Nasty Canasta

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Nasty Canasta is a character in the Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes series who made appearances in three cartoons. Created by animator Chuck Jones, Canasta is depicted as a tough, hulking and brutish-looking outlaw. He was originally voiced by John T. Smith, then Mel Blanc took the role.

[edit] Drip-Along Daffy (1951)

Daffy Duck is about to take a drink at the bar when Nasty Canasta walks in past his 'Wanted' poster (which states "$5,000,000 REWARD (DEAD)"). Daffy tries to intimidate Canasta with his gun, but Canasta just bites off most of the gun and swallows it ("Hmm. Probably didn't have his iron today!"). Canasta then intimidates Daffy with a drink made of various poisons and toxic materials (so 'hot', when two ice cubes are put in, the ice cubes jump out, yelping). Canasta downs the drink with no side effects (other than his hat flipping), and when Daffy gets Porky to take the drink with seemingly no side-effects, Daffy downs his as well. A few seconds later, Daffy and Porky exhibit wild side effects, turning green and acting like they're both motorized. Eventually, Daffy challenges Canasta to a showdown in the street. Daffy and Canasta start walking towards each other, the street deserted, when Porky winds up a small British soldier doll and lets it go towards Canasta. Canasta picks up the doll, chucking, until the doll points its gun at Canasta and fires, sending Canasta to the ground. The townspeople come out cheering, and Daffy assumes that they are cheering for him, but Porky is the hero of the hour. The next day, Daffy is shown wearing a sanitation worker's uniform and pushing a dumpster, and comments about how he has cleaned up the 'one-horse town'. Porky, now the town sheriff, comments 'Lucky for him it is a one horse town.'

[edit] My Little Duckaroo (1954)

Canasta Returns in My Little Duckaroo. When we first see Nasty Canasta he is sitting peacefully at a table playing cards. Upon proclaiming himself the Masked Avenger, Daffy fails to grab the attention of Canasta (stating "Didn't you hear me, I said I was the Masked Avenger. Look, see my mask? It's a very nice mask."), who still sits peacefully at his table dealing cards. Daffy then vies for the attention of Canasta, leaving the scene and returning first as the whip-wielding (and stereotypically Mexican) "Frisco Kid", then in a suit reminiscent of Superman's as "Superguy." Again failing to grab his attention, Daffy suggests other identities he could take, names parodying heroes of the time ("Captain Hideo? The Green Fathom? Mark of Zero?"), but none interest Canasta. He finally grabs the attention of Canasta after offering a helpful suggestion to his card game ("Say, why don't you play your red jack on the black queen?"). Challenged to play cards, Daffy departs and returns in new cowboy garb (but sans mask), confident of victory. What follows is the humiliation of Daffy again and again through different gags and challenges. First Daffy is asked if he plays cards, to which the game is ended abruptly when Canasta cuts the deck with a meat cleaver. Canasta then sends Daffy through the table in response to Daffy's challenge to an arm wrestling match, to which Daffy responds, 'I think you're pretty tough, don't I?'. Porky then suggests to Daffy that he should just arrest him, to which Daffy agrees ('well, you may have something there comedy relief'). But when Daffy puts Canasta in irons and try's to take him away, he finds that he can't move Canasta from the spot he is standing. Daffy then gets annoyed and angry, to which he responds by telling Canasta that he is going to give him a fist beating. Porky's encouragement of Daffy ('telling him to fix Canasta's little red wagon') only ends badly for Daffy, as we see Canasta rip his shirt right off just by flexing his muscles before beating up Daffy.

[edit] Barbary Coast Bunny (1956)

In Barbary Coast Bunny, a rather different version of Nasty Canasta steals gold from Bugs Bunny, which prompts Bugs to say,"You do realize that this is not going to go unchallenged." Six months later Nasty Canasta uses the gold to make a casino. Bugs is disguised and believes that a slot machine is a "tele-o-phone." He asks his mom for more money, unnoticeably wins jackpot and a barrel of money comes out, believing that it was the money his mom gave him. Seeing this, Nasty challenges Bugs to a series of card games in hopes of getting back those winnings, only for Bugs to continuously (though naively) defeat him and thus ultimately get revenge.

[edit] Other Appearances

Nasty Canasta appeared in The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries episode "B2 or Not B2" voiced by Jim Cummings. Unlike his other appearances, Nasty does not play a villainous role here. Instead, he is a champion bingo player, alongside his wife Inga. They are soon both put out of commission by the episode's antagonist.

Nasty Canasta appears in Duck Dodgers TV series voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson.

Nasty Canasta appears in Looney Tunes: Back in Action voiced by Jeff Bennett. He works alongside Yosemite Sam and Cottontail Smith to obtain the map to the Blue Monkey Diamond from DJ Drake.

Nasty Canasta appears as a boss character in Bugs Bunny Rabbit Rampage, and an NPC in Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal.