Title: Porky The Giant Killer (technically in double quotes)
Studio: Warner Bros.
Date: 11/18/39
Credits:
Supervision
Ben Hardaway & Cal Dalton
Story by
Melvin Millar
Animation
Gil Turner
Musical Direction
Carl W. Stalling
Series: Looney Tunes
Running time (of viewed version): 8:13
Synopsis: Porky is more of a giant home invader (tho he has a stick for beating with him), and baby sitter/musician.
Comments: Interesting bendy angles on the low shot of the giant castle under the title. And it panned down as I expected it to. This makes for an external establishing shot. The doors of the castle open onto text, which the camera pushes in on. All in keeping with the zeitgeist. Porky looks funny (not in the good way); possibly more in keeping with the She Married a Cop look. Dog men in armor, and otherwise on the march. Pegleg Pete voice on the giant. The main giant in this is a baby, which makes Porky a baby killer. Fair amount of shading in this. The giant lives in a castle of more or less normal proportions. An example where Porky doesn't get ditched. I think the knight sticking his head out of his helmet has been used earlier this year. Lots of nice angles in this. Like Fagin, the giant is a good bad guy. Lots of white shock sweat coming off of Porky. The eyelids look good; it's not just being lower tho, it's the shiny look they have.
Edit 1/1/24: I guess Sogturtle can be beaten. From ebay:
Edit 10/27/11: Sogturtle remains unbeatable. Nevertheless, we have pictures of a cel from this from an eBay auction. For color commentary, we have the following "I am selling this for a friend whose Grandfather had this hanging in his Upstate NY bar for many, many years." So there you go.
This cartoon is kind of a bookend to 1937's "Porky's Super Service", in that it pits the title character against a really annoying kid the audience wants to see get it, but instead ends up with Porky taking the worst of the abuse by the iris out. No story credit on that earlier Ub Iwkers-directed cartoon, but Michael Barrier said the story was shipped to Iwerks' studio from the Schlessinger lot, so Hardaway might have had a hand in that one as well.
ReplyDeleteSince Ben and Cal only had to do about one Looney Tune for every eight or so Clampett handled in 1939, they didn't burn out on the character and basically make Porky a fifth wheel in his own cartoon. But they probably could have used the extra drawing/layout practice on him, since his features for much of the short look squished onto his face (the next cartoon the unit would do, "You Ought to be In Pictures" under Freleng, had a much better looking Porky, meaning Dalton and/or Hardaway probably wanted their pig to look this way).