The Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies move on to another year. With the introduction of Daffy Duck last year, we can look forward to more of him... and maybe some surprises!

Daffy Duck & Egghead
Directed by Fred Avery
Egghead goes duck hunting, but the duck he meets is a really crazy one, making him difficult to outwit. More Avery wackiness, continuing from "Porky's Duck Hunt". Despite that short being one of the most important in the whole series, I think this one is even better as a stand-alone cartoon – Daffy's personality is further refined, we get a fittingly wacky song (to the tune of "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down") from him, and the ending is a much funnier and more memorable one. Besides only being Daffy's second appearance in the cartoons, this is his first one in color and the one where he gets his name. His design wasn't quite finalized yet, as the ring around his neck is blue instead of white. A brilliant entry!
10

Porky's Poppa
Directed by Robert Clampett
Bessie the cow is no longer producing milk the way she used to, and Porky's father is struggling with the mortgage of the farm. He gets a robot cow that even produces cheese and ice cream without hassle! But Porky wants to prove Bessie can still beat the newcomer. Wild and fast-paced with many good gags. For a character with no lines that's as close to a regular animal as you get in the Looney Tunes, the cartoon still makes you root for good old Bessie, which speaks for how well the crew handles their characters. But my absolute favorite part is the chaotic rewrite of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" at the start – easily the funniest musical sequence so far in these cartoons!
10

My Little Buckeroo
Directed by I. Freleng
In 1872, the town of Boiled Beef, Texas, is terrorized by a criminal fittingly just known as "The Terror". All the sheriffs try to catch him to no avail. We focus on a pig (with a horrible singing voice – I doubt this would have helped sell many copies of the title song!) who tries to do the job. I feel some of the gags show a slight Tex Avery influence, though the cartoon on the whole isn't quite as wacky as his. Still a nice one with impressive animation in the chase sequences.
8.5

Porky at the Crocadero
Directed by Frank Tashlin
Porky dreams of seeing popular musicians perform at the Crocadero and maybe performing there one day. An attempt to get to see the bands by washing the dishes fails and gets Porky kicked out, but after the bandleaders fail to show up, he gets an unforgettable opportunity... Probably the jazziest Looney Tune yet, the impersonations of various performers by Porky are the most memorable part of this. Not a highlight of the series but another enjoyable one in any case.
8.5

Jungle Jitters
Directed by I. Freleng
Part of the Censored 11 – so expect some badly dated stereotypes here. A goofy salesman goes to an African village, trying to sell stuff to the natives. But unfortunately for him, the natives turn out to be cannibals! The salesman character is an entertaining one, and I think the brilliant ending makes up a little for the predictability and slight repetitiveness of some of the other gags.
7.5

What Price Porky
Directed by Robert Clampett
Farmer Porky is feeding corn to his chickens, but a group of ducks manages to snatch all of it. Things soon turn into a full-on war between the birds, with even newly hatched chicks joining the battle. Another fun Porky cartoon, despite the intended star being largely overshadowed by the dueling birds here. There have been previous entries with somewhat similar gags and theme (including "Bosko the Doughboy" years ago), but Clampett's humor and relentless pace is clearly better than those. And he even manages to sneak in another surprise at the end!
9

The Sneezing Weasel
Directed by Fred Avery
Wilbur the chick has a cold, and her mother goes to get him a doctor. But Willie the Weasel notices an opportunity – he dresses as one while the mother hen's away in order to eat the little chick. His disguise doesn't fool the chicks for long, and they fight the predator. Another humorous short with good characters, especially the weasel as a bumbling villain. Cute and funny – better than I expected.
9

Porky's Phoney Express
Directed by Cal Howard & Cal Dalton
The pony express tries to deliver mail to Red Gulch, but they fail due to being attacked by Indians. Porky wants to ride the mail too, but he's relegated to sweeping and licking envelopes, until he gets the chance as a decoy for the more experienced riders. The first cartoon directed by the two Cals, replacing Freleng who went to MGM (he'll be back). There are some good gags, but at the same time, I feel the directors' lack of experience shows in the animation quality varying between scenes (there's some fun animation especially of wild takes, but some scenes look a bit mediocre). Porky himself looks a bit different too.
7

A Star Is Hatched
Directed by I. Freleng
Emily the chicken is back! Now she's dreaming about becoming a Hollywood actress, and when she meets the famous director J. Meggaphone, she thinks her dream is about to come true. But things aren't that easy. There are obviously many celebrity caricatures here, and the temptation of fame and empty promises made to those looking to make it big are an interesting theme – exploring that theme even further would have made for a really fascinating cartoon. The short we got is an enjoyable one too, even if some parts are a bit derivative (the ending is pretty much a 1:1 remake of that in the slightly better Emily cartoon "Let It Be Me").
8.5

Porky's Five & Ten
Directed by Robert Clampett
Porky plans to open a five and ten cent store on Boola-Boola Isle. But while he's on his way there, fish steal the products he plans to sell with wacky consequences. Porky's stuff forms a Hollywood Hotel underwater and we see fish, including celebrity parodies, having a good time there. Out of these Hollywood-themed cartoons, this is definitely among the better ones – even if it's strange to see Porky get upstaged by random fish in his own cartoon!
9

The Penguin Parade
Directed by Fred Avery
At the grand opening of Club Iceburg, a bunch of penguins (and some walruses) enjoy musical performances, including a wild jazzy number by a penguin band. The last performance is clearly my favorite part here – I think the short is enjoyable for what it is, but more a really well animated musical cartoon than a particularly funny one (despite some gags). A couple of years earlier, this would have stood out a lot more!
7.5

Porky's Hare Hunt
Directed by Ben Hardaway
Another hunting cartoon with Porky – this time he and his dog are hunting a rabbit. The rabbit is a very crazy one who keeps coming up with various ways to outwit and annoy the hunter. Of course this is quite similar in both concept and execution to the previous year's "Porky's Duck Hunt", but the gags are new ones... and very entertaining at that (my favorite being the punny "hare remover"). And of course there's one thing that must be mentioned – the white rabbit in this short would eventually evolve into Bugs Bunny. The personality of the rabbit is more similar to the early Daffy Duck (with a laugh that Mel Blanc would later reuse for Woody Woodpecker), but some aspects of the later Bugs are already there – the rabbit is heard saying "Of course you know that this means war" and fakes a fatal injury the way Bugs would often do. Great short whose historical significance is often forgotten.
10

Now That Summer Is Gone
Directed by Frank Tashlin
Squirrels are collecting acorns for the winter, but one of them has another way to get them – gambling. The little squirrel (named Spunky in promotional material) keeps doing so despite the opposition of his parents, but he's bound to lose at some point... This brings to mind "Pigs Is Pigs" from the year before – more a cartoon with a moral than a particularly funny one, though it's not completely without jokes and I find it slightly less preachy than that one. I still enjoyed it – there's some great animation with cute characters, and a gambling addiction is an interesting subject for a cartoon.
8.5

Injun Trouble
Directed by Robert Clampett
Porky is on lookout for the dangerous Injun Joe, so that a wagon train can travel safely to California through his territory. On the way, he meets a strange bearded hillbilly who "knows something he won't tell". I find the villain here slightly less stereotypical than some of the previous Native American characters, and he's an interesting one – he's extremely strong and fearless, which is used for a couple of gags too (such as a fun one with a bear). The way the conflict gets resolved is also very surprising!
8.5

The Isle of Pingo Pongo
Directed by Fred Avery
Yet another Censored 11 cartoon. This is one of Avery's travelogues, as people go on a cruise to the titular island. We see nearby islands with punny names and the wildlife on Pingo Pongo, which is quite fun. Then comes the part with the island natives, and even if we were to ignore the stereotypical depictions, I think this is where the quality of the short declines significantly – most of the gags in this part just aren't very funny, though the featured music is good. There's also a running gag where Elmer (the version we saw in "Little Red Walking Hood") is asking if it's his time to show up, and a comedic use of a live-action sequence (something that's quite common in cartoons even today). A good cartoon at times, but it could have been so much better.
7.5

Porky the Fireman
Directed by Frank Tashlin
Porky and his colleagues are trying to put out the fire and save people from a burning building. They have a lot of trouble along the way. For Porky cartoons, this is quite average – there are some entertaining parts, but at times, the running gags start to border on repetition.
There's still quite a bit to enjoy, though – I especially like the unpredictable end gag.
8

Katnip Kollege
Directed by Cal Howard & Cal Dalton
In swingology class at Katnip Kollege, everything is sung, including homework! But Johnny can't swing, so he's forced to stay after class. However, later that night he finally gets it and impresses the other cats, including his crush Kitty Bright. The animation is beautiful with all the cute cats, and the soundtrack is wonderful. The most musical short in a while, but also one of the very best of its kind!
9.5

Have You Got Any Castles
Directed by Frank Tashlin
Another cartoon with books coming to life. There are many funny puns on book titles, and of course we also see the characters singing, dancing and playing instruments. A running gag involves Rip Van Winkle trying to sleep but being bothered by the noise made by all the other characters. The theme is something we've seen many times, but I feel the last couple have improved a lot on the previous ones – this one differs in that while there is still a villain that the others are chasing, this doesn't take up as much of the short, and the ending is a funnier one. Possibly the second best cartoon in this genre?
9

Porky's Party
Directed by Robert Clampett
It's Porky's birthday and his uncle gives him an Oriental silk worm as a present ("When you want him to do his stuff, just say 'Sew'!"). A penguin and a goose come to visit him. But Black Fury the dog gets drunk and causes a lot of chaos along with the worm! Hilarious Clampett wackiness where the action just doesn't stop! I also love the music here, especially the fast-paced version of "Joseph Joseph" in the chase sequences.
10

Love and Curses
Directed by Ben Hardaway & Cal Dalton
An old couple, Harold and Emily, reminisce about their youth in the 1890s. When they were on a picnic, Emily was kidnapped by the evil Roger St. Clair and Harold had to save her. This reminds me a little of "Those Were Wonderful Days" from four years ago – the 1890s theme, barbershop quartets and a mustache-twirling villain appear in both. I think this is a very good cartoon – besides the nostalgic approach (which I'm a sucker for!), there's an entertaining theatrical approach with the characters' exaggerated delivery, probably inspired by the actors of the day. The ending is an amusing one too. One of the most underrated shorts of the time.
9

Cinderella Meets Fella
Directed by Fred Avery
Another crazy parody of a famous fairytale, similar to "Little Red Walking Hood". The Fairy Godmother is an alcoholic, Prince Charming is portrayed by Elmer... Definitely not your typical version of Cinderella. While I thought the previous fairytale parody was a little better, this one is also fun with a lot of randomness and the concept still feels novel.
9

Porky's Spring Planting
Directed by Frank Tashlin
Porky plants a garden with the help of his dog Streamline, but a group of chickens comes to eat all the vegetables, and Porky has to chase them away. An enjoyable cartoon with good side characters (the dog and the chickens both have some funny scenes), but not one of my favorite Porkys.
8

Porky & Daffy
Directed by Robert Clampett
Daffy is a boxer, with Porky as his manager. They decide to challenge the championship fighter, a rooster everyone else is afraid to fight. What Daffy lacks in strength, he makes up for in insanity! Another really fast-paced short with imaginative fighting tactics from Daffy (who's obviously the star here despite the title), much more fun than the earlier boxing cartoons!
9.5

The Major Lied 'til Dawn
Directed by Frank Tashlin
Major Twombley tells little Freddie about how he hunted big game in Africa, catching a lion. The story is quite an incredible one. After a slow start, there are some funny scenes like the major's fight against the lion. Cultural references that surprisingly still work today, action well timed with the music, and a great running gag with a forgetful elephant. Another enjoyable short.
8.5

Wholly Smoke
Directed by Frank Tashlin
Porky (a kid here) is on the way to Sunday school but meets a tough boy. Urged by him, Porky bets a nickel that he isn't afraid to smoke. The cigar smoke makes him dizzy and he dreams about going to a smoke shop where he's forced to chew tobacco while the products in the store perform the song "Little Kids Shouldn't Smoke" (to the tune of "Mysterious Mose"). Unusually moralist for a Looney Tunes cartoon, I find the anti-smoking theme here a bit ahead of its time – the dangers of smoking weren't quite as well known back then as they are today. This cartoon treads the line of preachiness at times, but it's a very good message in any case... and the dream sequence is a great one with its visuals and music.
8.5

A-Lad-in Bagdad
Directed by Cal Howard & Cal Dalton
Aladdin, portrayed here by Egghead, gets a magic lamp from a claw machine. He finds out that there's a competition – whoever manages to entertain the Sultan will get to marry his daughter. But his lamp gets stolen before the big performance. This is a short I've always enjoyed – I thought the auditioning acts were funny (even if the Sultan didn't agree), Egghead's performance of "Bei mir bist du schön" (already heard as background music in a few other shorts) is memorable and the whole cartoon is a funny one. I can see quite a lot of Avery influence here – the audition sequences are a bit similar to "I Love to Singa", and then there's the fairytale spoof and of course Egghead himself. But the short still doesn't feel too derivative. This was the last short co-directed by Cal Howard (as Ben Hardaway takes over as Dalton's co-director), though he'll make occasional appearances as a writer until the very end!
9

Cracked Ice
Directed by Frank Tashlin
W.C. Squeals returns – after he sees a St. Bernard rescuing a drowning bird and giving him alcohol, he wants some himself. He comes up with various ideas to get the drink, but they all go awry in comedic ways. This is another funny one-shot, especially thanks to the lead character with his funny mannerisms and dialogue. There's an in-joke about the Termite Terrace, for example (this having been the animators' nickname for the studio building).
9

A Feud There Was
Directed by Fred Avery
Yodeling peacemaker Elmer Fudd (yes, named for the first time!) tries to end the feud between two families, the Weavers and the McCoys, to no avail. While a bit slow-paced at first (the background pan in the beginning is very impressive for the time, though), it gets more entertaining as it goes on, with funny gags involving the feuding families, great one-liners and some fourth wall breaking once again. While proto-Elmer is the star here, the other characters also have some amusing moments. The ending is also a great one, and one I didn't expect!
8.5

Porky in Wackyland
Directed by Robert Clampett
Porky flies to the darkest Africa to hunt for the last Do-Do bird. He lands in Wackyland which is definitely true to its name. A lot of random gags involving the crazy inhabitants, not least the Do-Do. Clampett has included many wacky and random scenes in his cartoons, but this time he takes it to an extreme, while still managing to incorporate it into the plot. The weirdness is punctuated by Mel Blanc's amazing voice acting and a wild jazzy soundtrack by Carl Stalling. At the time, this cartoon must have been unlike anything ever seen before, and it's still a very appealing and memorable one today. Its uniqueness hasn't been ignored – it's the earliest released of the four WB animated shorts that have been chosen for preservation in the National Film Registry.
10

Little Pancho Vanilla
Directed by Frank Tashlin
Pancho, a little Mexican boy, wants to become a bullfighter despite his mother's opposition and three girls' mockery. He tries to go a to bullfight and isn't admitted, but things take a surprising turn. An unusual cartoon in that the bull is the only non-human character here. Cute 30s character designs (with huge eyes!) and a lead character with some attitude, but despite being adequately entertaining, I think both the series and the director have had more interesting cartoons by now. This was Pancho's only appearance in the cartoons, but with a slight redesign, he ended up becoming a recurring character in the Looney Tunes comics in the 50s!
8

Porky's Naughty Nephew
Directed by Robert Clampett
Porky is on the beach with his nephew Pinky. He's trying to have a relaxing day, but Pinky keeps causing trouble for him, both on purpose and by accident. Then there's a swim race for cartoon animals, and Porky of course takes part. The annoying nephew is something we've already seen before in the series with Ham and Ex having been a nuisance for their uncle Beans in a couple of cartoons. And the swim race part reminds me a lot of "Pettin' in the Park" from 1934 – coincidentally (or not?) the first cartoon to credit Clampett as an animator! But despite this derivativeness at times, there is enough comedy to make this worth a watch... and the annoying nephew actually comes up with something useful near the end!
8.5

Johnny Smith and Poker-Huntas
Directed by Fred Avery
And guess what – WB made a Pocahontas cartoon more than five decades before Disney! Captain Johnny Smith (portrayed by Elmer) arrives to America on the Mayflower and gets in trouble with the Natives. Who will save him? Another fun cartoon from Avery with anachronisms, corny puns, fast-paced chase scenes and self-referential humor. There are definitely aspects to this that are dated with the stereotypes, but I feel this fares better than the earlier "Sweet Sioux", for example – the gags are much more imaginative and random, and it relies slightly less on stereotypical humor (though it goes without saying that it wasn't entirely avoided). The character of Poker-Huntas was also a likable one, and despite not getting as much screentime as I expected, still plays a big part in the plot. A fun short, if you can look past its questionability.
9.5

You're an Education
Directed by Frank Tashlin
Brochures in a travel agency come to life. The characters on them perform music (linking together various songs from the time), and we see many puns on the place names. These are pretty imaginative – a thief from Baghdad uses the Florida Keys to rob the Kimberly diamond mines. All the countries collaborate in an attempt to catch him. This is another good one – the "books come to life" theme was used a lot, but Tashlin's takes on it are among the most entertaining. There's an unfortunate problem with this short, though – the existing reissue had 45 seconds of the original cartoon removed, and this results in a few jarring cuts and ruins the flow of the song sequence a little.
9

Porky in Egypt
Directed by Robert Clampett
Porky is riding a camel called Humpty Bumpty in the desert and suddenly it gets really hot! The rest of the cartoon is mostly the camel (and sometimes Porky) having a heat stroke and hearing and seeing things that aren't there. Not much in the sense of a plot, but we do get some crazy animation and acting and funny scenes. The scene where the camel starts hallucinating has impressive effects. Works well as a one-off.
9

The Night Watchman
Directed by Charles Jones
Thomas Cat, the night watchman, is sick, so his son has to fill in for him. But the mice aren't afraid of the little kitten, bossing him around, eating all the food and playing loud music. This short has great animation – it's another one of those "more cute than funny" shorts, though there are some humorous moments like the effects the various foods (like bananas and pretzels) have on the mice's body shapes. The lead character is also a likable one. This short is most notable for being the first one directed by Chuck Jones. He'll definitely have many better shorts later on, but I think this is a charming debut.
8.5

The Daffy Doc
Directed by Robert Clampett
Daffy returns – and this time he pretty much relegates Porky to a bit part. The duck is an assistant to Dr. Quack who kicks him out for being noisy and a general nuisance. But Daffy decides to prove his worth and find his own patient! Clampett's wacky style suits Daffy perfectly – his antics are hilarious in this cartoon. The only minus is a surprisingly sudden (and somewhat weak) ending, I'd gladly have seen more of this chaos!
9.5

Daffy Duck in Hollywood
Directed by Fred Avery
And we get another Daffy cartoon, this time in color (he becomes the first character to have starred in multiple entries in both the Looney Tunes and the Merrie Melodies)! He asks movie producer I.M. Stupendous for a role but gets turned down. He then proceeds to ruin things when director Von Hamburger is making a film and even tries his hands at film making himself! Another nice cartoon with Daffy being annoying in his lovable way, though it's not one of his absolute best shorts – the previous Avery and Clampett shorts with him made even better use of his crazy antics. I can't deny its creativity, though – we even get live-action sequences in Daffy's "movie".
8.5

Porky the Gob
Directed by Ben Hardaway & Cal Dalton
Porky is in the navy. When the rest of the crew go to find a pirate submarine (for which there's a 50,000 dollar reward), Porky has to stay on the ship to his frustration. But when the pirates attack, he's the one who has to deal with them! Quite an action-packed cartoon, a fun watch even if there isn't much that hasn't been seen before. A slightly better gob than Buddy was!
8

Count Me Out
Directed by Ben Hardaway & Cal Dalton
Egghead starts to learn boxing in an attempt to become champion. After completing his lessons, he goes to fight champion Biff Stew. Boxing cartoons were relatively common back then – this is better than the early attempts, but not quite at the level of "Porky & Daffy". Still an entertaining one, again with some Avery influences at times. Egghead's last appearance in the series, though his brother Elmer will keep making appearances.
8.5

The Mice Will Play
Directed by Fred Avery
A bunch of mice enter the laboratory of Dr. I.M. Nutts and have fun with the equipment there. Test subject Susie Mouse is locked in a cage in the next room, and Johnny has to save her. A cat is lurking in the background too... With the cute mouse characters and a musical number, this feels like the Merrie Melodies from a couple of years ago – but since it's an Avery cartoon, there are more jokes. It's not as fast-paced and wild as his typical cartoon, but there are some cute gags here. I like the ending too. Definitely better than Avery's previous mouse cartoon, the more saccharine "A Sunbonnet Blue".
8.5

The studio also made another animated sequence for a live-action film, this time for Paramount. Only producer Schlesinger received credit, but the scene appears to be by the Clampett unit.

The Big Broadcast of 1938
A three-minute musical sequence featuring Shep Fields and His Rippling Rhythm Orchestra performing the foxtrot "This Little Ripple Had Rhythm". An anthropomorphic ripple emerges from water and joins the band on stage. He plays various instruments, and dancing trees and fellow ripples join the performance. Plotwise, this isn't very remarkable, but the combination of live-action and animation (especially the ripple interacting with the instruments) is really well done – a huge step up from "Bosko the Talk-Ink Kid" nine years earlier! And the ripple is very cute, too.
8.5

The ninth and last MGM short featuring former WB character Bosko was released this year: "Little Ol' Bosko in Bagdad". Again, Bosko is taking cookies to his grandma and dreams about a bunch of jazz frogs trying to take them from him. The animation here might be the cartooniest and wildest that we've seen in these shorts, but it's hard to look past the fact that it's the third Bosko cartoon in a row that's essentially the same (the only difference being an Arabian setting with one of the frogs being the sultan). Soon after this cartoon, Harman and Ising's MGM contract was terminated after the hiring of Freleng. They would come back soon, but Bosko never made another appearance, bringing the story of the first Looney Tunes character to an end.

1938 was another good year for the series, with the introductions of a couple of significant characters, or at least their prototype versions! Bob Clampett really shone this year as a director, creating some of Porky's best cartoons. Tex Avery kept making fun shorts. Cal Dalton and his co-directors were less consistent, but at their best, they could deliver masterpieces too. Oh, and this Charles Jones guy seems like a decent director based on his debut. Maybe we'll see more from him next year.