Looney Tunes Super Stars: Porky and Friends Hilarious Ham
(Released November 06, 2012 by Warner Home Video)
Another Looong DVD Review by Joe Torcivia
With this exercise, we endeavor to answer the questions… Is Porky Pig REALLY a “HAM”? And, if so, what does that make his “friends”? And, why does the LOONEY TUNES SUPER STARS series continue to come up with awkwardly phrased titles like this one and “Foghorn Leghorn and Friends Barnyard Bigmouth”?
…Or, maybe we’ll just ignore all that and get on with the review!
By now, we’ve discussed both the good and the bad of this series many times. Feel free to read any of my prior reviews of the LOONEY TUNES SUPER STARS series:
BUGS BUNNY.
DAFFY DUCK.
FOGHORN LEGHORN.
ROAD RUNNER.
Instead of rehashing what is found in those reviews, we’ll concentrate on what has changed for this release – and, of course, on the shorts themselves. If a previously discussed “PRO” or “CON” is not listed below, assume it remains unchanged.
ROBO-PROMOS: On Disc One, there is only ONE Robo-Promo. It is for the new LOONEY TUNES SHOW. I guess I’ll get around to trying that someday. An improvement over when there were many more such non-optional promos.
WIDESCREEN VS. FULL-SCREEN: This controversial issue seems to have been eliminated for this release. Please read about it in ANY of the prior reviews (linked above). While I felt there was something to like about the simulated widescreen effect, the loss of outer-image area made it not worth the trouble it took to “toggle” from one to the other. It’s just as well to see these cartoons as we have always seen them on TV. I’d say it was wise of WHV to discontinue the experiment.
18 SHORTS VS. 15: The 3 extra shorts in this collection (vs. previous entries in the series) make it a much more worthwhile package. Please see THIS LINK for more details.
…And the reason we’re all here:
THE SHORTS: (All feature Porky Pig, unless otherwise noted):
“Tom Turk and Daffy” (Chuck Jones, 1944) Runs 07:17: Pilgrim Porky wants a Thanksgiving dinner, and a Billy Bletcher-voiced Turkey is his quarry. Desperate to avoid being roasted, the Turkey turns to Daffy Duck to hide him. This is the famous “The YAMS did it!” cartoon! Daffy also sings “Angel in Disguise”, from THIS Ann Sheridan / Humphrey Bogart Warner Bros film! NEW to DVD!
…And, for what it’s worth, I made reference to the “YAMS” line in THIS Donald Duck comic book script.
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| No time for "comic book scripts"! HIDE ME! |
“Wagon Heels” (Bob Clampett, 1945) Runs 07:12: Wagon train scout Porky Pig defeats the huge and fierce “Injun Joe the Super Chief – Whoo-Whoo!”, with the unlikely assistance of “Sloppy Moe”, the type of bizarre, goofy looking character that could only exist in a Bob Clampett cartoon. Contains narration by “The Voice of Warner Bros.” Robert C. Bruce. This is a color remake of “Injun Trouble”, a 1938 black and white Looney Tune short.
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| I know something I won't tell... I won't tell... I won't tell... |
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| There he goes... "spectating" again! |
“One Meat Brawl” (Robert McKimson, 1947) Runs 07:05: Grover Groundhog, a genial little character, opens the cartoon singing a song about his shadow for Groundhog Day. He is soon the quarry of hunter Porky Pig and his dog “Mandrake”, who would become better known as the “Barnyard Dog” adversary of McKimson’s Foghorn Leghorn!
Considering that Daffy Duck became a star as a result of his appearance in “Porky’s Duck Hunt” (1937), and a similar situation followed for the white rabbit “Proto Bugs Bunny” in “Porky’s Hare Hunt” (1938), you’d have THOUGHT that Grover would have quite a career ahead of him – but noooo! Perhaps if they’d called the cartoon in “Porky’s Groundhog Hunt” things would have been very different for the little guy! NEW to DVD!
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| Two very different destinies! |
A pushy fox, told to wait his turn throughout the cartoon, “pioneers” the “Daredevil Blows Himself to Heaven” gag, which will also be Daffy Duck’s kicker-ending to the aforementioned “Show-Biz Bugs”! …Don’t look now, Doc, but I think there’s a “nekkid lady” calendar at the entrance to Porky’s office in this one. Thank you, DVD clarity! NEW to DVD!
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| I can only do it ONCE! Then, Daffy will have to do it! |
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| Somebody call me? |
I’ve always felt that the ending to this one is extraordinarily weak – but there is one really great unexpected moment to be had from this otherwise routine cartoon: The termite “eats” a large wooden staircase bannister knob into a BUST of Porky. As Porky stares angrily at it, the bust STICKS ITS TONGUE OUT at Porky, and then quickly withdraws it, assuming its bust-like stature. NEW to DVD!
“Riff Raffy Daffy” (Arthur Davis, 1948) Runs 06:51: Written by William Scott and Lloyd Turner (of “Bowery Bugs” and later Jay Ward cartoon fame). Cartoons like this make you wish Scott and Turner had done more at Warner Bros. On the coldest night in 64 years, Officer Porky Pig clears tramp Daffy Duck off a park bench, out of the park… and into a warm and cozy department store window, where the Duck now takes up residence.
Lots of the expected department store chase gags through the various departments – and a really nice full-on perspective shot of a cuckoo pushing Porky DIRECTLY FORWARD and out of its cuckoo clock! Lest anyone fault me for taking Arthur Davis to task for the unusually weak ending of “The Pest That Came To Dinner”, he more than makes up for that with a wonderfully bizarre ending for this cartoon! NEW to DVD!
“Boobs in the Woods” (Robert McKimson, 1948) Runs 06:55: Cut it out! I KNOW what you’re thinking! (...And don't EVER do a Google Image Search on this cartoon by title -- no matter how much you may innocently wish to illustrate a blog post!) It’s just Daffy heckling woodland camper Porky. Good, maybe even better than “good”, but no one did this plot better than Bob Clampett with his Bugs and Elmer camping classic “Wabbit Twouble” (1941)! That said, this short is noteworthy as one of the last vestiges of the truly “daffy” (Small “d”) duck, before the “greedy coward” or “obnoxious huckster” personas begin to take hold.
To illustrate this, the Duck not only rides an “invisible bike” (as he did WAAAY back in the early cartoon “Porky and Daffy” 1938), but opens the cartoon with a little song:
“Oh, people call me Daffy… They think that I am goony,
“Just because I’m happy… is no sign I’m looney-tuney!
“When they say I’m nutsy… It sure gives me a pain,
“Please pass the ketchup… I think it’s going to rain!
“Oh, you can’t bounce a meatball… though try with all your might,
“Turn on the radio… I want to fly a kite… Gooood Eee-ven-ing, Friennnds!”
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| “Oh, you can’t bounce a meatball… |
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| Ground THIS, D-D-Duck! |
Lots of great gags, including a run-in with an impossibly big man in an impossibly little automobile, and Daffy’s overabundance of luggage crammed into Porky’s car trunk – and poised to violently decompress in the direction of anyone opening said trunk. A great cartoon by McKimson! NEW to DVD!
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| A Not-So-Merry-Oldsmobile. |
Porky is in his “Fifties Suburban Homeowner Mode” (which seemed to fit him well) with Daffy poking all around the house, creating household dangers as reason for the Pig to purchase unwanted and unnecessary insurance. Needless to say, those attempts continue to backfire on Daffy. Oddly, in this one, the Duck exhibits an “upper lip” on his beak that is actually larger than the rest of the non-beaky portion of his head! NEW to DVD!
“Corn on the Cop” (Last original appearance of Porky Pig, Irv Spector, 1965) Runs 06:25: As is illustrated throughout this collection, Porky Pig and Daffy Duck make a great team! It is only fitting that, while Daffy’s career began with their pairing in “Porky’s Duck Hunt” (1937), Porky’s career should end in a team-up with Daffy.
Some unusual credits in this one: Irv Spector directing, with famed Looney Tunes director Friz Freleng WRITING this short! And Joan (“Joanie”) Gerber, known for voices on ROGER RAMJET and as “Mrs. Beakley” on Disney’s DUCKTALES, voices “Granny”, sounding not unlike Mrs. Beakley with the slightest hint of an Irish accent.
There’s also a little bit more plot here than in the usual WB short, involving Sgt. Daffy and Officer Porky, Granny, a robber donning a “granny outfit”, and the added complication of it being Halloween night when costumes abound, so that no one has any sure sense of who is who!
In look and feel, it is a DePatie / Freleng Enterprises cartoon, and hardly reminiscent of the Glory Days of Warner Bros. Supporting this, the dynamic between Daffy and Porky (and the confounding series of events they face) is more like DFE’s “The Inspector and Sgt. Deux-Deux” than any previous criminal-pursuit parings of Daffy and Porky, like “Deduce You Say” or “Rocket Squad” (both 1956). Yet, considering it was more than a tired, old retread of a plot (as the Warner cartoons were beginning to exhibit with alarming regularity by this time), this seemed a nice vehicle for Porky to go out on. NEW to DVD!
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| Th-th-that's all for m-m-me, Folks! |
“Corn Plastered” (Robert McKimson, 1950) Runs 06:52: A wacky crow, with a bow-tie, the once-requisite white gloves, white formal dickey, and a two-propeller topped beanie copter hat, vs. a bald, white-bearded, pint-sized farmer. This is a better-then-you’d-expect-for-the-period “heckling cartoon” in the grand old Warner Bros. tradition. You almost wonder why we didn’t see more of these characters. They sure did worse than this, going forward! NEW to DVD!
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| Yeah! Why DIDN'T we get more of us?! |
The “Goons” look just like the “Gas House Gorillas” from Chris Barat’s favorite classic Bugs Bunny cartoon “Baseball Bugs” (1946) – and the “Shnooks” appear as a cross between the “Tea Totalers” of that same cartoon and something out of another classic Warner toon, “The Dover Boys” (1942). With the “Goons” winning BIG, by cheating and intimidation, the “Shnooks” turn to their baby elephant mascot, whose pachyderm-play leads them to an unlikely 168-167 nine-inning victory!
A number of gags are lifted directly from the aforementioned “Baseball Bugs”, to play alongside other original-to-this-short gags. “The Voice of Warner Bros.”, Robert C. Bruce, provides the play-by-play of the “game”. It was unusual to hear Bruce in a WB cartoon by this late date. It must certainly be one of his last appearances. NEW to DVD!
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| It's NEW to DVD! Is NOT! Is TOO! Is TOO! I say it's NOT! |
Oddly, for a Warner Bros. cartoon, the battles go back-and-forth, with Elmer winning nearly as many of them as do the ants. That is, until Fudd retreats with a wheelbarrow of explosives and commits the expected blunder of leaving a powder-trail that leads straight to him. BOOM! NEW to DVD!
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| Of course, you know this means... Aw, you know! |
“Dog Gone People” Stars Elmer Fudd. (Robert McKimson, 1960) Runs 06:24: NEW to DVD! Elmer dog-sits for his boss’ dog who (the Boss cautions) “…thinks he’s people”. Not a particularly funny cartoon, even with the bizarre spectacle of the dog being pulled over for drunk driving – and, in so doing, unfortunately taking that “…thinks he’s people” thing a bit too far. Hal Smith voices Elmer, after the death of his classic voice Arthur Q. Bryan.
We end with two shorts that I never thought I’d see released to DVD. Read more about that HERE.
“Bunny and Claude: We Rob Carrot Patches” Stars Bunny and Claude. (Robert McKimson, 1968) Runs 06:07: The film “Bonnie and Clyde” (1967) was such a hit that it inspired not one but two animated tributes starring RABBITS in the lead roles! As rabbits, they rob not banks but grocery stores – and make off with, not money, but CARROTS! Though ya gotta wonder what was in those carrots, as “Bunny” (in a presumed send-up up Faye Dunaway) SMOKED the carrots about as often as she ate them!
The pair constantly outwit a dumb, fat human sheriff – continuing the great Warner Bros. tradition of rabbits outwitting humans. All characters are DePatie / Freleng designs, rather than more traditional WB style. Pat Woodell voices “Bunny” to Mel Blanc’s “Claude” and “Sheriff”. Not a gem by any standard, but funnier than a 1968 Warner cartoon had any right to be.
An amazing moment occurs when, in another presumed tribute / send-up of the original film (I’ve never actually seen “Bonnie and Clyde”, so I can’t verify), when Bunny has Claude pull the car over and whispers something in his ear. “Is THAT all you EVER THINK OF?!” reacts Claude. As we are poised on the precipice of utter shock, Claude continues… “CARROTS?”
Audiences everywhere must have breathed a collective sigh of relief that day, while I continue to wonder exactly what was in those danged carrots to make ‘em so addictive! NEW to DVD!
Both cartoons are introduced with an original song, “The Ballad of Bunny and Claude”, with vocals by Billy Strange. The ballad was presumably written by William Lava, who was credited with the music scores of both entries. In the first cartoon, the ballad runs so long that the credits don’t completely fade out until the 01:11 mark of the 06:07 run time. About 1/6 of the cartoon!
On a personal note, until some point in the eighties, I never knew this to be a theatrical series (even two shorts can constitute a series), but was introduced to the characters of Bunny and Claude, and the Sheriff, in this 1969 Gold Key comic.
…And, I think I’ve just written more than anyone ever has about “Bunny and Claude”!
OVERALL: If you’re looking for some of Porky Pig’s best-known, fan-favorite moments, you won’t find them here. No “Eager Young Space Cadet” to Duck Dodgers, no plump, hysterically laughing friar to ridicule Robin Hood Daffy, and no unwitting survival of mortal terrors with Sylvester – in the trio of cartons I like to call “The Cowardly Sylvester and Stupefyingly Oblivious Porky in Danger Trilogy”.
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| None o' THIS... |
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| ...And, none o' THIS... |
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| If only I'd adapted better... |
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| Y-y-you mean like *I* d-d-did? |
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| Comfortable in his own (pig) skin! |
Warner is also to be commended for adding some sixties cartoons to the mix, from the final theatrical appearance of Porky Pig, to the unexpected inclusion of the two Bunny and Claude shorts!
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| It's Like Sixties, Man! Groovy! |
LOONEY TUNES SUPER STARS: PORKY AND FRIENDS HILARIOUS HAM is highly recommended for correcting many of the flaws of previous LTSS collections, and for showing us just how good both Porky Pig and Robert McKimson really can be.
8 comments:
Thanks for the extensive review, Joe. I, too, found this collection interesting and noteworthy. Seems to me it couldn't be called a "definitive" collection of Porky cartoons, but it definitely has its place among the WB collections. I wish they had included "You Ought to Be in Pictures" and a handful of other black and white Porkys. However, it is definitely a bonus to get the Bunny and Claude cartoons as well as so many others that are new to DVD. The comparison to Mickey Mouse is very apt--like Mickey, Porky's design changed over the years, and he went from being a lead player to being "host" to other characters such as Gabby the Goat and Daffy Duck, before finally settling down to a sort of "everyman" existence in suburbia. Some day I would love to see some of Porky's very remarkable comic book adventures worked into animated form. Unlike the cartoons, he held center stage in the comics for many years. Too bad Petunia Pig never had an extensive film career. She was in a few films in her earlier appearance before she was redesigned, but I don't recall ever seeing much of the re-designed, cuter version except in the comics, where she played a major role in the antics of the WB universe.
Glad you enjoyed the review, Scarecrow.
As I understand things, the LOONEY TUNES SUPER STARS series would probably not be the place for something like the spectacular “You Ought to be in Pictures” – which was included in both the previous “Golden Collections” and the current “Platinum Collections” anyway.
LTSS is more of a place for the general audience over the collector and enthusiast but, because of that, we get many things that don’t make the cut on the higher-end “Golden” and “Platinum” brands. Like Bunny and Claude, more efforts by directors like Robert McKimson and Arthur Davis, Rudy Larriva Road Runners, DePatie Freleng era WB cartoons like “Corn on the Cop”, and especially the last Bugs Bunny cartoon “False Hare”. I’ve never seen that one uncut until it appeared on the LTSS Bugs Bunny volume.
And I’m ALL FOR THAT! Particularly because (the Tweety and Sylvester volume excepted), they keep the double-dipping to a minimum. That’s why, when possible, I try to note those shorts that are new to DVD. I appreciate the effort on Warner’s part, because it would be too easy to “dump any old thing” into those sets, and push ‘em out… as they’ve been known to do with Tom and Jerry.
That said, I’d really like to see a “Porky in Black and White” set, like Disney did for Mickey Mouse in the “Treasures” series. His later co-starring roles in “Duck Dodgers”, “Robin Hood Daffy”, etc. (which are a separate category, anyway) notwithstanding, like Mickey, some view Porky’s best starring roles as having occurred during his B&W days.
That’s a large part of my drawing the parallels between the Mouse and the Pig. I feel that Warners did a better job of reinventing their first real star (Sorry, Bosko, Buddy, and Foxy!) for a new era, than Disney did with theirs.
Somehow, I managed to not see the handful of cartoons featuring Petunia until the combination of the general animation resurgence and the home video proliferation (mostly Public Domain tapes) of the eighties. Consequently, in the earlier days, I believed Petunia to be a “created for the comics” character, as were Uncle Scrooge and Gyro Gearloose and, in the Warner stable, Hedgerow Huppy (their Gyro) and Cicero – himself (I’d later learn) an outgrowth of the “Pinky” character.
Personally, I’m totally with you on animated adaptations of the Dell / Gold Key era Porky comics. “Phantom of the Plains”, “The Mouse of Monte Cristo”, “Isle of Missing Ships”, “The Kingdom of Nowhere” and the like would make for great 30 minute shows!
But, I fear those comics have receded too far into history (no matter how fondly WE view them) to be on anyone’s radar today. If anyone in a position to do anything about it thinks of Looney Tunes characters in comic book form at all, they likely consider the more contemporary DC Comics versions – which ARE near-perfect adaptations of what those characters are (and what they do) in animation and very worthy in their own right.
If only we ran the world… Then again, who wants to keep fending off challenges from The Brain, Ra’s Al Ghul, and Stewie Griffin!
Actually, considering Porky's current status among the Looney Tunes characters, it's a marvel that this collection exists at all. In the Looney Tunes movie, he only made a brief cameo appearance bemoaning his status as a "has-been," which seems to me a little unfair, considering that he led the stable of WB characters for a number of years before being eclipsed by Bugs and Daffy. So it's actually good that he is still a remembered character and that more of his cartoons are now available through this latest release. It's just that when I see collections like this, I keep wanting to scream out for more, more, MORE!
Considering there was a complete Pepe LePew and an upcoming Sylvester and Hippity Hopper collection in the LOONEY TUNES SUPER STARS series, I’d actually be quite disappointed if there weren’t a Porky Pig volume. In fact, where’s the “Sam Sheepdog and Ralph Wolf” set?! They’re about down to that!
Can’t you see the title now? “LOONEY TUNES SUPER STARS Sam Sheepdog and Ralph Wolf: On-the-Clock Adversaries”! Hey, Warner! Wanna hire me to make up titles and write copy? It’s not like there are any Disney comic books for me to write anymore!
Though, yes… As Mickey Mouse was overshadowed by Donald Duck and Goofy, so was Porky Pig by Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. …Lesson to be learned from all this? Don’t trust ducks! They’ll climb over you every time. Well, maybe not Yakky Doodle…
Still really crave a “Porky Pig in Black and White” volume, as you suggest. I’ll join you in screaming for MORE!
How about these?
LOONEY TUNES SUPER STARS Goofy Gophers: Pint-Sized Politeness
LOONEY TUNES SUPER STARS The Three Bears: Bringing Up Papa, Bringing Down Junior (Can't you just picture the cover art for this one? Junior lifting up Papa, Papa doing his slow burn)
LOONEY TUNES SUPER STARS The Honey-Mousers: One of These Days, Pow!
Yes, I know there were only 3 Honey-mousers cartoons, and they've all been released already in various formats (not all together)but a guy can dream, can't he?
LOONEY TUNES SUPER STARS Cool Cat: Phlegmatic Feline
LOONEY TUNES SUPER STARS Merlin the Magic Mouse: Puny Prestigitator
The last two may not even qualify as bona fide Looney Tunes, coming as late in the season as they did, but the PTB (powers that be) could at least be assured of selling ONE copy of each! I personally find a fascination with the late-period WB creations, though they are of course not in the same league as the "classics."
Gadzooks! With but one hint of a parodic faux DVD title, I have well and truly created a monster and unleashed it upon the land, methinks! Forsooth. Five-sooth, even!
All great stuff… really! Me(also)thinks the competition for that “title-creation job” at Warner Bros. has just become a bit stiffer! One thing I enjoy immensely about operating this Blog, is when one of my regulars comes back with something that really entertains and amuses me! Thank you for that! …And I actually CAN see that “Goofy Gophers” one happening.
Count me in on that “fascination with late period WB creations”! I dunno if it’s that I like them (I do more than most folks) or if it’s more about getting a closer look at how it all ended! That “morbid curiosity” thing. Probably about 40/60. Their relative broadcast scarcity over the years, vs. the oft-seen classics, also enhances their allure.
Adding to whatever interest I may have in them, I knew Cool Cat and Merlin as Gold Key comic book characters (late 1968) before I knew them as having starred in animated shorts. Then again, in the dark pre-television age, that’s probably how some non-regular movie-going readers may have viewed Bugs, and Porky in the Dell comics.
Joe--Like you, I first encountered Cool Cat, Merlin, and Bunny & Claude as comic book characters, having no idea that there were actual cartoons about them as well. In fact, by the late 60's, I had no idea that there were so many theatrical cartoon shorts still being made. When our family went to the movies (always a rare and special occasion), we generally saw Disney films, which were usually accompanied by a short cartoon from the Disney classics. Films from other studios sometimes also had a Disney cartoon before the feature. Occasionally, we caught a new Pink Panther cartoon, but that was really about it. I didn't know about the Daffy and Speedy cartoons, or Loopy de Loop, or the later (post-TV show)Woody Woodpecker cartoons or the late 60's/early 70's Roadrunner cartoons. So Cool Cat and company were unknown to me as well, except in comic books. I didn't discover the fact that many studios, particularly Depatie-Freling, continued churning out shorts well into the mid-70s or so, until I was in college and read some books and magazines on animation. I'm guessing it was probably about the same for you. So while these latter-day cartoons are generally not "great" by any standards, it's been a discovery for me to learn about the shorts that weren't at that time being endlessly recycled on television, but which one had to pay the price of movie admission in order to see. Of course, now some of those later shorts DO get recycled among the classics. And once the Pink Panther television series got started, the Panther and Inspector shorts found a TV home. But that still leaves a whole lot of hitherto "undiscovered" cartoon shorts.
With you on all counts, Scarecrow!
And, yes, I think we may very well share a (perhaps, not actually “morbid”) curiosity about, and fascination with, the end of the era of the theatrical short BECAUSE it was “the end” of something that seriously predated our births, yet gave us many cherished examples of animation – AND that it had an existence that was pretty much unknown to us, even for the relatively brief period that our lives co-existed with it. …This true for anyone else?
I can recall seeing a PINK PANTHER cartoon in a theatre, while on a teenage date in 1974, and could not believe my eyes! What very little I knew back then told me this was a BYGONE ERA. It pretty much WAS, as I’d later learn from reference books but, that there were still some vestiges left, was fascinating.
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