Justice was not served in the end, either.
Poor Elmer!
slymusic20 October 2008
Warning: Spoilers
"A Pest in the House", directed by Chuck Jones, is one of the funniest Daffy Duck cartoons ever made. Elmer Fudd is the manager of a hotel where Daffy is employed as a bellhop. A tired old heavyset businessman checks in and requests nothing but a peaceful, quiet sleep. Well, pal, you've got Daffy Duck on the premises, and you think you're going to get a good night's sleep?!
Two highlights: First, Daffy hears a joke that is so funny he has to wake the poor guy up and tell it to him! And second, Daffy attempts to silence an inebriated tenant next door singing "Nobody Knows How Dry I Am", but instead, Daffy is heard taking a big swig and then joining in the song.
With "A Pest in the House" like Daffy Duck, how could we not feel sorry for this poor old guy who just wants to GET SOME SLEEP?! It makes me wonder how many people can relate to this kind of situation. The frustrated look in that man's bloodshot eyes is all that is needed to convey his disappointment, and Elmer Fudd is the unfortunate recipient of punches to the face for Daffy's unintentional iniquities.
Two highlights: First, Daffy hears a joke that is so funny he has to wake the poor guy up and tell it to him! And second, Daffy attempts to silence an inebriated tenant next door singing "Nobody Knows How Dry I Am", but instead, Daffy is heard taking a big swig and then joining in the song.
With "A Pest in the House" like Daffy Duck, how could we not feel sorry for this poor old guy who just wants to GET SOME SLEEP?! It makes me wonder how many people can relate to this kind of situation. The frustrated look in that man's bloodshot eyes is all that is needed to convey his disappointment, and Elmer Fudd is the unfortunate recipient of punches to the face for Daffy's unintentional iniquities.
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