| Porky Pig's Feat | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Supervision: Frank Tashlin |
| Story by | Melvin Millar |
| Produced by | Leon Schlesinger |
| Starring | Mel Blanc (uncr.) |
| Music by | Carl W. Stalling |
| Animation by | Phil Monroe |
| Layouts by | David Hilberman |
| Color process | Black-and-white |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 8:39 |
| Language | English |
Porky Pig's Feat is a 1943Warner Bros.Looney Tunesanimated cartoon directed byFrank Tashlin.[1] It was released on July 17, 1943, and starsPorky Pig andDaffy Duck, with a cameo byBugs Bunny at the end.[2]
The original release was black-and-white, though colorized versions were later produced.
The cartoon centers aroundPorky Pig andDaffy Duck's attempts to escape the Broken Arms Hotel manager without paying their bill (on which they are charged for every luxury, including breathing air, sunshine, and goodwill); they are trying to evade payment because Daffy lost all their money playingcraps.
Despite numerous methods to elude the hotel manager (using the elevator, throwing the manager down a large spiral staircase, knotting sheets and rappelling from a window, swinging from a window to a building across the street), he gets the upper hand every time and eventually locks them in a room, in shackles, where they will stay until they pay up. Winter arrives and Daffy is beginning to lose his sanity. Porky (who has written "Porky LovesPetunia" on the wall, and is keeping track of their incarceration with prison-stylegraffiti) says, "Gosh, ifBugs Bunny was only here." Daffy concurs and decides to call Bugs for advice, as the trickster is famous for being able to get out of seemingly inescapable situations. Once on the phone, Bugs asks Daffy if they have tried the various methods of escape which they did indeed try. Daffy replies "Yes" each time and adds, "We tried all those ways." The door to the next room opens and Bugs is seen in shackles. He says, "Ahh, don't work, do they?", implying that he is in the same predicament as Porky and Daffy.
Animator Mark Mayerson writes, "Frank Tashlin had a very personal style of cartoon direction. He chose unusual camera angles and was never afraid to cut shots quickly for humorous effect. His characters were often posed in 'extreme' (exaggerated) positions, and these poses were held far longer than other directors would dare. Tashlin's direction is so flamboyant that it is as entertaining to watch as the characters.Porky Pig's Feat is fairly standard from a story standpoint, typical of Warner Bros. cartoons that pit characters against each other. It's how Tashlin tells this story that makes it so memorable."[3]
The title is aplay on words, referring to "pigs' feet".
This was the first Schlesinger cartoon directed by Tashlin after his return to the studio following a five-year absence for stints at theDisney andScreen Gems studios.[3] It is also the only appearance ofBugs Bunny, and final appearance ofPorky Pig, in a black-and-white cartoon.
The cartoon was colorized in 1968 (just afterSeven Arts Productions, successor toGuild Films, to whom the black-and-white cartoon library had been sold some time before, acquired Warner Bros.) by having every other frame traced over onto a cel. Each redrawn cel was painted in color and then photographed over a colored reproduction of each original background. The cartoon was colorized again in 1990, this time with a computer adding color to a new print of the original black-and-white cartoon.
Daffy Duck makes reference to theDick Tracy comic strip when calling the hotel managerPruneface.
Porky Pig's Feat contains the first use of the music "Powerhouse" in a cartoon.[4] Composed byRaymond Scott, "Powerhouse" became iconic through its use in over forty Warner Bros. cartoons. "Blues in the Night" is heard after Daffy loses the rent money gambling in the elevator. "The Penguin", another Scott composition, can also be heard when Porky and Daffy run to the elevator with their bags.
The cartoon is one of several from WB to have entered into thepublic domain.
The cartoon appears on: