After what was clearly my favorite year so far, we enter the eighth year of the WB cartoons. After Porky became the Looney Tunes' lead character, we'll see many more cartoons with him, including introductions of potential co-stars! So it's another important year...

He Was Her Man
Directed by I. Freleng
A female mouse is selling apples on the street to earn some money for herself and her gambling husband Johnny. But he leaves her for another woman, and once she sees them together, things take a tragic turn... This was an interesting cartoon – I didn't quite expect the developments here. Johnny is an extremely unlikable character with his violence and lack of appreciation towards his well-meaning wife... though her character has more sides to it than expected, too!
8.5

Porky the Wrestler
Directed by Fred Avery
Porky is going to watch a wrestling match but ends up being mistaken for one of the wrestlers. Does he have any chance against the champion? The wrestling match ends up being a very crazy one, including a really random train sequence. A chaotic and funny short, even if it's not quite the director's best. However, perhaps the most significant thing about this short is the first appearance of Mel Blanc as a voice actor! He does Porky's "Woohoo" screams in one scene – a very minor role, but he'll have more significant ones soon...
8.5

Pigs Is Pigs
Directed by I. Freleng
Piggie from "At Your Service Madame" returns! He's eternally hungry and keeps eating all the food, to his mother's annoyance. He then has a nightmare where he is forcefed in a laboratory. The laboratory scene makes this a rather memorable one, even if it's not really a funny cartoon – it's a cartoon with an obvious moral, thankfully without being too preachy!
8

Porky's Road Race
Directed by Frank Tash
Porky participates in a car race, racing against the celebrities of the day (including Boris Karloff Borax Karoff as the villain). This is an enjoyable cartoon in all its wackiness – and the celebrity gags are fun, even if some of the people included are no longer well known. I might be biased, but racing cartoons are almost always fun, this one being no exception!
9

I Only Have Eyes for You
Directed by Fred Avery
An ice truck driving bird delivers ice to old maid Tizzy Tash who's interested in him – but definitely not the other way around! He loves Katie Canary, but she wants to date a crooner. But then the ice man finds Professor Mockingbird, an impersonator, to sing for him and impress Katie. This cartoon has many funny jokes, including the lead character's tendency to use spoonerisms. The art is pretty typical of the era (though nice-looking), but it's definitely better than the average cartoon from back then. The ending is also a funny one.
9

Picador Porky
Directed by Fred Avery
Porky and his two friends decide to win 1000 pesos in bullfighting, with Porky as the bullfighter and the other two (one of them voiced by Mel Blanc in his most significant role yet) dressing in a bull costume. But things go wrong when the two guys get drunk and Porky ends up fighting a real bull, without even realizing it! This one has many nice gags, some of them and the music even remind me of a later much more famous bullfighting cartoon in the same series. All the characters here are fun, including the mostly silent bull. Brilliant for its time.
9.5

The Fella with a Fiddle
Directed by I. Freleng
A grandpa mouse tells his grandchildren the story of a greedy mouse who tried to hide his riches from a tax assessor. Not really extraordinary but an entertaining cartoon in any case. More so than Freleng's last cartoon with a moral, I'd say (and I think the ending here is funnier despite being a bit similar).
8.5

Porky's Romance
Directed by Frank Tash
Porky proposes to his crush Petunia Pig, but she rejects him. Porky is so distraught that he attempts suicide, failing but getting knocked out, and has a dream about getting married to Petunia. In this dream, their relationship isn't quite the ideal one... This is a great short with some funny moments, especially the beginning and the ending, but also gets very dark at times. The characters are the main strength here, though. Petunia (making her first appearance – she's even introduced as "Leon Schlesinger's new Looney Tunes star", which would mostly be the case in comics) isn't very likable here, but she provides some humor with her erratic personality and way of messing up her words a bit similarly to Porky's stutter – I'm surprised they didn't use this gag more. Her dog Fluffnums is a fittingly annoying pet for her. And poor Porky – I don't quite know why he liked Petunia so much. The last time he was voiced by Joe Dougherty – his real stutter made the recording sessions too difficult, which makes me feel sorry for him, especially as his last few performances in the cartoons showed a lot of improvement.
10

She Was an Acrobat's Daughter
Directed by I. Freleng
At a movie theater, we see some wacky newsreels and shorts. There's also chaos in the audience, especially when a little duck starts annoying the rest of the moviegoers. Probably another short that would have been funnier back in the day, but there's still enough humor in it today. The scenes with the audience are much more entertaining than the films. The highlight for me is the performance of the title tune (a version of which was already featured in "Alpine Antics" last year) with funny lyrics.
8.5

Porky's Duck Hunt
Directed by Fred Avery
Porky and his dog go duck hunting. But shooting one proves to be more difficult than expected, especially after they meet a particularly crazy specimen. Yes, this is the first appearance of Daffy Duck! Many funny gags including more fourth wall breaking, most of them courtesy of the new character who steals the show here. But Porky and his dog also have some great moments. This is also where Mel Blanc takes over as the voice of Porky. He would go on to voice almost all of the popular characters in the WB cartoons, and does a brilliant job here as both main characters.
10

Ain't We Got Fun
Directed by Fred Avery
The cat's asleep, so the mice eat all the food they can! The cat gets the blame for this and is thrown out by its owner. A nice cartoon with good music and a great ending, even if it's surprisingly slow-paced for an Avery short.
8.5

Porky and Gabby
Directed by Ub Iwerks
The first appearance of Gabby Goat, another attempt at a co-star for Porky. He goes camping with Porky, but everything they try goes wrong. Gabby, who is pretty much the star in this cartoon, might be slightly one-note as a character but is still funny with his eternal angriness and ranting. I've enjoyed most of the Porky cartoons so far, and this one is definitely no exception. The first cartoon directed for WB by Ub Iwerks, best known as co-creator of Mickey Mouse! Though I've heard claims that Chuck Jones and Bob Clampett (credited here as animators) did most of the work for him.
9.5

Clean Pastures
Directed by I. Freleng
The third cartoon in the Censored 11. A cartoon that seems to have been controversial since its creation – at first for its depictions of religious themes, later for the stereotypical depiction of black characters. Saint Peter is worried that the population of Heaven isn't growing – more people keep choosing the sinful life of gambling, dancing and alcohol. A more modern way is needed to recruit people! One of the most dated cartoons in the bunch, as much of the humor here seems to stem from either (largely forgotten) celebrities or (even worse dated) stereotypes. There are some good aspects – a good idea for a plot (even if it could have been done in a more interesting way), the end gag is surprising, and the jazzy music is great. But all in all, this is by no means a highlight of the series.
7

Uncle Tom's Bungalow
Directed by Fred Avery
Another Censored 11 cartoon – controversial times! A comedic take on the novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin", or at least the basic setting of it. Little Eva and Topsy save the titular slave by buying him from the evil Simon Simon Legree, but when the monthly payments are due, a chase ensues! Again, a very dated short based on its subject matter. If you can get past that, there are some typical Avery gags, and the characters are at least more defined and interesting than in the previous shorts with similar stereotypical portrayals. Well animated with some fun lines and other randomness, though it's definitely not in the best taste...
8

Streamlined Greta Green
Directed by I. Freleng
In a town full of anthropomorphic cars, a little car wants to become a taxi, but his mother doesn't approve of it. After struggling in traffic, he fills up with some high power gas and has fun in the railroad crossings. But his fuel will run out eventually... This reminded me a little of Disney's variation on the same theme decades later (though this one also features a few human characters)! Unique designs, fun puns (like edible "traffic jam") and naturally some high-speed scenes!
8.5

Porky's Building
Directed by Frank Tash
Porky and his rival have a competition to build the new city hall. Whoever finishes first wins. Dirty Diggs has machinery at his disposal, while Porky is helped by animals (except he doesn't let a rabbit help him for some reason – "How 'bout me, Porky?"). Does Porky have any chance of winning? Another good Porky cartoon with some nice jokes. The animals are fun and cute too, even if they don't appear a lot.
8.5

Sweet Sioux
Directed by I. Freleng
Various gags featuring a Native American tribe. Then a trader comes to their land and battle ensues! I felt many of the jokes in the early parts fell flat, and the dated stereotypes don't help (not to mention that the title says "Sioux", but a gag has the tribe as being Mohicans). The part where the trader and the tribe fight is funnier, as large parts of it are treated like a sports match in typical WB cartoon randomness. All in all, decent but far from spectacular. The most important thing about this cartoon is probably that there's a scene where we hear the tune "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" for the first but far from the only time.
7

Porky's Super Service
Directed by Ub Iwerks
Porky is fixing cars at his service station. Sadly for him, one of the cars he has to work on has an extremely annoying brat in it who makes things difficult. Some of the cartoony gags here are fun, but I don't really like how Porky ends up with all the trouble while the extremely annoying supporting cast (Junior's mother is barely more likable than he is) gets away pretty much scot-free. The ending is especially unsatisfying. Iwerks' second and last cartoon for the studio, despite having been contracted to do more.
7.5

Egghead Rides Again
Directed by Fred Avery
After so many Merrie Melodies one-shots or characters that only appeared a couple of times, we get the debut of a recurring character – Egghead (who would play a significant part in the development of a more famous character)! In this short, he wants to become a cowboy, so he goes to the Bar-None Ranch. But his attempts at doing cowboy things don't go to plan. One of the best Merrie Melodies of the time, especially thanks to the entertaining lead character. Another fun cartoon with some fast-paced chase scenes.
9

Porky's Badtime Story
Directed by Robert Clampett
Porky and Gabby fail to wake up and show up late for work. The boss tells him they'll be fired if it ever happens again, so they go to bed early the following night. However, the two have troubles sleeping due to all kinds of distractions ranging from cats to thunderstorms. The first Looney Tunes short directed by Bob Clampett, allegedly with the assistance of Chuck Jones. An excellent debut for the new director, this is such a funny and relatable short. The grumpy Gabby is perfect in his role (who wouldn't be annoyed in that situation?), I find him a very underrated character.
9.5

Plenty of Money and You
Directed by I. Freleng
A mother hen welcomes new hatchlings to the world – surprisingly there's an ostrich among them! The (not so) little bird keeps getting in trouble, eventually getting caught by a weasel (who appears to be the same one from "My Green Fedora" two years earlier). At first, the short doesn't seem to be very different from the average Merrie Melody of the time, but it gets a lot more interesting near the end: a parodic version of the title song, wild animation and the first use of the "Eat at Joe's" gag that would be seen many times later on!
8.5

Porky's Railroad
Directed by Frank Tashlin
Porky is driving a steam train but it's not easy, especially since his train Toots has seen its best days, even being slower than a snail on occasion. But when the driver of a modern streamline train ("the Silver Fish") insults Porky's train, they proceed to have a race. There are some of the old gags from previous train cartoons (there were many in the Harman-Ising era, especially!) like the cow on the track. But the short is clearly better than any of those, thanks to there being a plot that for once doesn't revolve around the train being out of control – though we briefly see that here too. It may not be the very best Porky cartoon, but a fine one anyway. This short is a slightly nostalgic one for me, too – for quite a while, it was the oldest Porky cartoon I had seen thanks to its airing on Finnish TV.
9

A Sunbonnet Blue
Directed by Fred Avery
Mice in a hat shop, singing songs and having fun. This feels a lot like the slightly earlier Merrie Melodies, with the musical approach (we even hear a couple of songs from earlier cartoons) and the typical story of a villain trying to steal the girl (in this case, the female lead being taken away by an evil mouse). A cute cartoon, for sure, with some cultural references mixed in, but it doesn't hold a candle to the funnier cartoons of the day.
7.5

Get Rich Quick Porky
Directed by Robert Clampett
Porky buys the deed to a lot supposedly containing oil from a scammer. He and Gabby try drilling for oil, while a dog tries to find a place to hide its bone and gets bothered by a gopher. Maybe not one of the best in the series, but still enjoyable with some great animation and fun characters. The last appearance of Gabby (based on the storyboard, he was going to appear in the following year's "Porky's Party" but was removed from the final version). He was slightly less grumpy here than on his previous appearances, but I think I'll miss him and his attitude a little.
8.5

Speaking of the Weather
Directed by Frank Tashlin
Characters on magazine covers in a drug store come to life. "Public enemy number one" escapes from prison (on the cover of Life magazine) and the other magazine characters have to stop him. Sounds familiar? This "plot" has been used a few times already with slight differences. But the improved animation and jokes here make this the best of its kind so far.
8.5

Porky's Garden
Directed by Fred Avery
At the Podunk County Fair, the largest home grown product is given a cash prize. Porky competes with his garden, while his Italian neighbor is trying to win with his chickens. The neighbor tries to destroy Porky's garden by letting the chickens eat in it. This is another good one, many funny gags with my favorite being a scene where a chick eats spinach.
9

Dog Daze
Directed by I. Freleng
Various dogs appear in the pedigree dog show. A lot of puns related to dogs' names, as well as dogs from specific countries (such as Russia and Scotland) performing stereotypical dances. A nice short, with surprisingly detailed animation for some of the dogs, but still very cartoony at times. For a spot gag cartoon, I think it's one of the best I've seen.
9

I Wanna Be a Sailor
Directed by Fred Avery
Peter the Parrot wants to become a sailor like his father, but his mother is against it. He builds a pirate ship out of a barrel, with a talkative duck as his mate. The story itself is fairly standard for the era, but since it's an Avery cartoon, there are many funny jokes which also serve to give the characters more personality, including the fourth wall being broken many times. Both funny and cute at once, definitely one of the best Merrie Melodies so far.
10

Rover's Rival
Directed by Robert Clampett
Porky tries to teach his dog Rover new tricks, but Rover is very old, and the famous saying seems to apply to him. A mean puppy shows up to insult Rover and proves a real nuisance to Porky, too! Clampett already directed a few before this, but I think this is where we really start to see the wild and wacky style of his later cartoons. Very expressive animation with fun chase sequences – and the dog characters are entertaining, with the pesky puppy stealing the show here. This is the first Looney Tunes cartoon to use "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" as the series theme. It would remain the theme until the series ended more than three decades later. It's also the first to have the iconic ending of Porky coming out of a drum to say "That's all, folks" – this phrase had been used by other characters before (starting with Bosko), but Porky is definitely the character most associated with it.
10

The Lyin' Mouse
Directed by I. Freleng
A mouse is about to be eaten by a cat and he pleads to be let go. To convince him, he tells a story of how a mouse was spared by a lion and then helped him in return. An entertaining take on the old fable, with the ending being a highlight.
8.5

The Case of the Stuttering Pig
Directed by Frank Tashlin
The Pig family (including Porky and a returning Petunia) inherits the property of their late Uncle Solomon... but if anything happens to them, Lawyer Goodwill will get it all! He goes through a Jekyll and Hyde style transformation and tries to get rid of the entire family, and Porky has to save them. This must be one of the creepiest cartoons in the whole series, especially with the villain, but there are still a few humorous moments too (including more fourth wall breaking). This is a cartoon that I feel could have benefited from being a bit longer, but it's definitely a very enjoyable one as is.
9.5

Little Red Walking Hood
Directed by Fred Avery
A wacky parody of the fairytale with classic Avery gags. Again, the characters are very much aware they're in a cartoon – they interact with silhouettes of audience members, for example (a gag that would be used many times in the series). Little Red Riding Hood herself is my favorite character here with her Katharine Hepburn impersonation and various quips, but the wolf and the grandma also get some funny lines and scenes. The art style is a unique one, as the backgrounds were made in colored pencil. We also get another character debut – there's a running gag involving the character Elmer (who would later develop into the one we all know). He's very similar in design to the earlier introduced Egghead (their eyes being the main difference) – the two were mentioned as being brothers in some publicity material. WB would do countless fairytale parodies over the years, and this is definitely one of the standouts.
10

Porky's Double Trouble
Directed by Frank Tashlin
Porky has become a bank teller. The "Killer" escapes from Alcarazz prison and notices that he looks very similar to Porky. He proceeds to kidnap him and take his place so he can rob the bank! Based on this and his previous cartoon, Tashlin seems to be bringing new elements to the Porky series, as they've had a lot more suspense and action than the average one. But there's still room for some comedy too, especially in the ending (where Petunia, the secretary, gets involved too).
9

The Woods Are Full of Cuckoos
Directed by Frank Tashlin
The Woodland Community Swing radio show broadcasts musical and comedic acts, all of them performed by animal parodies of the celebrities of the day. This is another short where some of the references are hardly understandable today, as many of the people parodied have been forgotten decades ago. But there's still some enjoyable randomness in parts here – and that title tune is another one you won't forget any time soon!
8

Porky's Hero Agency
Directed by Robert Clampett
Having read a book on Greek myths, Porky dreams he's the hero Porkykarkus. The Gorgon has turned people into statues, and Porkykarkus has to steal her life-restoring needle to turn them back. Another good cartoon – not quite one of the best Porkys, but there are some good gags and the plot is an interesting one. The ending is a bit underwhelming – I'd have expected Clampett of all people to come up with something more imaginative.
8.5

September in the Rain
Directed by I. Freleng
Product mascots (including celebrity parodies) in a grocery store come to life and perform music... yes, once again! There's some nice jazzy music here, but otherwise, it's pretty much more of the same. This is less than six minutes long and reuses many of the mascots from similar older shorts – I can't help but guess this was made as filler to reach the annual quota of shorts.
7

In addition to the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, Leon Schlesinger Productions made a short uncredited animated sequence for the opening of the RKO film "When's Your Birthday?" This was made in color, but sadly only black and white copies can be found.

When's Your Birthday?
A scientist explains astrology to the audience. The characters from the horoscope are shown in "astrology heaven". Taurus is treated as king by everyone when the moon is shining, but when it's not, he's everyone's punching bag. There's some nice and wacky animation of Taurus, and the scene in general is very much in the WB cartoon spirit. This was actually Bob Clampett's first directorial work, released five months before "Porky's Badtime Story".
8.5

Harman and Ising made four Bosko cartoons for MGM this year: "Circus Daze", "Bosko's Easter Eggs", "Little Ol' Bosko and the Pirates" and "Little Ol' Bosko and the Cannibals". The first one is fast-paced and chaotic but at the same time quite unremarkable. The second one is slightly more enjoyable with a better plot, but Bosko himself has become less likable (especially his treatment of Bruno and other animals). With the latter two, Harman and Ising attempt a return to the more musical approach of the earlier shorts, though with the addition of a fairly funny group of jazz-singing frogs as the villains and a basic plot of Bosko trying to take cookies to his grandma – sadly, those started to feel very repetitive by their second appearance. While Harman-Ising's efforts have improved in some regards (having more detailed animation than their early Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies), they're nowhere near the level of WB's best contemporary shorts.

1937 was another very strong year, with the classic Looney Tunes humor further developing, and the introductions of several popular characters, or at least their early versions. While the Porky cartoons are still usually the highlights, the Merrie Melodies cartoons also finally appear to be moving away from the musical approach to a more comedic one, though some cartoons still follow the old style. What will 1938 bring?