"A Mountie Always Gets His Duck"

Starring Duckley Do-Right

Season 4 Episode 6 (episode 64 overall) 

Original broadcast date: 9th February 1993

Writer: Jimmy Hibbert
Additional voices: Marcel McElvenny/Chief/
                              Dmitri: Brian Trueman

                              Geoffrey/Sviatoslav

                              Anne-Marie/Scot(?): Jimmy Hibbert
                          
Travel location: Canadian Rockies

Castle transport visual used.

Joke credit: Tree Fellers - Mike, Joe and George

Duckula gets to be a mountie-for-a-day after helping a real mountie get his man back to Canada.

As I mentioned in other entries, this series drew much inspiration from many adventure stylings from older literature and movies, not just horror. Really helped give the show a vintage 'older than they seem' feel to it. This episode is a fun spoofing of those old Northern adventures like 'Renfrew of the Royal Mounted' or 'O'Malley of the Mounted.' In this instance, we have Geoffrey of the Mounted, a goofy-looking honest and true Canadian cop befriending our regular hero. 'Northerns' were sort of the Canadian equivalent to the arguably more well-known 'Westerns' and reached their peak in popular culture about the mid-1920s. Since we're now in the 2020s, I say we're about due for a revival!

We start off in the castle with Igor worried that the long-term lack of evil-doing has sent him round the twist. He believes he is hallucinating, which seems to be a recurring theme on this show. Milord shows his usual care and concern by laughing at the whole idea, although he does also say that it's nothing to worry about, in his caring but tactless way. Soon enough though, the figments of Igor's diseased imagination are back and Duckula is now convinced that they are in fact real and that he can see them as well. The figments in question and Geoffrey the mountie, his horse Jeffrey and a criminally-inclined lumberjack called Marcel McElvenny who makes the policeman's job a little easier by running straight into Nanny and knocking himself out. Nanny is also carrying a tray of snacks. This is what is known as a 'Chekhov's gun.'

Marcel McElvenny is a great comic creation. He's definitely evil, but the fact that Brian Trueman delivers all his lines, entirely in French, yet in a gruff Scottish accent just cracks me up because the two just seem so at odds with each other. Then again, a lot of Scots did emigrate to Canada, so I like to think that's exactly how they all speak! Also there's a café called "Marcel's" near me that always reminds me of this guy. When the dust settles, Igor is relived to discover he's not going bonkers whereas the Count gets a bit of a man-crush on Geoffrey. 

After a slightly frustrating bit where they try to get the policeman and the horse's name straightened out (Nanny makes it funny as usual), Duckula offers to take the crook and copper back to Canada via castle, on the proviso that he gets to be a mountie himself. Highly irregular I should think! Imagine all that red tape. Still, let him play at Canadian cops and robbers if he wants, it's his show after all and his castle. 

Before long said castle is snow-bound to the Rockies and Duckula is congratulated by the police chief outside headquarters who makes him a (presumably honorary) mountie. Duckula accepts this honour, but graciously refuses a vicious-looking horse names 'Killer.' I like his use of the word 'no' as if in slight protest.

Duckula: If it's no NO problem here, don't put yourself out, I guess I'll just have to wait until something smaller comes round well that's a pity but there you are.

Igor seems to have a particular aversion to Canada for some reason and doesn't leave the castle at all in this episode. It's possible he's had enough of the snow from prior experiences.

Duckula's first job is to guard the jailhouse where Marcel is residing. Simple enough for a new recruit, were it not for the fact that Nanny comes along and breaks the door. She only does this because Marcel insists that he wants 'le cocoa et chocky buckiez' that she brought for Duckula. A kind thought, but Duckula really shouldn't have allowed this and he also shouldn't have allowed himself to get distracted by the passing Geoffrey and his romantic song. The staging is unusually tight (with Nanny covering the broken doorway from view in the longshot as well) throughout this whole scene, which makes Marcel's offscreen escape funnier. He just can't take your eyes off him for a second; he really can't be trusted! Thankfully Igor can be trusted can't he? The loyal and faithful old retainer who's been through thick and thin with his disaster-prone master? No. Turns out Igor's taking the day off today and basically tells Duckula he's on his own this time. After 64 episodes, I suppose he's earned this! Duckyboos of the Mounted now has his work cut out for him recapture the escapee.

Duckula hasn't a clue what to do now and gets a verbal beating from Geoffrey when they met up again. Turns out Marcel's done a bit of a Snidely Whiplash on Geoffrey's girlfriend until he gets excused for his (unspoken) crimes. What a dastardly fiend! Luckily Anne-Marie's faithful dog and Lassie-wannabe, Scot is on-hand to relay a message to our heroes. Unluckily, for Marcel, Nanny is also on the trail, insisting that he have the cocoa and chocky bickies he expressed so strong a desire for. It never occurs to Nanny that he probably only said this so he could use the chance to escape from the jail. Just as well, because it's one of the funniest parts of the episode. Almost like Tex Avery's "North-West Hounded Police"(more mounties) in that she keeps randomly showing up to proffer the tray to Marcel who just wants to get on with his kidnap in peace.

Now cognisant of what's going on, the rescue party (Duckula, Geoffrey, Jeffrey and Scot) zoom off in hot pursuit across the cold tundra to rescue Anne-Marie. I love how the animal characters gradually act less and less like animals the further along the chase gets, culminating with them operating their own hand-cart just like Duckula and Geoff'! The big climax comes when Marcel decides he's had enough of using Anne-Marie as a hostage and does the old classic 'tie her to the railway line' bit. Now it's a race against time. Who will get to our heroine first - the heroes or the locomotive Canadian Express? Well, actually it's Nanny again, who spoils everyone's games by showing up right in front of the train and destoying it. It's cocoa and chocky bicky time again! Well after all that excitement, who could say no? Marcel could. He faints from the insanity of it all!

Back at the castle, Igor has happily missed out on all of this, but Duckula and chums have all made it back in time to have a big party. They reprise Geoffrey's song from earlier just as the clock strikes 'you've got to go home now' and Duckula screams in frustration at another bit of fun cut short.

The hammy chase and rescue part had me in tears as a child. Still does. I've always found that over-the-top mellerdrammer kind of stuff hilarious anyway but Duckula's protests and Nanny's dogged pursuit of Marcel, insisting on giving him the cocoa and chocky bickies just makes it twice as funny to me. I think this episode and the "Royal Canadian Kilted Yaksmen" episode of Ren & Stimpy kick-started my love of Canadian Mountie style mellerdrammer following with a couple of DePatie-Freleng's Inspector and Roland & Rattfink cartoons as well. It should come as no surprise that I discovered Dudley Do-Right many years later and cracked up over that too. Definitely one of my favourite Duckulas of the series. Maybe not as deep or typically horror-oriented as some of the others, but if a humorous cartoon show is making me laugh, then I feel it's doing what it's designed to do. Spanish animation is a little on the limited side at times, but there's enough cuts and zooms to get away with it. Solid drawing though and the action scenes in the second half make up for it. Some viewers may find Igor's lack of involvement a bit of a let-down, however if you take this as being the penultimate episode it's kind of fitting that after all this time, he's decided just to sit this one out for once! It was also snowing quite a bit here while I was preparing this review, appropriately enough, so setting foot outside was something I wasn't keen to do that often either.

 

Music 

Quite a few from the 'Silent Movies vol. 2' album (mostly) by Keith Charles Nichols. A lot of the links here will lead to that same album, but it pays to be a completionist!

"The Haunted Piano" (Frank Samuels, track 23) - Igor is worried.

"Vamp Til Ready" (Wally Asp) - Clock bats.

"Police Car Chase" (Jack Beaver) McElvenny has escaped!

"Silent Tears" (track 11, Keith Nichols) -  I guess it wasn't all your fault./Jerry's.

"Brave Jack" (track 9, Keith Nichols) - Scot the Wonder Dog!

"Fast and Furious" (track 4, Keith Nichols) - Title/Wait for me!

"Relentless Chase" (track 1, Keith Nichols) - Through the forest!

"Save The Heroine" (track 2, Keith Nichols) - Anne-Marie! I'm coming!

"Rescued" (track 3, Keith Nichols) - Cocoa and chockie bickies is served!

"Into The Sunset" (track 12, Johnny Pearson) - End.

Pans and Backgrounds

Lots of cold snow and warm wood tones. The fireplace room makes an appearance too. It's testament to good organisation that the stock backgrounds always fit with the rest of any given episode, regardless of which department (English or Spanish) produced the artwork. In a nice attention to detail there's snow on the castle after it's been in Canada for a while and the sky changes too. A few zooms but not many pans. The colouring reminds me of "Deadeye Duck", especially the interiors.

This is the reason I don't wear pants Geoff'.

Trivia

• Another (and the final) episode with the word 'duck' in its title. It is a play on the phrase "A Mountie Always Gets His Man" although the official slogan of the RCMP is "Maintain The Right." The clock bats' awful joke is also a pun on the popular phrase. 
• Episode does not open with a scream, but ends on Duckula's. Marcel's cries for help do come near the start though.
• Opens and closes in Transylvania.
• Igor requests he 'take the rest of the decade off.' Given this episode carries the 1989 copyright date, that's not very long! But then again, it was released on tape in 1990 and broadcast on ITV in 1993.
• 2nd character Brian Trueman voices whose name starts with a Mc or a Mac. The first was Rory McDuckula. The DVD subtitles spell his name MacAlvennie. Unsure which is correct.
• Marcel's dialogue is entirely in French but with a thick Scottish accent. Among his lines are "I'm marmalise you for that Geoffrey!" and "I spit on Geoffrey's name!" The DVD subtitles make a wee error when Duckula mocks Marcel by including the French word 'quelques' (a few). 
  
• Geoffrey is one of two Jimmy Hibbert characters to ride a horse, the other being Nasty Colin from "Deadeye Duck." He's also one of the few characters in the series whom Duckula can call a good friend. They do fall out briefly, but it's quickly patched up.
• Geoffrey's horse, Jeffrey looks a lot like him, right down the the glasses!
• 
  Jimmy Hibbert uses a similar voice for Geoffrey as he later would for the Mayor of Metro City on "Fantomcat." They also look similar. I mainly noticed this because I had both series on the same VHS at one point.
• Last time the castle travels and last appearance of the magic coffin, the clock and Dmitri and
  Sviatoslav.
• Second time the castle travels to Canada, the first being "Ghostly Gold."
• Rare episode that has Duckula not wearing his regular suit for most of the duration. He also dons gauntlet gloves about halfway through but takes them off for the train sequence.
• Only episode that has an original song in it, unless you count Nanny's singing when cleaning and dusting or Goosewing's Wagner worshipping. The song is done twice.
• Song lyrics: "O a Mountie in love is a man with a heart as big as the hat on his head! 
                      And after he's gone out and gotten his man, he can go get his woman instead!
                      Sing HEY for the life of a Mountie and Canada land of the free!
                 And a Mountie in love who's called Geoffrey and his sweetheart is called Anne-Marie!"
• Geoffrey threatens Duckula with duck soup and duck a l'orange. Are the RCMP all cannibals or racists then? (yes it's a cartoon and just a silly threat).
  
• Geoffrey translates that the villain and heroine went 'that way' but he doesn't point, which actually makes it funnier. Like it's the name of a direction as in the old cliché 'they went that-a-way.'
• The dog shares his name with Scot from "Igor's Busy Day." He also barks like Wolfie from "There Are Werewolves At The Bottom Of Our Garden." I can't be certain, but I think it's Jimmy Hibbert making the barks. Brian Trueman voiced a small yappy dog in "Woof and Tumble" (Victor & Hugo) and it's a distinctly different noise. Pretty sure Jimmy gives the shout of "TIMBER!" as well.
  
• Second time Duckula falls down a waterfall in a boat. First was in "Blood Sucking Fruit Bats of the Lower Amazon."
• Duckula and Geoffrey operate a handcart. Another Hibbert/Jason duo would do the same in the V&H book "Fu Man's Choo Choo."
  
• Nanny uses the phrase 'no use crying over spilled milk' which was used by Auntie (also Brian Trueman) in "A Family Reunion" only about blood.
• Igor is seen sitting in the chair in the fireplace room and he mentions 'Dawn. Eastern Transylvanian Standard time' again.
• This episode was released on VHS along with "00 Duck" and "Manhattan Duck" in 1990, about two and a half years before its ITV broadcast!
• Ruby Wax is credited in this episode, but does not actually appear. I suspect she was meant to voice Anne-Marie, but was unavailable, meaning Jimmy Hibbert filled in. This is in direct contrast to "Castle Duckula: Open to the Public" in which she does appear, but is not credited.
• The joke credit is a pun on 'three fellows' when said in an Irish accent.
• The RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Pedicurists) feature in "Bigfoot Falls" (Danger Mouse).
  
  
  Goofs and Nitpicks
• Marcel's beak is miscoloured in a group shot near the beginning and again when Nanny approaches the jailhouse. Both pretty odd given that they otherwise look like the exact same drawings.
• Chief's moustache disappears for a single frame.
• Igor's inner cuff briefly coloured as his hand while he's in the chair.