144 Porky The Giant Killer

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.

Disney's Travel Tykes

These should be the Travel Tyke comics mentioned in the Standard Parade of 1939 yesterday. These aren't exactly high quality images, but they are superior to the other options known to be available to me in that they exist. Click on them and they will be a bit larger. Note that I over stated "pie eyed".

Disney's Standard Parade for 1939

Title: "Walt Disney's Standard Parade for 1939!
Studio: Disney
Date: 1939ish
Credits: -
Series: (Standard Parade?)
Running time (of viewed version): 7:33 without Leonard, 2:15 of the "Standard Parade for 1939" (aka without the live action).

Synopsis: Disney pimps for Standard Oil. There was a tie in for a comic insert in papers called Travel Tykes.


















Comments: Watch Walt smoke like a chimney. A Saturday Evening Post dated March 11, 1939 shows up, giving a no earlier than date; this makes me wonder if a date of January for the beginning of the Travel Tykes tie in comic is accurate. Awesome illuminated page from Argentina. There is a glazed pottery Mickey in possibly his Fun and Fancy Free outfit in front of Walt's honorary degree. 8 oscars; that should put this in after Ferdinand won and before Ugly Duckling won. Discusses the new $2 million studio being built. Dramatic Mickey and Donald dolls being swing around. For some reason the title reads "Walt Disney's Standard Parade for 1939! Copyright MCMXXXVII Walt Disney Prod. Ltd.". That's 1937. With certainly pre-1939 Donald and Mickey dolls. Perhaps there are earlier versions of this. Mickey's face is very flat looking. I would have guessed this was earlier than '39 to promote the forthcoming year, but the cover of Variety and the 8 Oscars implies that is not the case. Perhaps the animation was done earlier than the final cut of the black and white live action. Uh, there are earlier style pie eyed mice. Is this literally lifted animation from the parade of awards nominees? The Travel Tykes comics, supposedly from 1939, all seem to have a pie eyed Mickey, the animation here (tho not unlike Society Dog Show, the first '39 theatrical Mickey). Perhaps they were recycled from previous years as well? It occurs to me that Disney was trying to remake Mickey into one of the dwarfs.

Buried on Mickey Mouse In Living Color v2, disc 1, in a musical note on the bonus features page. I hate when they bury things as Easter Eggs. It's Title 27, chapter 2, if you can jump directly to it.

143 Fagin's Freshman

Title: Fagin's Freshman
Studio: Warner Bros.
Date: 11/18/39
Credits: - (but Hardaway/Dalton)
Series: Merrie Melodies (on Blue Ribbon reissue)
Running time (of viewed version): 7:50

Synopsis: Cat hates crappy song, punished with bed, dreams of a wonderful school for criminals, wakes up and pusses out.
























Comments: These cats are similar to the She Married a Cop cats. "All you think of is guns and shooting"; must be the influence of all the gun based cartoons... Background portraiture: known people? Super wrinkle face lead. Even criminals need schooling. Thugs standing under a sign that says "Drugs"probably didn't have the exact same resonance then as now, but I'm not sure that resonance was not intended. "Reasonable facsimile"; this has more verbal humor than you might expect in the era; maybe it's just a slightly better version. Probably a lift. Pound of butter gag is quite likable. Several lower eyelids; more evidence for She Married a Cop ID (as a Hardaway/Dalton made segment). I think the voice actress on the mother may have been Dennis Day's mother's voice on Jack Benny. She has at least one shot of just legs, like H/B would use for Mammy Two Shoes. One of a series of "kids hang out with ruffians and get into trouble" cartoons. I suppose Pinocchio would be the pinnacle in this movie season (it being only a few months away; Mel Blanc did the voice of Gideon, one of the bad cats, supposedly, and he shows up here at least as the piano playing cat). There are non-black characters playing dice. I don't know why the class of 1920 all have pardons but are still in prison garb in front of bars.