| “ | Confound those Dover Boys! OH, HOW I HATE THEM! I hate Tom! I hate Dick! And I hate Larry! THEY DRIVE ME TO DRINK! (drinks numerous shots) Confound them! (hiccup) CON... (pauses as a random swim suit guy walks by) ...FOUND THEM!!! | „ |
| ~ Dan expressing his hatred of the Dover Boys. |
| “ | A runabout... I'LL STEAL IT! NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW! | „ |
| ~ Dan Backslide's famous and most memetic quote, loudly expressing his intentions to steal a runabout. |
Dan Backslide is the main antagonist of the 1942 Merrie Melodies cartoon The Dover Boys. He is a parody of Dan Baxter from the Rover Boys book series.
He was voiced by the late Mel Blanc.
Biography[]
Dan makes his appearance in the cartoon as the official archenemy of the Dover Boys. He is first seen in a tavern playing pool while his face is obscured by a cloud of nicotine smoke. He then notices his enemies passing by on bikes while escorting "dainty" Dora Standpipe, whom he himself is smitten with (only because her family is rich) and even carries a portrait of her face. He then begins ranting about how he despised the Dover Boys while also drowning his sorrow with alcohol.
Later on, the Dover Boys attempt to find a hiding spot in their game of hide and seek with Dora, who was at the park counting on a tree. They then finally decide to jump into the tavern to hide under the pool table that Dan Backslide was playing on. Noticing this, Dan realizes that Dora was alone and takes the opportunity to kidnap her for himself. After stealing a nearby runabout, he goes to the park to find Dora still counting. He grabs Dora, puts her in the car and drives her away, but then realizes that she had taken the whole tree with her, forcing him to put her back and then use a pair of pliers to remove her from the tree.
While driving, Dora finally finishes counting and realizes that she had been kidnapped. For odd reasons, Dan pulled up by the tavern to allow Dora to let the Dover Boys know that she had been kidnapped. After that, Dan drives Dora out of the city and over a mountain pass to an isolated cabin where he takes her inside. As Dora began banging on the door pleading for someone to save her, Dan began sneaking towards her behind her back. However, Dora proved to be not as "dainty" as everyone thought she was by grabbing Backslide and throwing him to the other side of the cabin. Meanwhile, a local scout sees Dora crying for aid and sends a telegram to the Dover Boys, causing them to go into action and follow her trail.
Dan continues to to try to sneak up on Dora, but she then kicks him back through the cabin. He makes one last attempt, only for Dora to swing him around and throw him high into the air and onto his head. Reduced to a pathetic state and realizing that he was trapped with an amazon, Dan Backslide begins pleading for help from the very people he hated. The Dover Boys finally arrive and demand for Backslide to release Dora and prepare for battle. After beating Dan to a pulp, the Dover Boys wind up for one last simultaneous punch, but Dan collapsed onto the floor, causing them to knock each other out instead. The cartoon then ends with Dora leaving the unconscious men behind while walking away with the strange old bath suit-wearing man that appears throughout the episode.
Quotes[]
| “ | Hark! The Dover Boys! Drat them! Double drat them! They are escorting Dora Standpipe! (pulls out portrait of Dora) Dear rich Dora Standpipe! How I love her! ...Father's money! | „ |
| ~ Dan Backslide noticing the Dover Boys and expressing his love for Dora's family fortune. |
| “ | The Dover Boys! Then Dora must be alone and UNPROTECTED!! | „ |
| ~ Backslide plotting to kidnap Dora Standpipe. |
| “ | HELP, TOM!! HELP, DICK!! HELP, LARRY!! | „ |
| ~ Backslide pleading for help from the Dover Boys. |
Gallery[]
Images[]
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- Due to his hammy nature, Dan Backslide has become a popular source of Internet memes. For example, he inspired the "Confound those ponies, they drive me to drink" meme.
- When Dan hung Dora’s photo on a poster of a strongman, it foreshadowed that he would be defeated by her immense strength.
- A short clip of this cartoon featuring Dan Backslide can be seen on one of the TV monitors in a bar in the pilot for Vivziepop's Hazbin Hotel.
- He's one of the few Looney Tunes characters who never returned again after his one-shot appearance.
- His design was based off of animator Ken Harris who at the time was working for director Chuck Jones.
