Tacodidra

@Samurai Equine Indeed – while none of the cartoons from this year were in the most famous bunch of banned cartoons (the Censored 11), there are a few very rarely aired ones. It certainly applies to "The Early Worm Gets the Bird" (I'm surprised it didn't make the list), "Africa Squeaks" and "Confederate Honey", at least. "Slap Happy Pappy" is a rather strange one (though I like it) – essentially a whole cartoon based on a running joke from Eddie Cantor's radio show. I've seen comparisons between Fievel and Sniffles before – I'm guessing there was a subconscious inspiration, at least, as the similarities are pretty strong.

I'll also put this here for anyone who's interested: I've edited my 1931 review since I saw "Buster Bear" a while ago. A definite classic... or not? https://mlpforums.com/blogs/entry/26848-1931-enter-merrie-melodies/

The Looney Tunes head on to their second decade. The year 1940 will be one of the most important in the history of the series, and I'd say animation in general (and that's not an exaggeration at all). Porky's Last Stand Directed by Robert Clampett Porky is running a fried chicken stand. Daffy works there and has to make a hamburger for a customer. But there's a problem – the ingredients have been eaten by mice. Daffy spots a calf and starts chasing it, but he ends up angering a bull. Some good Clampett wackiness here – Daffy is funny as always, and while Porky gets slightly overshadowed by him here, he has some brilliant moments too. A lot of singing too (from chickens, Porky and Daffy), seemingly in a parody of musical cartoons. Definitely worth a watch, especially if you like Clampett (and I certainly do). 10 The Early Worm Gets the Bird Directed by Fred Avery A little blackbird is reading the book "The Early Bird Gets the Worm" and is inspired to get up early to do just that. However, his mother tells him not to, as he'd get eaten by a fox, and the other two little blackbirds don't think it's a good idea either. The bird tries anyway, and after meeting a little worm who wants to see what the early bird looks like, chase ensues, and the fox of course joins in a little later. This is one cartoon with clear high and low points. Despite being portrayed as anthropomorphic animals, the characters are among the more stereotypically portrayed black characters of the day, and apart from the fox, I wouldn't consider them particularly memorable. However, the end gag is a pretty entertaining one, and we get the first time a character turns into a "sucker" (a joke that would be used many times in the series). But I'd still say this is one of Avery's weaker efforts. 7.5 Africa Squeaks Directed by Robert Clampett Porky is on an expedition in darkest Africa, and we get to see the natives and wildlife. The running gag involves Stanley looking for Dr. Livingstone. This is a spot gag cartoon similar to the ones by Avery, so Porky is once again relegated to a bit part. As for the gags, they're quite random, thankfully with slightly less reliance on stereotypes than in the rather similar "The Isle of Pingo Pongo". Not all of them work equally well, but there's enough entertainment and surprises. 8 Mighty Hunters Directed by Charles Jones The first Merrie Melodies cartoon based on an outside property – James Swinnerton's comic strip "Canyon Kiddies", published in the Good Housekeeping Magazine. In the short, we follow the kids in a Native American tribe. One of them is trying to ride a donkey to no avail, two others go squirrel hunting, while a fourth kid (who is carrying his baby brother with him) gets chased by a bear. The visuals are my favorite thing about this cartoon – the designs of the main characters are cute, and the background paintings by Swinnerton are nice to look at. But plotwise, this isn't a particularly memorable cartoon. This was supposed to be the first of a series of Canyon Kiddies cartoons, but no others were ever released. Maybe it didn't indeed reach the success WB had expected. 7 Busy Bakers Directed by Ben Hardaway & Cal Dalton Swenson's bakery isn't doing any business. After a poor hungry old man shows up and the baker gives him a donut, the man promises to reward him for his kindness. He then gets a group of funny baker men to bake pies and cakes while the baker's asleep. This is more the type of cartoon you'd have expected to see a few years earlier – it has a Disney feel to it, a musical approach, and the fairytale-esque story is mostly played straight here. It's a nice representative of its style, though the studio has had a lot better. The last cartoon directed by Hardaway and Dalton – they were demoted to their old roles of storyman and animator, respectively, to make room for a returning director... 8 Ali-Baba Bound Directed by Robert Clampett Legionaire Porky and his camel Baby Dumpling have to defend the Desert Fort from Ali Baba (the Mad Dog of the Desert) and his Dirty Sleeves, as the rest of the legion is away. A lot of fun, fast-paced gags here, with many amusing characters (Mel Blanc really gets to shine here with his voice acting). The basic plot was used before in "Little Beau Porky", but this short is definitely an improvement over that one. 9.5 Elmer's Candid Camera Directed by Charles Jones Elmer goes to photograph wildlife, but a rabbit (the Bugs Bunny prototype) keeps bothering him and ruining his attempts. WB cartoon history is made here – Elmer Fudd appears for the first time with his final design (although still wearing the clothes of the prototype version), and Arthur Q. Bryan gives him his familiar voice. It's also the first cartoon to have him rather than Porky or John Sourpuss against a rabbit, meaning we're getting closer to the eventual Bugs cartoons... Besides being a significant cartoon for the series, it's a fun one – the pace is a bit slower at times (though that's quite fitting for the theme), but Elmer is a great character and is already very close to his famous version in personality. The scene with him going crazy has the wildest animation and the most personality we've seen in Jones' cartoons so far. Surprisingly, the rabbit (now slightly redesigned with white instead of yellow gloves and partially black ears – the former becoming permanent) might be the weakest part in this cartoon – the way he annoys Elmer feels less justified here than in the earlier and later rabbit hunting cartoons, as the photographer isn't really trying to cause any harm to him, and when he thinks he has, he's showing regret as he would later on. But even with these slight teething troubles, it's a very good and influential entry, and a contender for the director's best so far. 9.5 Pilgrim Porky Directed by Robert Clampett In 1620, Captain Porky and other pilgrims sail to America on the Mayflower. On the way, we see many spot gags related to the weather and the ocean among other things. This is another humorous cartoon – some of the gags are familiar from earlier cartoons (such as "Porky the Gob" and "Fresh Fish"), but there's enough new material and nice animation to make this one worth a watch, even if the titular pig doesn't show up much. 8.5 Cross Country Detours Directed by Fred Avery A spot gag cartoon showing wildlife in various U.S. states, with the usual corny puns. The running gag involves an Eskimo dog from Alaska trying to get to California (it'll all make sense in the end). Many entertaining gags here, including jokes about censorship. Besides being funny, it's a beautiful cartoon – the painted backgrounds here are the most impressive I've seen yet, with some great multiplane camera pans. A good candidate for the best cartoon of its kind. 9 Confederate Honey Directed by I. Freleng After a couple of years at MGM, Friz is back! His first cartoon after returning is a "Gone with the Wind" parody, taking place in Kentucky in 1861 BC (before Seabiscuit). Tobacco plantation owner Colonel O'Hairoil's daughter Crimson is courted by lots of men, but she has set her eyes on Ned Cutler (portrayed by Elmer, making his second appearance with his final voice and design). But just as it seems he's about to propose to the lady, the Civil War starts and he joins the army. The Avery influences are pretty strong here with the various visual puns and randomness. There are some badly dated parts in the cartoon, but I generally found it an entertaining one, and it shows Freleng already starting to move towards the comedic approach of the newer WB cartoons. Elmer is always great to see, and the female lead has some funny moments too. My relative unfamiliarity with the movie it's parodying didn't hamper my enjoyment much either. 8 Slap Happy Pappy Directed by Robert Clampett On Porky's farm, Eddie Cackler and his wife Ida are expecting chicks. But despite Eddie's wishes, he can't seem to get a son, just daughters. For fellow singing rooster Bing, it's the other way around – all of his hatchlings are boys. Can he give Eddie some useful advice? Of all the Porky cartoons so far, this features him the least. But it's a fun one with all the celebrity parodies (besides Cantor and Crosby, we see Jack Benny among others), and naturally, quite a bit of humorous singing. For some reason, Crosby was portrayed as a rooster a lot in these cartoons. 8.5 The Bear's Tale Directed by Fred Avery Another one of Avery's fairytale parodies – this time spoofing Goldilocks and the Three Bears. As Goldilocks accidentally goes to grandma's house instead, the wolf and eventually Little Red Riding Hood herself get caught up in the story too! Avery has been brilliant at this type of cartoon, and this one is no exception – a lot of jokes, and the characters here are very funny, especially the dopey Papa Bear voiced by the director himself. It gets more and more random as the story goes on, with some of the conflict not even getting resolved (which doesn't bother much in this type of short). Definitely one of the best cartoons of its time. 10 Porky's Poor Fish Directed by Robert Clampett Porky owns a pet fish shop and performs a cute song along with the fish. When he goes out to lunch, a cat enters the store and tries to eat one of the fish. The other fish in the shop unite to save her and fight the cat. A fun cartoon with puns and visual gags involving the various fish, in addition to some typical fast-paced scenes. 8.5 The Hardship of Miles Standish Directed by I. Freleng After hearing a radio play about the Courtship of Miles Standish, an old man tells the story of how it really happened. Miles wants to propose to Priscilla, but he's shy, so he sends John Alden (portrayed by Elmer Fudd) to do it via a singing telegram. Soon after this, Indians (including the Cleveland Indians!) attack. At the time, Freleng seems to have had the idea of using Elmer in various stories, portraying historical or literary figures (as he had done before in "Confederate Honey"). This is a humorous cartoon, Elmer being the obvious star – we even hear him singing "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby", which makes quite an impression on Priscilla (and indeed, he has a surprisingly nice singing voice)! There are several entertaining jokes, including one scene with mouthed swearing! 8.5 Sniffles Takes a Trip Directed by Charles Jones Sniffles goes to the countryside to have a peaceful time. But things don't go like he thought – a woodpecker prevents him from taking a nap, then he has run-ins with some other animals and is eventually creeped out by the dark. Visually, this cartoon is impressive with the detailed animation, shading and beautiful backgrounds. However, despite the adorable lead character, I don't find the short itself particularly interesting. Most of the conflict stems from Sniffles' misunderstandings of his surroundings, which I guess is cute, but I find myself missing the humor and faster pace of most other shorts of the era. I generally like the early Chuck Jones cartoons (many of which were clearly attempting to emulate the Disney style) more than many other WB cartoon fans do, but this is among his weaker attempts of the era. Slightly better than the previous Sniffles cartoon, but far behind the first two. 7 You Ought to Be in Pictures Directed by I. Freleng Daffy wants to become the star of the studio, so he convinces Porky to quit his job and try to make it in feature films. Leon Schlesinger agrees to this and tears up Porky's contract – "He'll be back!" Porky's attempts to reach movie stardom don't go as well as he expected. This is an unusual short with its combination of animation and live-action – something that was rare back in the day and is done very impressively here. The WB cartoon crew get to play the live-action roles, including Michael Maltese as a studio guard. But I think Leon Schlesinger does the best job here playing himself – his performance is excellent, also showing his sense of humor in process. As for the cartoon characters, both Porky and Daffy get to shine, the duo having brilliant chemistry. One of the most memorable shorts in the entire series. 10 A Gander at Mother Goose Directed by Fred Avery A spot gag cartoon parodying classic nursery rhymes, featuring the likes of Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill, and the Three Little Pigs. In a cartoon like this, it's obvious some gags will work better than others, but it's generally an entertaining watch. There's another joke about dogs and trees, for example (obviously a Termite Terrace favorite). The final gag (based on the Night Before Christmas) is my favorite, it took me completely by surprise! 9 Tom Thumb in Trouble Directed by Charles Jones Tom Thumb is a woodchopper's son, named for his diminutive size. When his father goes to work, Tom is doing the dishes and almost drowns, getting saved by a bird. The father thinks the bird caused the dangerous situation, and Tom goes looking for his new friend in the cold weather. This cartoon probably takes Jones' attempts to emulate Disney to an extreme – very little in it feels like the typical WB cartoon. Tom and the bird have very cute designs, while detailed, realistic animation is used for the father. I know this is not an especially popular cartoon, but it does have its appeal, including some emotional scenes with Tom's father. Out of Jones' cute cartoons, I think this is a much more successful one than the last couple with Sniffles – despite some slow pacing and little comedy, there's more to it than just cutesy characters and good visuals. 8.5 The Chewin' Bruin Directed by Robert Clampett A hunter tells Porky the story behind his mounted bear head – how he and his dog came across a bear with a liking for chewing tobacco. I found this a surprisingly tame entry by Clampett's standards, though there are still some fun puns and visual gags in this one. The "Starring Porky" card is pretty much a lie, as he appears for less than a minute and the least of all four characters. The characters we get to see are entertaining enough to make this an enjoyable short, even if it's not an absolute must-see. 8.5 Circus Today Directed by Fred Avery Spot gag cartoon featuring various acts at the Jingling Bros. Circus. We get in-joke references to the crew (like Captain Clampett and Hotfoot Hogan), a couple of acts that end tragically, and amusing animals among others. Harman and Ising did a cartoon full of similarly themed gags back in 1932, but this one is definitely funnier than the earlier attempt. Some jokes are recycled from earlier Avery spot gag cartoons but with slight variations, and the new ones are entertaining. 8.5 Little Blabbermouse Directed by I. Freleng Mice go on a cable car ride in a drug store, and the W.C. Fields-esque host shows the various products to them. Combining the earlier "things come to life" cartoons and the recent spot gag entries, we see many humorous puns like a bottle of cough medicine that actually coughs. We get some musical numbers featuring earlier Merrie Melodies songs (such as "Shake Your Powder Puff" and the ubiquitous "We're in the Money"). An extremely talkative kid mouse keeps bothering the host, and eventually the mice end up in a dangerous situation! The characters in this one were amusing (especially Blabbermouse himself), and while some parts of it felt like a cartoon from a years earlier, I found this one of the best of its kind. Definitely worth a watch for its humorous parts (we also see the first use of the alum gag that I always enjoyed). 9 Porky's Baseball Broadcast Directed by Isadore Freleng Porky is the commentator for a decisive World Series baseball game at the Yankem Stadium where the Giants face the Red Sox. Plenty of puns and wacky baseball action involving cartoon animals are seen, of course! Freleng (who's doing brilliantly after his return – the switch from musicals to comedy is really suiting him) would handle this theme even better a few years later, but this prototype version of sorts is very entertaining in itself. A few gags would in fact be recycled for that later entry, like the screaming ball and the literal bat boy. 9 The Egg Collector Directed by Charles Jones Sniffles and the Bookworm are reading an egg collecting book, and the great barn owl's egg catches their eyes. The Bookworm knows there's an owl's nest in the nearby church tower, so the two go there, unaware of the danger involved. This is a cute short, Sniffles in particular with his naivete (he reads that owls eat rodents, but thinks a rodent is "some kind of a flower or something" – there are also other small nice touches like his inability to pronounce "etc.") It's not one of the most humorous in the series, but there are some funny scenes like Sniffles insulting the owl not realizing he's listening. Charming, definitely an improvement over the last couple of cartoons with the mouse, but it doesn't quite reach the level of the similarly themed "Little Brother Rat" – that one had a little more cuteness and action yet. 8.5 A Wild Hare Directed by Fred Avery And now we've reached one of the most significant milestones in the series, if not number one on that list! Elmer Fudd is hunting rabbits and immediately comes across one. His attempts to catch the rabbit don't succeed, as he's too smart to fall for Elmer's traps. The rabbit is Bugs Bunny, of course, making his first appearance in his recognizable form. Elmer's final version had appeared in various roles earlier this year, but this is the first short to put him in his famous role as a hunter. For the first cartoon to pair these two new characters, it's amazing how many of the elements that would be used in later cartoons are already here. Elmer thinking he's hurt Bugs (and even more obviously, a scene where he goes crazy) is a variation on a scene from "Elmer's Candid Camera", but the character acting here is much more effective, and the more appealing personality of Bugs here in comparison to the prototype version naturally plays a part. This cartoon got an Oscar nomination as the best short cartoon of the year. But showing how clueless the Academy can sometimes be, it didn't win the award, and neither did the first Tom and Jerry cartoon "Puss Gets the Boot", for that matter. A cute but forgettable MGM short "The Milky Way" beat both of these legendary firsts – my pick for the greatest awards injustice ever. But today, "A Wild Hare" is deservedly recognized as the masterpiece it is, in addition to being the template for most Bugs cartoons we'd see later on. 10 Ghost Wanted Directed by Charles Jones A little ghost is learning how to scare people when he sees a newspaper ad looking for a ghost to haunt a house. When he arrives there, a big ghost tells him to try to scare him. Once this fails, the big ghost scares the little one and starts chasing him around the house. Out of Jones' early cartoons, this is among the faster-paced and more gag-filled ones. The ghost characters are nice – the small ghost is cute and expressive despite having no dialogue, while Tex Avery's voice and trademark laugh contribute to the big ghost's amusing personality. There are some nice explosion effects here too. 8.5 Ceiling Hero Directed by Fred Avery A series of plane-related gags. We see new innovations in aviation, as well as pilots showing their skills. Obviously there's a lot of randomness along the way. Another entertaining spot gag cartoon, though not the best one. 8 Patient Porky Directed by Robert Clampett Porky goes to the hospital with a stomach ache. But instead of a doctor, Porky meets one of the patients (an insane cat) pretending to be Young Dr. Chilled-air. As the cat attempts to operate on Porky (with a saw), he tries to escape. A wild cartoon with some funny jokes like a bellhop reciting the diseases treated on various floors like products in a department store. Prototype Bugs also makes a guest appearance – his last one, since we've already met the real thing now. Some of the scenes with the cat are pretty obviously reused from "The Daffy Doc" (just with the cat replacing Daffy), but there's still plenty of new and crazy stuff to enjoy! 9 Malibu Beach Party Directed by I. Freleng Jack Bunny (a Jack Benny parody – this time a human, unlike his namesakes in shorts like "I Love to Singa" and "Slap Happy Pappy") invites various celebrities to a beach party at his home. We see comedic antics involving the guests and a few musical performances, the highlight being the host himself playing the violin. This cartoon is one where part of the joke is lost nowadays – most of the celebrities shown here have faded into obscurity. Some of the gags are funny despite this, but I think the song scenes aren't particularly humorous, apart from the one with Jack Bunny himself (mostly thanks to the audience reactions). An interesting time capsule of sorts, but there have been funnier celebrity parodies in the series, at least from a modern point of view. 7.5 Calling Dr. Porky Directed by I. Freleng Porky is a doctor at New Rightus Hospital. He has to treat a drunken man who's being followed around by little elephants. When Porky goes to get him some medicine, the elephants start further pestering the man, pretending to be doctors themselves. Freleng's stay at MGM has mostly been regarded as a failure, but his return to Schlesinger seems to have invigorated him – this is another brilliant cartoon. The elephants' antics are the funniest part, and the ending is also a very amusing one. One of Friz's best shorts so far. 10 Stage Fright Directed by Charles Jones The two Curious Puppies are fighting over a bone. They run through a stage door and end up dueling with not only each other but also a trained seal and a pigeon living inside a magic hat. The Curious Puppies cartoons are all fairly similar in execution, but I consider this my favorite so far. The puppies' foils, especially the angry pigeon (who reminds me slightly of a certain hawk who would appear a couple of years later), provide some much needed variety. Also, there's less barking now, allowing much of the cartoon to be done in proper pantomime, which works better. There's also a logical but amusing solution to the conflict at the end. Certainly a solid effort! 8.5 Prehistoric Porky Directed by Robert Clampett In the year one billion trillion B.C., Porky is a caveman. Inspired by the Expire magazine, Porky decides to get a new suit, so he goes bear hunting. Unfortunately, a hungry saber-toothed tiger sets his sights on him. A wacky cartoon with many sight gags (including a very long one involving Porky's pet dinosaur) and a comedic random ending. We also hear a rewritten, period-appropriate version of the 1934 classic "Those Were Wonderful Days". Good cartoon with one of Porky's best recent roles. 8.5 Holiday Highlights Directed by Fred Avery A look at the various holidays of the year, with a comedic vignette for each. Many of them are just as funny as they would have been back then, such as the April fool gag. And also poignant in parts, as the "most likely to succeed" on Graduation Day goes right to the bread line. Out of the Avery spot gag cartoons, this is definitely among my absolute favorites! 9.5 Good Night Elmer Directed by Charles Jones Elmer is trying to fall asleep, but this proves difficult. At first, he struggles to take off his coat, and then the flame of a candle refuses to go out despite various attempts from him. This is not the strongest cartoon about a character trying to fall asleep (I prefer "Porky's Badtime Story" from three years ago), but it still proves rather entertaining, especially the last minute when Elmer gets really frustrated. The short also shows Jones' continued experiments with dialogueless cartoons – Elmer, who's the only character in this cartoon (I don't think the flame really counts as one), only expresses himself visually and through simple vocal effects. A better cartoon than its reputation would suggest. 8 The Sour Puss Directed by Robert Clampett Porky and his cat go fishing. The first fish they see is a flying fish – a really crazy one that's very hard to catch! This could be considered a follow-up of sorts to "Porky's Duck Hunt" and "Porky's Hare Hunt", as all three feature Porky and an animal companion trying to catch their wacky prey. However, this is the wildest of the whole trio, with very expressive animation. Porky's cat gets a very significant role here, unlike the dogs in the two aforementioned shorts. Many funny gags along the way, like Porky's fish impersonation (probably his strangest moment to date in the series). We also see the debut of a Clampett favorite gag – the "Now I've seen everything" suicide joke (often censored on TV airings), this time featuring a canary. Definitely not a sour one! 10 Wacky Wild Life Directed by Fred Avery More spot gags about wildlife. There are many cute and funny jokes involving animals once again. There's plenty of fourth wall breaking, including a gag with a packrat that takes (intentional) repetition to a new extent – another thing Avery liked doing, with an infamous example coming up rather soon! It's inevitable that some of the jokes are similar to ones in earlier shorts (including another joke about dogs and trees, of course!), but again, the new ones are entertaining enough. As with the previous cartoons in this style, the visuals are very beautiful, especially the background paintings. The cute creatures and funny voice acting naturally add to the appeal too. 8.5 Bedtime for Sniffles Directed by Charles Jones Right after Jones made a short about a character trying to fall asleep, he makes one about a character trying to stay awake. It's Christmas, and Sniffles wants to see Santa Claus. The problem is that he keeps falling asleep despite trying various things to keep himself awake (listening to the radio, drinking coffee, reading a magazine). A cute short, for sure, but not the most remarkable one. Probably more enjoyable at Christmas with its theme and atmosphere (emphasized by the Christmas songs on the soundtrack). 7.5 Porky's Hired Hand Directed by I. Freleng The employment agency provides Porky with a watchman for his henhouse. However, Gregory Grunt proves to be quite lazy and naive, as the fox fools him by claiming the two will become business partners and make a lot of money. But this doesn't prevent the fox from getting himself in trouble too... The sly fox is the most entertaining character here and has some funny lines (with great voice acting by Mel Blanc, of course). Another enjoyable short, but don't expect to see much of Porky himself (once again)! 9 Of Fox and Hounds Directed by Draft No. 412 That's Tex Avery as the director – the original on-screen credits had a war-themed gag (far from the only time even the credit sequences were used for jokes). Hunters and their dogs go fox hunting – and so does Willoughby, a very dumb dog. He decides he'll catch a fox, but his stupidity proves to be his undoing, as George the fox constantly outwits him. One of the funniest of its time – the characters may not have had much longevity in the series (though Willoughby would make a couple more appearances), but they're very amusing with brilliant chemistry. This short contains another example of repetition being used in a humorous way, and it's very effective, emphasizing how naive Willoughby is. The ending in particular is a clever one, with a surprising variation on an earlier scene. Interestingly, this is the second short in a row to feature a fox in a significant role – the first time this has happened since Foxy's brief glory days in 1931. 10 The Timid Toreador Directed by Robert Clampett & Norman McCabe Porky is selling (extremely) hot tamales in a Mexican town. But he accidentally ends up in a bullfight! The first directorial job for McCabe who will fill in for Clampett, who was ill at the time, on a couple of cartoons. The latter's involvement is still quite obvious here with some of the wild animation and gags. There's also a repeating part with Porky advertising the tamales to the tune of "La Cucaracha" – for some reason, this was something that really stuck in my mind when I first saw this cartoon years ago, so there's some nostalgia for me here. Porky unintentionally ending up as a bullfighter wasn't admittedly an all new idea, but that doesn't hurt my enjoyment of this cartoon much. 8.5 Shop Look & Listen Directed by I. Freleng Blabbermouse is back and even gets a special title card at the start – goes to show how many characters were planned to become stars at some point! This is pretty similar to "Little Blabbermouse" – the W.C. Fields mouse is giving other mice a sightseeing tour in the J.T. Gimlet department store, and the talkative kid keeps bothering him. The difference is that this time the main attractions are modern machines that do everything from wrapping up packages to dealing cards. There are no dangerous situations this time, but Blabbermouse proves to be just as much of a nuisance. Slightly weaker than its predecessor, as it's quite derivative (sometimes also of non-Blabbermouse shorts like "Sweet Sioux") despite some funny scenes – still entertaining, but two was pretty much the maximum that could have been made with this concept! 8.5 Besides the cartoon shorts, the Schlesinger studio (uncredited) created an animated title sequence for a movie released by Paramount. Love Thy Neighbor An illustration of the two lead actors (Jack Benny, often parodied in the WB cartoons, and Fred Allen) is shown, after which their names are animated and start fighting. They then chase each other while the other on-screen credits appear. A very small footnote in the history of the Schlesinger studio, but animated names acting as characters is an interesting idea – and definitely more entertaining than the typical credit sequence of the day. 1940 was a very strong year for the cartoons. The introduction of Bugs Bunny was of course the standout moment, and a new star for the studio seems to have been long overdue, as Porky is getting upstaged increasingly often in his own cartoons. But there were many other strong entries too. Friz Freleng's return to WB brought us some gems, and Chuck Jones is slowly but surely starting to find his way. I'd go as far as to say WB had its all-time strongest director team at this point with the aforementioned two, Avery and Clampett. This line-up wouldn't last for long, though...

I didn't watch MLP back when I was learning English (FIM didn't even exist at that point), but watching other cartoons definitely helped. I probably learned more from cartoons and the internet than school in the end.

My pick is "Loser, Baby" – really catchy, and as much fun as it can be with that theme. "Poison" is my runner-up. Though from what I've seen, a lot of people have those two as their favorites.

Can't believe I was beaten to 5... But 7 should be Queen Haven.

@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. 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). The cartoons from this era deserve to be shown a lot more, especially the original black and white versions of the Porky cartoons.

@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. 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).

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 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 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 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 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 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 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. I haven't been able to find the one made by Hardaway and Dalton for the MGM short "How to Eat", but apparently the whole sequence was just 15 seconds long, so I doubt I'm missing out on much. The other one was for Republic Pictures' "She Married a Cop", once again handled (without credit) by Ben and Cal who seem to have been the go-to guys for the assorted projects. 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?

At first I thought I wouldn't get any of them, but 7 is Pomni. Despite not having seen Digital Circus yet and probably having seen some of the others.

*hugs* I hope everything turns out well in the end, my friend!

Not the easiest ones at first look... But I think 2 is Bluey.