Rocket Squad (1956) User Reviews (9)

The Visuals Are The Fun Part Of This Cartoon

[ccthemovieman-1 · 8/10 · 9 June 2007]

This takeoff on both Dragnet and Sci-Fi space stories is just incredibly fun to watch. Daffy Duck is "Monday" and his partner Porky is "Tuesday." ("He always follows me," explains Daffy.) They are space cops. We then get the old "Dragnet" Joe Friday narration of a case from the long-standing successful cop TV program. The more you know those old Dragnet shows, the more you'll laugh at this parody, even down to Porky's hat which was an exact replica of the one Ben Alexander wore on the show as Jack Webb's sidekick. As someone pointed out, the title is a reference to an older show called "Racket Squad" but this cartoon is strictly a takeoff on Dragnet.

The attraction of this cartoon is not the story but the drawings, the artists depictions of the future. They are both spectacular and full of humor. Check out all the signs on all the wild space stations, making fun of drive-in restaurants to space farms to police stations....you name it. (i.e. Notice the names of the most-wanted criminals on the typewriter keys.) There is a lot to see in this cartoon. These writers had some imagination!

It is highly recommend and can be seen on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Three.

A great takeoff on Dragnet

[llltdesq · 8/10 · 16 November 2000]

This cartoon is a takeoff on the old radio/television show Dragnet. It's one of the better teamings of Porky and Daffy. Pay attention to the dialogue and the character names. Dragnet fans will either love or hate it, but I think it's very funny and well worth watching. Daffy is as insufferable as usual and Porky more than holds his own.

This lesser known Chuck Jones genre spoof has a great script and an opportunity for Porky and Daffy to play straight

[phantom_tollbooth · 8/10 · 4 November 2008]

Chuck Jones's 'Rocket Squad' is a gag-filled spoof of 'Dragnet' and the more obscure police drama 'Racket Squad'. Of all the genre spoofs starring Porky and Daffy that Jones directed, 'Rocket Squad' is probably the least well known. This may be due to its more limited look and its almost spot-gag style which doesn't allow the cartoon to build up the same head of steam as, say, 'Robin Hood Daffy' or 'Duck Dodgers in the 24th ½ Century'. Speaking of which, long time cartoon fans will recognise several reused backgrounds and idea from 'Duck Dodgers…', which adds to the air of cheapness that pervades 'Rocket Squad'. Despite not being as sumptuous or energetic as it predecessors, 'Rocket Squad' is still an excellent cartoon for many reasons. For one, it has a cracking script by Tedd Pierce filled with tons of great one liners ("My names Monday, my partner's name is Tuesday. He always follows me") and an unusual opportunity for the lead characters to play the material entirely straight. Aping their 'Dragnet' counterparts, Porky and Daffy maintain hilarious deadpan expressions throughout and Daffy's ongoing narration is accordingly monotone and emotionless. While it will never be as highly respected or well-loved as Jones's other genre spoofs, 'Rocket Squad' is still well worth seeing just for the fact that it is a very funny cartoon which takes something of a different approach which pays off in spades.

Just the future, ma'am.

[lee_eisenberg · 10/10 · 17 February 2007]

More than any other Looney Tunes cartoon, "Rocket Squad" proves - in my opinion, at least - that they didn't have to do much to be hilarious. In this case, the setting is the space age (in fact, pretty much the same setting as "Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century") and humans now populate the entire universe. The men in charge of law enforcement are Sgt. Joe Friday (Daffy Duck) and his sidekick Sgt. Shmoe Monday (Porky Pig). Even though Friday never gets the time right, he always springs into action when called upon to stop crime. In fact, it's really easy, as the transport machine is labeled "Scene of the Crime". Having collected the evidence, they set out to find the perpetrator. Only there's a twist at the end.

Aside from the simple "Dragnet" spoof, it's just a riot how this cartoon offers a new gag every minute. Aside from the transporter, there's the no-parking sign, the chief on the TV, and the ubiquitous in-joke: the names of criminals features John Burton, Tedd Pierce, C.M. Jones, Mel Blanc and Eddie Selzer. No matter how irreverent they get, you can't assume that it's the limit.

I should identify that Daffy and Porky aren't their usual wacky selves here. In fact, they mostly stare and talk softly. Of course, since they're spoofing "Dragnet", they have to imitate it. And maybe the creators did sort of rip off "Duck Dodgers..." with the backgrounds, but that's no crime. This cartoon is a laugh riot the whole way through. I'm sure that the creators must have had a great time making it.

"Duck Dragnet in the 24th ½ Century!"

[bob the moo · 26 March 2004]

In the future, the world has spread over the universe and everyone travels in spaceships in a technology filled world. However one thing hasn't changed - crime still exists and we still need law enforcement officers to stop it; that's where Sgt Joe Monday and his partner Detective Shmoe Tuesday come in. When a bank is robbed, the two are dispatched to solve the crime.

When writing a cartoon it is often a spoof that is used as the basis - be it Robin Hood, films of the period, genres etc; however this must rank as one of the most unlikely combination of spoofs I have seen in ages! This cartoon takes Dragnet and sets it in the future of Duck Dodgers (even using some of the animation and backgrounds from that cartoon). Despite this weird combination, it works pretty well - mainly the deadpan delivery of the Dragnet spoof though. The juxtaposition of the two genres is very smart and each makes the other seem even more fanciful. Some good running gags help cover the material that isn't quite as smart.

Daffy and Porky are not really the characters I love in this cartoon but they are great in their roles. Having seen this I wondered if there were other shorts where they played the Dragnet characters because here they are very funny with it. Supporting cops and criminals are basic American Irish stereotypes of the day and do what they are there to do. The ending is amusing and is unintentionally a pretty accurate prediction of the PC state of the law these days!

Overall this cartoon has elements that aren't funny and don't really work; and if you were being cynical then it is probably a bit lazy just to steal backgrounds from the Duck Dodgers cartoon but the spoofing of Dragnet in a futuristic situation creates quite a few gags. Very enjoyable but now I want to see Daffy & Porky in a Dragnet spoof set in the 50's without the sci-fi twist.

Beautiful visuals really elevated this Looney Tunes cartoon

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 20 May 2010]

I was really surprised at how much I loved Rocket Squad. I love Looney Tunes and I love Daffy Duck, and I loved this. Why? Well for starters the art work is absolutely fantastic here, the colours, the rockets, the sceneries and backgrounds are top notch throughout, with some truly delightful visual ideas(ie. tubes for stairs). The music is lovely as well, and the dialogue is wonderful in a deadpan sort of way. You can argue that the supporting characters are rather stereotyped, yes they are in a sense, but I was enjoying myself too much to really care. Daffy, in manic and cynical mode is on top form, and while Porky is merely a side character he does well with what he has. Once again, the one and only Mel Blanc does a stellar job with the voices. Overall, visually imaginative and funny cartoon. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Actually, it's based on another show

[dave_silverman · 7/10 · 23 April 2005]

"Rocket Squad" is not entirely based on "Dragnet," but rather an obscure early television show entitled "Racket Squad," which had appeared in 1950. Of course, by 1954, without VCRs or reruns, the show was probably forgotten, and "Dragnet" was on TV and still on radio (another fact lost on audiences today is that shows that made the transition from radio to TV were produced in tandem for years!). On the surface, then, it's easy to see that the cartoon mimics "Dragnet" more so than "Racket Squad," but it's a parody of almost any straight-laced cop show of the day. Look closely and you'll see some familiar names on the computer's keyboard. Dr. David S. Silverman, Media Historian

ROCKET SQUAD is another in Warner Bros. continuing effort . . .

[oscaralbert · 7/10 · 20 August 2016]

. . . to Champion the Rights of the Transgendered. George "Mother" Machree is the focal point of SQUAD, as Mel Blanc reprises the silent movie role in which John "The Duck" Wayne created the tragic post-cutting Mother Machree character in the first version of this tale. Brandon Teena may have given Doby his sock, but when Marion Mitchell Morrison (as Wayne was known in his Machree Days) tried to anticipate Brando's total immersion holistic acting approach, the school dropout unfortunately mistook the term "Penectomy" for what we of the 21st Century would call a Brazilian Wax Job. Peeved at his untimely transformation from being a "Stand-up Guy" to Sir-Sits-with-the-Ladies, The Duck developed his distinctively androgynous trademark waddle and the infamous Chip-on-the-Shoulder, both on-the-screen and in Real Life. (At least Wayne did not found a counterpart to John Irving's Ellen James Society from THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP, since it's virtually certain Wayne's pal Ward Bond would have become a charter member of such a Buns Without Weenies group!) The Duck's Real Life deprivation was a cock and bull story Warner could not resist Looney Tuning. Though the squeamish MPAA American censors cut out all the graphic parts here is SQUAD, Porky Pig and Daffy Duck still get sentenced to 30 years each in the slammer for messing with Machree's missing member.

"I'm a space cop. My name's Monday. My partner's name is Tuesday."

[slymusic · 7 August 2009]

"Rocket Squad" is a very clever and very funny Daffy/Porky cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. Fueled by a lot of highly creative minds at Warner Bros., this film makes a wonderful spoof out of popular 1950s detective television shows, combined with lots of futuristic interplanetary sci-fi designs. Daffy's famous lisp is a hilarious parody for monotone voice-over narration, coupled with Porky's funny interjections.

My personal favorite sequences from "Rocket Squad": Listen to Milt Franklyn's fine music score as our heroes' spaceship makes an "umbrella/shoes" landing and then as the two buffoons speedily walk towards headquarters. I also love the player piano univac gag (can you tell I'm a musician?) and then the troublesome file cabinet gag (which reminds me of the Stooges).

Contemporary animator Paul Dini offers a very insightful audio commentary for the DVD version of "Rocket Squad" (found on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 3 Disc 3). This cartoon is a true masterpiece of television parody.