"It's the feather brush man!"

[Matthew Hunter]

I forget which cartoon it's in, but Daffy Duck says "It's the feather brush man!" I don't know why I thought of it just now, but I do wonder what that means?

[Brandon Panther]

It's from Duck Soup to Nuts, directed by Friz Freleng.

[gdX]

Dunno if Daffy is saying "feather"... he might be saying "feller", a takeoff on Fuller.

Hard to imagine now, but salesmen used to work door-to-door at private residences selling all sorts of stuff, including housecleaning brushes.

Foremost among them was Fuller Brushes... they still exist: http://www.fuller.com/About.asp

:daffy:

[Paul Penna]

More particularly, "It's the Fuller brush man!" was a catchphrase everybody in the audience would have been familiar with, and therefore would have chuckled at the take-off. Sort of like "Avon calling!" Cripes, come to think of it, how many people today remember that one?

[nickramer]

That phrase was also heard in the 1940's re-issued print of "The Three Little Pigs" (1933).

[Fibber Fox]

More particularly, "It's the Fuller brush man!" was a catchphrase everybody in the audience would have been familiar with, and therefore would have chuckled at the take-off.

Didn't Red Skelton play one in a movie?

F. Fox

[FleischerFan]

Didn't Red Skelton play one in a movie?

F. FoxYes.

And Jack Carson starred in a similar picture called The Good Humor Man (which prominently featured the comic book hero Captain Marvel and was written by noted Looney Tunes director Frank Tashlin).

Come to think of it - the ice cream man (which is what Good Humor sold) is one of the only kind of those salespeople still with us.

[LooneyFan]

Don't forget the cartoon is on the third disc of the second volume! :)

Like most people on this forum, perhaps all people on this forum, I love to qoute certain sayings when talking to people. With this one, I always say "feller"

[janiepooh34]

I just read a story the other day about a 91 year old Fuller Brush Man that has his kid drive him around now.

http://www.startribune.com/nation/41631697.html

[Glowworm]

Even though I never fully understood the gag-although I did know at least that Daffy was pretending to be a brush salesman(never got until now the Fuller part) I always got a laugh out of it. I mean it's totally unexpected-Porky goes hunting for Daffy underwater with a Deepsea diving helmet-which is hillarious to begin with-but for Daffy to just calmly go up to Porky like that (I love his expression and the way he says that line) is funny as heck. Not to mention that Porky actually opens the "door" for him!:D

[guy incognito]

Didn't Red Skelton play one in a movie?


Yep. There was also a sequel starring Lucille Ball (and featuring Mel Blanc voicing a couple of talking parrots). And Frank Tashlin wrote the screenplays for both!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040379/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042488/

[Fibber Fox]

Yes.

Come to think of it - the ice cream man (which is what Good Humor sold) is one of the only kind of those salespeople still with us.

Thanks, F.F. and Guy. My memory isn't as bad as I thought it was.

What does it say about society when people won't go door-to-door any more?

And Jack Carson starred in a similar picture called The Good Humor Man

He didn't use call his customers "monkey-face" or "slant-eyes", I hope.

F. Fox

[Steve Siegert]

Thanks, F.F. My memory isn't as bad as I thought it was.

What does it say about society when people won't go door-to-door any more?

F. Fox

I guess it means that people are too discouraged at how uneffective it really is to sell door-to-door?

[gdX]

Who in their right mind would welcome an unannounced salesman at home?

[AndrewGilmore]

"Looks like there's nobody to home, I hope I hope I hope I hope I hope...";)

[larriva9/11]

These days, I suppose door-to-door is identified more with canvassers for organizations like Jehovah's Witnesses and Greenpeace...