Porky's Pet
Encyclopedia
Porky's Pet is a 1936
Looney Tune
cartoon released on July 11, 1936. It was directed by Jack King
, animated by Cal Dalton
and Sandy Walker, and its music was directed by Norman Spencer
. Its main star is Porky Pig
.
, New York City
, who wants Porky and his pet ostrich, Lulu, in his show, with the promise of $75 a day. This is too good for Porky, so he goes and tells Lulu the good news. Porky gets Lulu out of her cage, but Lulu chooses to slide down the stairs and jerks Porky down with her leash. Then, Porky shuts the front door on Lulu.
At the train station, the duo see a passenger train coming, but it doesn't stop for them. When Porky tells Lulu this and hears another passenger train coming, he sets the signal to stop, making the train screech to a halt at the station. Porky and Lulu get on board, but the conductor kicks them off, on account of a "no pets" rule. Porky then tells Lulu to go down to the tracks so he can pick her up when the train passes by. Porky gets on board and the train departs. When it passes by Lulu, Porky grabs her and pulls her in.
Realizing what will happen if the conductor finds out, Porky shoves Lulu under his seat, but Lulu insists on poking her head out. She even swallows a bald passenger's wig, and when a boy tosses his toy airplane in the air, she swallows it and the plane sends her neck on a ride. Finally, she swallows another passenger's accordion.
Just then, the conductor appears asking the passengers for tickets. Porky sees him, shoves the noisy accordion down Lulu's throat to her stomach, takes a passenger's guitar case, removes the guitar, shoves Lulu into the case, and takes another passenger's sewing scissors so he can cut off Lulu's tail. When the conductor comes up to Porky, Lulu blows her cover by squaking, pushing her legs out, and taking the conductor on a wild ride to the other side of the coach. Angered, the conductor throws Lulu out and kicks Porky off the train from the observation car.
Thinking they are in a rut, Porky spots a handcar in a siding and a cow grazing. He and Lulu hop on the handcar, and Porky grabs the cow's tail. The cow happily takes them down the track, and even outruns the train, much to the conductor's surprise.
1936 in film
The year 1936 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 29 - Fritz Lang's first Hollywood film Fury, starring Spencer Tracy and Bruce Cabot, is released.*November 6 - first Porky Pig animated cartoon...
Looney Tune
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
cartoon released on July 11, 1936. It was directed by Jack King
Jack King (animator)
James Patton "Jack" King was an American comics artist and animator best known for his work at Walt Disney Productions.Born in Alabama, King began his animation career in the silent era in 1920 working at Bray Productions animation studio...
, animated by Cal Dalton
Cal Dalton
Cal Dalton was a cartoon director at Warner Brothers. Dalton's first commercial animation work was on an animated short version of The Wizard of Oz that was produced by Ted Eshbaugh's independent animation studio in 1933. Afterwards, Dalton left to work at the Warner Brothers animation studio,...
and Sandy Walker, and its music was directed by Norman Spencer
Norman Spencer
Norman Leonard Spencer was a Progressive Conservative party member of the Canadian House of Commons. He was born in Howard Township, Ontario and became a lawyer by career....
. Its main star is Porky Pig
Porky Pig
Porky Pig is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. He was the first character created by the studio to draw audiences based on his star power, and the animators created many critically acclaimed shorts using the fat little pig...
.
Storyline
The mailman rides up to Porky Pig's house on his bicycle (after a bumpy ride) and delivers a telegram to Porky. When Porky reads the telegram, he sees it is an offer from a big shot producer in BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, who wants Porky and his pet ostrich, Lulu, in his show, with the promise of $75 a day. This is too good for Porky, so he goes and tells Lulu the good news. Porky gets Lulu out of her cage, but Lulu chooses to slide down the stairs and jerks Porky down with her leash. Then, Porky shuts the front door on Lulu.
At the train station, the duo see a passenger train coming, but it doesn't stop for them. When Porky tells Lulu this and hears another passenger train coming, he sets the signal to stop, making the train screech to a halt at the station. Porky and Lulu get on board, but the conductor kicks them off, on account of a "no pets" rule. Porky then tells Lulu to go down to the tracks so he can pick her up when the train passes by. Porky gets on board and the train departs. When it passes by Lulu, Porky grabs her and pulls her in.
Realizing what will happen if the conductor finds out, Porky shoves Lulu under his seat, but Lulu insists on poking her head out. She even swallows a bald passenger's wig, and when a boy tosses his toy airplane in the air, she swallows it and the plane sends her neck on a ride. Finally, she swallows another passenger's accordion.
Just then, the conductor appears asking the passengers for tickets. Porky sees him, shoves the noisy accordion down Lulu's throat to her stomach, takes a passenger's guitar case, removes the guitar, shoves Lulu into the case, and takes another passenger's sewing scissors so he can cut off Lulu's tail. When the conductor comes up to Porky, Lulu blows her cover by squaking, pushing her legs out, and taking the conductor on a wild ride to the other side of the coach. Angered, the conductor throws Lulu out and kicks Porky off the train from the observation car.
Thinking they are in a rut, Porky spots a handcar in a siding and a cow grazing. He and Lulu hop on the handcar, and Porky grabs the cow's tail. The cow happily takes them down the track, and even outruns the train, much to the conductor's surprise.
Facts
- First time Porky Pig gets a job offer.
- First time Porky Pig travels by train.
- First appearance of Porky's pet ostrich, Lulu.
- This cartoon may have inspired Walt Disney studios to create the 1940 Mickey MouseMickey MouseMickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
cartoon "Mr. Mouse Takes a TripMr. Mouse Takes a TripMr. Mouse Takes a Trip is a 1940 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The cartoon follows Mickey Mouse and his dog Pluto traveling by train, despite a rule forbidding dogs; Pete plays a menacing conductor intent on enforcing the rule...
". In turn, the plot and premise—a railway station and a greedy ostrich who swallows a concertinaConcertinaA concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It has a bellows and buttons typically on both ends of it. When pressed, the buttons travel in the same direction as the bellows, unlike accordion buttons which travel perpendicularly to it...
--recalls a picture Disney made three years before, "Donald's OstrichDonald's OstrichDonald's Ostrich is an animated short film produced in Technicolor by Walt Disney Productions and released to theaters on December 10, 1937 by RKO Radio Pictures. It was the third film in the Donald Duck series of short films, although billed at the time as a Mickey Mouse cartoon...
". Another cartoon about an ostrich's appetite causing trouble—in this case, swallowing fireworksFireworksFireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
--by Warners was "Plenty of Money and You" (FrelengFriz FrelengIsadore "Friz" Freleng was an animator, cartoonist, director, and producer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros....
,1937.)
Quotes
- Porky: (after first train races through) "He d-d-d-didn't s-s-s-s-stop."
- Conductor: (shortly after Porky and Lulu board second train) "You can't bring no buzzard on this train."