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1939: Of Mice and Dogs


Tacodidra

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After this year, we'll have had a full decade of the Looney Tunes! And what a year it is – as the success of the Looney Tunes and the Merrie Melodies grows, the two series release a combined total of 44 cartoons this year! For various reasons, this number would never be matched in the later years.


The Lone Stranger and Porky
Directed by Robert Clampett
Porky is delivering gold when he gets robbed. Thankfully, the mysterious hero the Lone Stranger and his horse Silver are there to save the day (and pretty much relegate the pig to a side role). Given the director, you can expect the whole idea not to be played straight – there are many comedic scenes, parodying everything from Snow White to serials, and the characters interact with both the narrator and the audience. Clampett just doesn't disappoint or fail to surprise me!
9

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Dog Gone Modern
Directed by Charles Jones
Two dogs enter an all-electric model home. They have a lot of trouble with the machines in the house, and a chase ensues, of course. An interesting cartoon – unusually for the series, the dog characters don't have any dialogue, instead just barking and growling like an ordinary dog. They're quite expressive, though, meaning that the comedy here is largely visual. It's much more fast-paced and comedic than Jones' first effort, already showing some signs of things to come. Enjoyable, but he'll naturally do a lot better later on. This short also features his first recurring characters – the dogs that are often referred to as the Curious Puppies.
8.5

It's an Ill Wind
Directed by Ben Hardaway & Cal Dalton
Porky and the annoyingly talkative Dizzy Duck go fishing, but their plans are interrupted by a storm. They find shelter in an abandoned house, but there's a lot of chaos, as they think it's haunted due to a dog and turtle wreaking havoc there. An amusing and chaotic cartoon, not quite reaching the randomness and wackiness of a Clampett cartoon, but the characters' antics are still nice to watch. The crew seems to have kept trying out new co-stars for Porky, as Dizzy appears here just as much as he does. While he works well in his role, I still prefer last year's three (Daffy, Petunia and Gabby).
9

Hamateur Night
Directed by Fred Avery
It's amateur night at the Warmer Bros. Theater, with the best act being chosen after all the performances. The acts aren't well received by most of the audience, and there are also interruptions from Elmer singing "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain" and a laughing hippo (the latter voiced by Avery himself). The idea is similar to the earlier "Into Your Dance" (and to a lesser extent, "I Love to Singa" and "A-Lad-in Bagdad"), but in this one, there are more gags and they're even funnier. The hippo is my favorite character here with his contagious laughter, though the disastrous performances are also very amusing!
10

Robinhood Makes Good
Directed by Charles Jones
Three squirrels read a book about Robin Hood and decide to play the characters. "Who's gonna be Robin Hood?" The big one, while the middle one is Little John, and the small one has to take the role of the villain they'll rob. But a fox notices the squirrels' game and pretends to be Maid Marian. "Robin Hood" and "Little John" go to save her, and soon the little squirrel has to save them! Jones' early efforts are often known as having been very cute, not having the comedy of his later shorts. This is one of those, being quite slow-moving at times. But at the same time, it's definitely not without its positives. I love the voice work here – Mel Blanc does a great job as always, and Berneice Hansell gives the squirrels an adorable voice. The animation and backgrounds are also really well done.
8

Porky's Tire Trouble
Directed by Robert Clampett
Porky is working at the Snappy Rubber Company, making car tires. No dogs are allowed in the factory, but Porky's pet Flat Foot Flookey sneaks in, causing a lot of chaos, especially after swallowing some rubberizing solution. I've heard Clampett was getting sick of doing nothing but Porky cartoons, and I think it's starting to show a little – Porky is officially the star here, but most of the cartoon seems to focus on the dog instead. An enjoyable cartoon with some good chase scenes, but not one of my absolute favorites.
8.5

Gold Rush Daze
Directed by Ben Hardaway & Cal Dalton
A young dog is planning to go digging for gold. But the owner of the gas station he visits thinks it's not a good idea – he tells about his experiences and failures digging for gold essentially everywhere. After all the great shorts lately, I found this to be among the more underwhelming ones – the animation is good, as is the music, but the gags here are mostly rehashed. The gold digging theme was also something covered before (in "Gold Diggers of '49" back in 1935) and in a funnier way.
7

A Day at the Zoo
Directed by Fred Avery
It's feeding time at the Kalama Zoo, and we see the various animals there. Another spot gag cartoon with a lot of corny but amusing puns. There's also a running gag with Elmer teasing a lion despite both a sign and the narrator telling him not to do so. These kinds of cartoons pretty much disappeared from the series as time passed, but they're definitely fun in small doses!
9

Porky's Movie Mystery
Directed by Robert Clampett
A mysterious phantom is haunting the Warmer Bros. studio lot, and the police are desperate to find out who's responsible. Porky is called to the rescue... but this time he's not appearing as himself but as Japanese secret agent Mr. Motto. A strange cartoon – Porky portraying another character for the entirety of the cartoon is something new and an interesting concept, even if I'm not quite sure what to think about the Motto character (his ju jitsu skills are interesting, the stereotypical portrayal less so). The ending here might be the most random one I've seen in any of these cartoons. An interesting experiment that reminds me a little of a few Tashlin Porkys, but as a slightly less serious take.
8.5

Prest-O Change-O
Directed by Charles Jones
The Curious Puppies are back. This is very similar to "Dog Gone Modern", the difference being that after being chased by a dog catcher, the two dogs end up in magician Sham-Fu's house. Instead of machines, the magician's props are giving the dogs trouble this time, the small one struggling with a rope and the big one being pestered by a rabbit (the Bugs prototype from "Porky's Hare Hunt"). It's an entertaining short – not as good as the rabbit's debut, but the magic theme just manages to make it not feel too derivative of the previous Curious Puppies cartoon. A scene where the big dog puts the rabbit in a trunk, repeating the sequence with bigger trunks, is an early version of a gag Jones would use in some of his later cartoons to more impact.
8.5

Chicken Jitters
Directed by Robert Clampett
Porky has a poultry farm – there are many gags involving the chickens, as well as a newly hatched duck that ends up on the farm. A fox attacks and the duck is in danger! Besides the obvious "Porky's Poultry Plant", many of the chicken scenes remind me of... pretty much every cartoon so far that has had chickens in it! But with Clampett's involvement, there are some unexpected things here (the fox has a gun!) and the end gag is a good one.
8.5

Bars and Stripes Forever
Directed by Ben Hardaway & Cal Dalton
A group of canine prisoners is trying to escape from Alcarazz prison (not the first time they've used this pun), and the warden seems to be quite naive at times. When one of them manages to do it, the police start chasing him. There are some nice comedic scenes here, like the escaping prisoner's musical number and a clever joke involving an electric chair. It's not an all-time classic, but it has its moments. I definitely prefer it to Hardaway and Dalton's previous one-shot with dog characters.
8.5

Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur
Directed by Charles Jones
And another color Merrie Melody with the lovable crazy duck! This short takes place in the prehistoric days, with Casper Caveman and his dinosaur Fido looking for food. They come across a duck – Daffy, of course! This is the first truly great short by Jones – Daffy comes up with more wacky ideas to outwit the hunter, the supporting characters are also amusing ones (especially the dinosaur), and there are many funny gags including a long sequence with signs and a fairly surprising ending!
9.5

Porky and Teabiscuit
Directed by Ben Hardaway & Cal Dalton
Porky is told by his father (now named Phineas Pig) to take some feed to the race track for 11 dollars. He accidentally buys a nag called Teabiscuit with the money and then enters a race with it. The horse race theme is something we've seen multiple times in the series, even with Porky in "Milk and Money". While this doesn't quite match that one, it's still an entertaining entry. The best part here is Teabiscuit himself, a lot of character for a mostly non-anthropomorphic horse.
8.5

Thugs with Dirty Mugs
Directed by Fred Avery
The Killer and his gang rob all the banks, and police chief Flat-Foot Flanigan vows to catch him! Will he manage to do so before they rob Mrs. Lotta Jewels? This gangster movie parody (with the characters introduced as actors playing roles) features a lot of puns, fourth wall breaking and random jokes. As always, Avery manages to surprise the audience with these. Another one worth a watch!
9

Kristopher Kolumbus Jr.
Directed by Robert Clampett
Porky portrays the titular character who discovers America despite various setbacks, such as his crew abandoning him and an encounter with a sea serpent. Making Porky play various roles instead of just being himself is something Clampett appears to have tried multiple times to add variety to the series. This wacky take on Columbus includes some funny gags, but I feel it could have been even wilder. It's still an enjoyable one, and even playing a role, Porky feels more like himself here than he did in "Porky's Movie Mystery".
8.5

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Naughty but Mice
Directed by Charles Jones
Sniffles the mouse has a cold (not really a surprise with that name). He sneaks into a drug store and things get weird. He gets drunk, makes friends with an electric shaver (makes more sense with the former in mind) and gets chased by a cat. This is quite slow-paced for the most part, which wasn't unusual for early Jones, and the design and animation style of the mouse wouldn't look out of place in a Disney cartoon (Sniffles' conversation with the shaver also feels like it might have been inspired by Donald Duck and the spring in "Clock Cleaners", though much friendlier). But there are a few animations of wild takes and other moments that are very much WB. A cute cartoon, probably the best one ever with an electric shaver character, but still not at the level of the Jones' later masterpieces. Still an important step for him – out of his early characters, Sniffles was the most successful, appearing in several cartoons and also becoming one of the stars in the Looney Tunes comics alongside an original character called Mary Jane.
8

Believe It or Else
Directed by Fred Avery
In a parody of "Believe It or Not", we get to see unusual people, events, new developments in science, optical illusions... Elmer doesn't believe any of it, though. Another spot gag cartoon with puns and other jokes, though Avery has done even better ones before. Still some fun moments here, especially the end scene.
8

Polar Pals
Directed by Robert Clampett
On the North Pole, Porky and his animal friends are having fun, dancing and playing along to the catchy tune "Let's Rub Noses (Like the Eskimoses)". But then the fun is ruined by fur trapper I. Killem who tries to shoot the animals, and it's up to Porky to save the day. With all the animals, this is surprisingly cute for a Clampett cartoon, but of course we get the more typical gags (many of them ice-related) and fast-paced chase sequences too. I can't help but love the corny pun of an "ice-bestos" curtain! One of the best recent Porkys.
9.5

Hobo Gadget Band
Directed by Ben Hardaway & Cal Dalton
Hobos board a train and play music, only to get kicked out. As the Junktown Gadget Band, they then participate in an audition for a radio station. This reminds me of the Merrie Melodies from a couple of years ago with its emphasis on music over comedy (though there are a couple of amusing jokes) or significant plot developments. The music is indeed good and the ending is a nice one, otherwise it's a bit mediocre for the time.
7.5

Scalp Trouble
Directed by Robert Clampett
General Daffy is commanding his troops. After struggling to wake up Porky, they defend the army post from an Indian attack. The subject matter is again quite dated. That aside, the cartoon is another good Clampett entry with fast-paced and wacky fighting scenes. Things get especially wild after Daffy accidentally swallows some ammunition!
9

Old Glory
Directed by Charles Jones
One of the most unusual cartoons in the series in that it's a completely serious short without a single joke in it. It's also the first time since his debut that Porky has appeared in a Merrie Melody and therefore a color cartoon. Portrayed here as a kid, Porky is struggling to learn the Pledge of Allegiance and wonders why he needs to do that. He falls asleep and meets Uncle Sam who tells him about American history. As the threat of a war was looming (and these fears would soon come true), this patriotic cartoon must have had a big impact on the audience. More than eight decades later and not being American, I don't really get the whole experience here, but I still think it's an effective cartoon with its visuals (realistic, at times rotoscoped animation for Uncle Sam and the Founding Fathers) and message. This isn't really what I expect from the series, but as a one-off, I think it succeeds in what it's trying to do.
8

Dangerous Dan McFoo
Directed by Fred Avery
The story of the shooting of Dan McFoo. A stranger comes to the saloon and sets his eyes on Dan's beautiful girlfriend Sue. The two dogs proceed to fight, complete with a boxing announcer. Some of the gags in this would have stood out more at the time and have since become more common, such as when the fight gets slowed down and paused. The characters are entertaining, Sue does the Katharine Hepburn impersonation Avery seems to have liked a lot (having used it before in "Little Red Walking Hood"). But what's more notable is Dan's voice – Arthur Q. Bryan gives him the exact same voice, speech impediment included, that would soon be given to Elmer Fudd. These are the interesting things that you'll notice when going through these chronologically!
9

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Porky's Picnic
Directed by Robert Clampett
Petunia Pig returns! Porky goes on a picnic with her, an annoying kid (Pinky from "Porky's Naughty Nephew") comes along, and Petunia and Pinky almost get hit by a train. Sounds just like the 1933 disaster "Buddy's Day Out"! Thankfully, this cartoon is a lot better. There are actual gags in this one, the characters are better (Petunia is actually sweet in this one, unlike in the Tashlin cartoons), and there's a satisfying ending after all the trouble the brat puts our heroes in. Petunia gets a new design (though it was already seen very quickly in a picture on Porky's wall in "Scalp Trouble") which would be used in all of her subsequent appearances, including the Looney Tunes comics.
8.5

Snowman's Land
Directed by Charles Jones
The "Northeast Dismounted Police" (all of them dogs) want to catch the dangerous outlaw Dirty Pierre, the "Scourge of the North". As everyone else quickly runs away, a goofy Mountie has to "volunteer" to catch the criminal. His incompetence makes the task quite difficult. Fairly ordinary comedy cartoon, but still enjoyable to watch even if it isn't the most memorable one.
8

Wise Quacks
Directed by Robert Clampett
Mr. and Mrs. Daffy Duck get new hatchlings, and Daffy's longtime friend Porky comes to visit him. One of the hatchlings gets captured by an eagle, and it's up to a drunken Daffy to save it. I loved this one – Daffy is especially fun here, with Mel Blanc's great performance (he could do a hilarious drunken voice). The ending is a particularly hilarious one! Daffy gets a new design here, adding a gray highlight to his face, but this design change would be reverted soon.
10

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Hare-um Scare-um
Directed by Ben Hardaway & Cal Dalton
Frustrated with rising meat prices, John Sourpuss goes hunting with his dog and comes across a rabbit. The rabbit proves to be too crazy and cunning for the two. Now even called 'Bugs' Bunny (from Hardaway's nickname – note the apostrophes) in promotional material, he is redesigned as a gray rabbit closer to what we'd see later on. The personality is still very close to that of Daffy Duck (and some parts of this short resemble the Hardaway-written "Daffy Duck & Egghead", including another crazy song and the ending), but we get more aspects of the familiar Bugs – the "Guess who" scene would be reused later, and this is the first time he wears a costume (of a girl dog) to fool another character. This is a short of such historical importance in the series that it's hard to look at it outside that context, but I'd definitely count it as one of the best of its era. For unknown reasons, this cartoon had the last 30 seconds cut out before its original release, but thankfully it's since been restored to its original intended length.
10

Detouring America
Directed by Fred Avery
Another Avery spot gag cartoon, this time showing us many of the U.S. states and their people, animals and nature. The highlight is the "human fly", climbing the Empire State Building. Not the best cartoon of its kind, but still an entertaining watch with its typical puns and comedic reactions. Also very impressive visually, especially the background pans. It truly made an impact at the time – it gave the studio an Oscar nomination (their first since 1932), but lost to Disney's "The Ugly Duckling". The Academy sure had a diverse taste then, as those two films couldn't have been much more different from each other!
8.5

Little Brother Rat
Directed by Charles Jones
The mice are having a scavenger hunt, and after getting a cat's whisker, Sniffles only needs an owl's egg to win. He goes to get one, but the father owl stops him. He goes there again, only for the owlet to hatch, and while attempting to bring the egg to the party, Sniffles and the owl get chased by a cat! This is an improvement over the first Sniffles cartoon – like its predecessor, it's very cute, but with the addition of better characters (as much as I liked the shaver, the owls are more defined and believable as characters), and Sniffles himself having more personality, including a new catchphrase of "Gee willikers". It might slightly resemble the output of that studio with the other mouse, but I don't think it suffers at all in comparison.
9

Porky's Hotel
Directed by Robert Clampett
Porky owns a hotel and gets a customer – an angry goat called Mr. Gouty. This character reminds me slightly of Gabby Goat (possibly a relative?), but there's also a Gabby in this cartoon – a duck that's very similar to Dizzy from "It's an Ill Wind". Chaotic antics ensue, as Gabby gets annoyed by a fly, and the goat gets caught up in the whole thing. An entertaining short with some good gags, though Porky himself doesn't appear much. Some nice WB cartoon nostalgia too, as "Honeymoon Hotel" from the 1934 cartoon is heard with new lyrics.
8.5

Sioux Me
Directed by Ben Hardaway & Cal Dalton
There's been a long drought in the Indian reservation in Hangnail, Oklahoma. Rainmaker J.Q. Drizzlepuss has to make things better with his rain dance, or else... Thankfully, a doctor arrives to save the day with his weather pills, including the much needed rain pill! A little boy gets the pills. But the rainmaker throws them away, angry that he didn't bring the water he was supposed to get, and they get eaten by animals, as well as some people. A shamefully obvious rip-off of the earlier "Porky the Rain-Maker", to the point I was able to copy and paste the plot outline for that one here without changing much more than the character names. That cartoon was such an enjoyable one that even an inferior remake has some appeal left to it. The ending is a new one and quite funny, but otherwise I'd just go for the original.
7

Land of the Midnight Fun
Directed by Fred Avery
In this travelogue, people go to Alaska on the S.S. Wrecks. After some ship-related gags, we see some about the Alaskan people and nature. This is another fun watch – these kinds of cartoons with the charmingly corny puns appear to have been very popular at the time. Despite some jokes having been recycled from earlier cartoons, I like how all of these take place in very different settings.
8.5

Jeepers Creepers
Directed by Robert Clampett
Policeman Porky has to investigate a deserted house that's suspected to have a ghost in it. Once he enters, the ghost starts playing pranks on him. Entertaining short – the highlight for me was the mischievous ghost character with his supernatural abilities and funny voice. The audio is great in general – Mel Blanc is brilliant as Porky, there are many fittingly creepy sounds, and the catchy title song is heard sung by the ghost. The rest of the short is very enjoyable too – we get the usual Clampett wildness with some horror influences mixed in.
9.5

Naughty Neighbors
Directed by Robert Clampett
After a long feud between the Martins and the McCoys, leaders Petunia and Porky sign a non-aggression pact. But despite the two pigs being in love, the families' animals seem to want to continue fighting. Fittingly for the plot, there are two very different kinds of scenes. The animals keep fighting in comedic ways, while the scenes with Porky and Petunia are very cute. Their duet of "Would You Like Take a Walk" (with changed lyrics, much better than the original!) is definitely the most memorable part of this cartoon – the same song is also used to comic effect in the fight scenes. The ending is quite a daring one for the time! Sadly, Petunia (definitely one of my favorite female characters in the series) would never appear in another classic era short after this one. But like some other dropped characters, she would live on in the Looney Tunes comics for many more years.
8.5

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The Little Lion Hunter
Directed by Charles Jones
Yet again, Jones introduces potential new stars! Young African native Inki is hunting various animals (including the mysterious Minah Bird) but doesn't succeed at catching them. He then comes across a lion and tries his best to get away from the beast. For an African character in the 30s, I think a much worse job could have been done – Inki is quite likable, even if he doesn't completely avoid the stereotypes of the time. The Minah Bird steals the show here, though – the nonchalant bird walking and hopping to the tune of Mendelssohn's "The Hebrides" was used as a running gag of sorts. A chase cartoon with no dialogue and the timing of animation to classical music are both something Jones would do much better later on, but despite being nowhere near that quality, this one still has some appeal of its own, especially with some expressive animation.
8

The Good Egg
Directed by Charles Jones
All the chickens in the henhouse have new hatchlings, except for one. Depressed, she plans to drown herself but finds an egg on the beach. The egg hatches, and it's a turtle, but the mother hen raises him as a chick. The other chicks bully the turtle and don't let him join them on their sailing trip – one that ends up going very wrong! A cute short, though also a very sad one at times. The little turtle is easily my favorite character here, and I found the ending quite an emotional one. Maybe not your typical WB cartoon, but I certainly enjoyed this one.
9

Pied Piper Porky
Directed by Robert Clampett
Porky is the Pied Piper of Hamelin and rids the town of rats. This theme is soon swept aside, though – after failing to lure out one mouse with his horn, Porky decides to use a more traditional mouse trap (a cat) instead, and the rest of the cartoon focuses on that. There are some entertaining jokes here, like the cat being afraid of the mouse, and the highlight being the ending. But despite this being a fun enough watch, I think both the director and the character have had much better entries before.
8

Fresh Fish
Directed by Fred Avery
Professor Mackerel Fishface is trying to catch the rare Whim Wham whistling shark. Meanwhile, we see gags involving various different fish. A running gag features a two-headed fish who's looking for Mr. Ripley, to the annoyance of the narrator. Out of these spot gag cartoons, I'd say this is an average one – entertaining but not quite matching "A Day at the Zoo", for example (maybe the wider variety of animals there also played a part). But in any case, I enjoyed watching these punny fish.
8.5

Fagin's Freshman
Directed by Ben Hardaway & Cal Dalton
Blackie the kitten doesn't want to sing childish songs with his mother and siblings, preferring listening to crime shows. After he's sent to his room without supper, he has a nightmare where he's at school being taught how to commit crimes by Fagin, and they soon end up in a shootout with the police. Hardaway and Dalton's output has been a bit of a mixed bag – some very good cartoons, while others are less remarkable. This is in the latter group: while the characters are reasonably entertaining (the criminal Fagin being my favorite one), the predictable ending and moral feel too saccharine. Maybe it would have worked better if Blackie had committed actual petty crimes instead of just preferring exciting radio shows to sickeningly sweet kids' songs (the extremely annoying "Three Little Kittens" which isn't even played for laughs here). Enjoyable cartoon in parts, but others made me feel just like Blackie did in the cartoon itself.
7

Porky the Giant Killer
Directed by Ben Hardaway & Cal Dalton
Everyone in town is going to slay the giant living in a castle. Porky joins them, armed with a table leg. When the giant wakes up, everyone quickly runs away, except for the pig who ends up getting locked inside the castle. To make matters worse, he accidentally wakes up the giant's baby. Now he has to make sure he doesn't make too much noise to wake up the father. This is another enjoyable Porky short – the characters all have quite a bit of personality, though I'm not sure why everyone is insistent on killing the giant (he seems like a pretty decent guy, at least when people don't trespass on his property). This one differs from most of the previous shorts by not having a happy ending, but I think the crew manages to make it funny this time, unlike the injustice Porky faced in "Porky's Super Service".
8.5

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Sniffles and the Bookworm
Directed by Charles Jones
A variation on the familiar "books come to life" theme. Sniffles is safe from cold weather in a bookstore. The bookworm (who would become a recurring character in the series) is scared of the visitor and asks a couple of book characters for help in dealing with him. Once they realize the mouse isn't dangerous, they all perform a musical number ("Mutiny in the Nursery") until a real danger pops up. The song performance is good, but ignoring the fact Sniffles didn't exist before 1939, this feels like a cartoon from a few years earlier and not necessarily in a good way. Despite the usual beautiful animation, this is definitely the weakest of the three Sniffles shorts so far.
7

Screwball Football
Directed by Fred Avery
It's the biggest football game of the year! As you can guess from the title, the game is a very crazy one, with a lot of visual gags and wordplay. There's also a running gag with a baby licking an ice cream cone while the man sitting next to him is also trying to lick it. The best football cartoon yet, as well as one of the best sports-related ones in general, though obviously the humor eclipses the sport itself here. Special mentions to the music (one of the best of the many uses of John F. Barth's "Frat" in these cartoons) and the great ending.
9

The Film Fan
Directed by Robert Clampett
Porky is supposed to get some groceries for his mother, but when he notices a movie screening with kids admitted free (his age seems to be changing a lot!), he goes to see it. In the style of "Bosko's Picture Show", "She Was an Acrobat's Daughter" and such, we see comedic newsreels and trailers for movies. Another Porky short where the focus isn't really on him, and fairly derivative of several earlier shorts, but we still get some fun gags like a dog wanting to see a movie about trees. Amusing for sure but not one of Clampett's masterpieces.
8

The Curious Puppy
Directed by Charles Jones
Or two curious puppies, as they return for their third appearance in the same year. A dog sneaks into a closed amusement park and accidentally turns on the master switch. After that, he gets chased by a watch dog through some of the rides. This is another mildly comedic entry with the two dogs' various antics, though I think more could have been done with the amusement park idea – we don't get a roller coaster scene, for example, and the house of mirrors could have provided even more gags than what was done. Some fun here, but I feel these puppies have pretty much given all they can already.
8


A short animated clip featuring Porky was also made for a Warner Bros. blooper reel (of course the company's biggest cartoon star had to appear in addition to all the live-action stars), with variations appearing throughout it. It is believed to have been made by the Hardaway and Dalton unit.


Breakdowns of 1939
Yes, this is the famous clip of Porky trying to hammer a nail and accidentally hitting his thumb, then swearing. I bet it got an amazing reception from the people watching the reel back then, and now that it's available to the general public, everyone seems to get a kick out of it. It's also definitely one of the first times (if not the very first) an "outtake" of a cartoon character was created, something that's quite common in today's animated movies. The rating might feel a bit high for less than 20 seconds of animation, but what can I do – it's simply an iconic sequence!
10


The Schlesinger studio also created animated sequences for two live-action films this year, both of them directed without credit by Hardaway and Dalton, seemingly the go-to guys for the studio's assorted projects. One was for the MGM short "How to Eat", the other for the Republic Pictures feature "She Married a Cop".


How to Eat
Humorist Robert Benchley shows a chart of a man's digestive system, showing the effects stress has on the stomach. The cartoon man comes to life and eats a chop which then turns into a hundred-pound weight. He then eats a goldfish which turns into a ship. Quite a strange clip lasting a little over 20 seconds – it probably made more sense in the context of the full short. There isn't much animation here, but the goldfish is nicely animated, and I quite like its design.
7

She Married a Cop
As the plot of the movie involved an animation studio (Mammoth Studios), of course some cartoon sequences had to be included. This short sequence features Paddy the Pig who is a police officer. He sings the song "I Can't Imagine" and tries to impress his girlfriend. Three cats (who resemble the students of Katnip Kollege a little) sing along. There's less than a minute of animation – it's well drawn, but these kinds of musical cartoons had started to lose their popularity in real life by this point. It served its purpose in the context of the movie, but I still prefer Porky and Petunia to these two pigs.
7.5

 

And that's it for the busiest year of the WB cartoons. Most of the cartoons were very enjoyable, with no particularly bad entries included. But I still think the couple of years before this were slightly stronger in general – was the schedule perhaps even too tight? Anyway, I appreciate the way the crew experimented with various ideas. While the Merrie Melodies have mostly been one-shots with the exception of a few recurring characters like Elmer and Daffy, Chuck Jones introduced several new characters this year with the clear intention to make series of them from the start (a couple of them having already got multiple follow-ups in the same year). It's quite obvious that the studio doesn't want to rely on Porky alone, and their attempts will soon start to bear fruit...


The 30s were an interesting decade for the two cartoon series. Especially in the second half of the decade, we've already seen a lot of development in animation quality and comedy, as well as the introduction of a couple of characters that would be huge (Porky Pig and Daffy Duck). With Freleng, Avery, Clampett and Jones, most of the directors that would really shape the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies have already shown up, though for many of them, their best times still lie ahead. What will the 40s bring?

Edited by Tacodidra

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I can honestly say I've seen nearly all these. :kirin:

Bugs with a flesh-toned snout is still cursed. :blink:

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@Samurai Equine For me, there were still quite a few cartoons I hadn't seen, since the TV channels here mostly showed the post-1948 package. But there are more cartoons I've seen before every year, a trend that will probably continue until the mid-60s. :P

In Bugs' case, a simpler color scheme does look a lot better – I found the yellow gloves a bit strange myself (they'll become white on his very next appearance). :please:

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I remember seeing "Old Glory" on the second Golden Collection, and I remember finding it very unusual for the series, but also rather relaxing at the same time. :dash: I don't recall most of the others from 1939, but it seems to have been quite a productive year at the studio.

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@Octavia Heartstrings I appreciated it a lot more this time than when I first saw it. It's certainly not a funny cartoon, but it's impressive to see the crew do something so different for once. :rarity:

I had seen at least 16 of the shorts before this project (possibly a couple more), but even for some of them, it was my first time seeing them in English (so pretty much the first time anyway). :P The cartoons from this era deserve to be shown a lot more, especially the original black and white versions of the Porky cartoons.

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