''Daisy Town'' (also known as ''Lucky Luke'') is a 1971 French-Belgian film based upon the comic book character

Lucky Luke ''Lucky Luke'' is a Western ''bande dessinée'' series created by Belgian cartoonist Morris in 1946. Morris wrote and drew the series single-handedly until 1955, after which he started collaborating with French writer René Goscinny. Their par ...

and making it his first animated appearance. A Lucky Luke comic based on the film, with the title '' Daisy Town'' was released in 1982, drawn by Pascal Dabère.

Plot

Crossing the plains, a

wagon train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings. It ...

comes across a solitary daisy growing out of the vast wasteland. The leader of the expedition decides that the rest of their party will set up their new town on the site. In honor of the flower, the citizens name the new homestead, 'Daisy Town'. However, no sooner is the town finished, then it begins to attract all manner of trouble-makers and desperadoes. One day, Lucky Luke comes riding into town astride his horse,

Jolly Jumper Jolly Jumper is a horse character in the Franco-Belgian comics series ''Lucky Luke'', created by Belgian artist Morris. Described as "the smartest horse in the west" and able to perform tasks such as chess-playing and tightrope walking, Jolly Ju ...

. After taking care of most of the trouble in the saloon, Luke is assailed on his way to find quarters for the night. However, every single outlaw is taken care of by Luke. These actions don't go unnoticed by the townsfolk. The next morning, The mayor and several more townsfolk go to meet with Luke, asking him if he would accept the position of

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

of Daisy Town. Luke replies with one word: "Yep". It looks like peace has returned until word comes that the

Dalton Brothers The Dalton Gang was a group of outlaws in the American Old West during 1890–1892. It was also known as The Dalton Brothers because four of its members were brothers. The gang specialized in bank robbery, bank and train robbery, train robberie ...

are in the vicinity. The Daltons begin robbing stores and even blow up the local hotel. Luke tries to incite the townsfolk to stop them, but most are apt to just let the Daltons have their way. This causes Luke to renounce being the town's sheriff. The Daltons decide to run for major positions in the town. Joe Dalton decides to run for

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

, William Dalton for

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

, and Jack Dalton for sheriff. When Averell Dalton asks what position he can run for, the others decide to simply make him their campaign manager. Luke uses this to his advantage and turns Averell against his brothers. The four brothers begin fighting each other and voting is called off. The Daltons are

tarred and feathered Tarring and feathering is a form of public torture and punishment used to enforce unofficial justice or revenge. It was used in feudal Europe and its colonies in the early modern period, as well as the early American frontier, mostly as a t ...

, and run out of town. Some distance off, they are accosted by some Indians, and taken captive. In a scheme to get free, Joe Dalton tells the chief of the tribe that the settlers coming across the land will mean the end of the

prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

. His words end up inciting the chief to declare war on Daisy Town. Lucky Luke manages to view the tribe's preparations for war and alerts the townsfolk. Luke works out a plan to make the Indians believe the settlers are abandoning the town but will load the conestoga wagons with armed men. The plan works, and the Indians try to attack. Luke calls for the wagons to circle, and then orders them to all turnaround. This strange spectacle happens several more times. The chief becomes dizzy from the constant turning around and calls for a

pow-wow A powwow (also pow wow or pow-wow) is a gathering with dances held by many Native American and First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an ...

. A peace treaty is instituted and everyone celebrates. The Mayor toasts Luke's work, proclaiming Daisy Town's bright future. However, no sooner has this toast been made, than a man runs into town shouting that gold has been found in the hills. With that news, all the inhabitants abandon Daisy Town, which quickly takes on the look of a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

. Before he leaves, Lucky Luke plucks the daisy at the base of the town's sign, putting it into Jolly Jumper's mane. The town's sign falls over into the dust, as Luke rides off into the sunset.

Production

The film is based on the series of comic books by

Morris Morris may refer to: Places Australia *St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Manitob ...

which was first published in 1946, this 1971 animated feature follows an original plot, but incorporates many characters and elements from previously published books. An adaptation of the film itself was finally published as a Lucky Luke album in 1983. Furthermore, a live-action version directed by and starring

Terence Hill Terence Hill (born Mario Girotti; 29 March 1939) is an Italian actor, film director, screenwriter and producer. He began his career as a child actor and gained international fame for starring roles in action and comedy films, many with longtim ...

was released theatrically in some European countries in 1991. This served as the pilot to a short-lived live-action TV series, which used Daisy Town as the backdrop for most of its action. In the Spanish language version, the story is not narrated by the horse unlike the original French. For the English version, Canadian actor

Rich Little Richard Caruthers Little (born November 26, 1938) is a Canadian-American impressionist and voice actor. Sometimes known as the "Man of a Thousand Voices", Little has recorded nine comedy albums and made numerous television appearances, including ...

voiced all the characters, using celebrity impersonations (Gary Cooper for Lucky Luke, James Stewart for the narrator, Boris Karloff for the undertaker Mathias Bones, etc.)

Published versions

There are several books based on this film. In 1971, with the release of the film, a large-format book was published by Dargaud Éditeur, entitled ''Histoire d'un dessin animé - Lucky Luke''. The book is made up of the story of the film illustrated by photos of the film. This story is followed in the same publication by a succession of all the stages in the construction of the cartoon in the cinema. In 1972, Éditions PEG, offered by the TOTAL network, published the illustrated story of the film (not the same as in the previous book) entitled ''Lucky Luke - Daisy town''. In 1983, Daisy Town, a comic book retranscribed from the film, drawn by Pascal Dabère (from the Studio Dargaud), was released. This book has the usual album format and is part of the standard collection (T20 at Dargaud).

Album references

Although the plot was not based on any of the previously released Lucky Luke albums, almost every character and every incident in the film is a reference to the albums. For example, the idea of the Dalton Brothers trying to take over the town by becoming sheriff, judge, etc., is based on ''

Lucky Luke contre Joss Jamon ''Lucky Luke contre Joss Jamon'' is a ''Lucky Luke'' comic written by Goscinny and Morris (comics), Morris. It is the eleventh album in the ''Lucky Luke'' Series and the second on which Goscinny worked. The comic was printed by Dupuis in 1958 and ...

''. The burgomeister is based on Herbert Hoofer from ''

Le Pied-tendre ''Le Pied-tendre'' is a ''Lucky Luke'' comic written by Goscinny and illustrated by Morris. The original comic in French was published by Dargaud in 1968. English translations titled ''The Tenderfoot'' have been published by Dargaud and Cinebook ...

'' and the barman is based on George le Barman from the same album.

Cast

Additional Voices

* Jacques Bodoin * André Legal *

Jacques Hilling Jacques Hilling (26 May 1922 – 16 February 1975) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 90 films between 1949 and 1975. Selected filmography * ''Return to Life'' (1949) - Un soldat (segment 4 : "Le retour de René") (uncredite ...

* Denise Bosc

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Daisy Town (1971 Film) 1971 Western (genre) films 1971 animated films 1971 films 1970s French animated films Belgian animated films Films based on Belgian comics Animated films based on comics French animated films French Western (genre) films Lucky Luke films Lucky Luke albums Belgian children's films French children's films Films directed by René Goscinny Films adapted into comics Western (genre) animated films Films with screenplays by René Goscinny Films produced by René Goscinny Films with screenplays by Morris (cartoonist) Films with screenplays by Pierre Tchernia Films scored by Claude Bolling 1970s French-language films French-language Belgian films