Title: Porky Pig's Feat
Studio: WB
Date: 07/17/43
Credits:
Supervision
Frank Tashlin
Story by
Melvin Millar
Animation
Phil Monroe
Musical Direction
Carl W. Stalling
Series: Looney Tunes (Porky and Daffy)
Running time (of viewed version): 8:38
Commercial DVD Availability: LTGCv3d3
Synopsis: Daffy and Porky have issues paying their hotel bill.
Comments: Super deco title. One of the only black and white Bugs Bunny appearances, albeit in a cameo (there's at least one other black and white Bugs cameo in a Snafu cartoon). $152 for a hotel bill was high at the time, as opposed to now, when it's about right for a night. Porky's face is all contorted in an unpleasant way while speaking. Mel Blanc doing an Eddie Anderson voice in the dice game. Daffy's bill super bent backwards. Daffy seems misplaced on a level. And he's all distorted too. I hate the daffy Daffy. The hotel (clerk?) looks kinda like a Disney beagle boy. Awesome spiral (I think technically corkscrew) staircase. Porky takes a hit in the crotch form Daffy's head. Many doors gag. Vargas girl. Daffy takes a butt hit from Porky's head. Self referential in that they talk about Bugs Bunny cartoons? There's even a featurette on the LTGC, along with a Joe Dante commentary (tho it's a doc on Tashlin, not on the cartoon as such; it seems odd to bury the doc in that way, actually). Fair number of text jokes. Dante claims the angles are more cinematic than the other directors of the time; I think he didn't watch many contemporary cartoons to prepare for his commentary (tho to be fair this is on the upper end of self conscious use of shots for the time). The shot of a horribly ugly Porky and a great looking background may sum up this cartoon. (I ultimately don't really like this cartoon, tho it has a beautiful set of backgrounds, and I like the hotelier. Dante claims cartoons were for kids and were now for adults, and claims WB had its beginnings here in the war years. Makes me shake my head.
I'm gonna feel bad for saying this, but I darn near prefer the color version. With how wacky and sublime it is, the short may have been better in my eyes if it were made in Technicolor originally.
ReplyDeleteAnywhos, I actually liked this cartoon. Although it felt like same song same verse most of it, there's hardly anything wrong with that, especially with some of the most horrid war cartoons preceding it.
Last reference to Petunia Pig in a classic-era cartoon, I think.
ReplyDeleteIf you hate the daffy Daffy, as you claim, you may have trouble appreciating the genius of this cartoon. It's definitely top-notch Tashlin...and very zany Daffy. I love it.
ReplyDelete