Porky Pig's Feat
Encyclopedia
Porky Pig's Feat is a one-reel animated cartoon
short subject
in the Looney Tunes
series, produced in black-and-white
and released to theatres on June 13, 1943 by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was directed by Frank Tashlin
with musical supervision by Carl Stalling
, and produced by Leon Schlesinger
. Originally released in black and white, clips of a digitally-colored version of the cartoon were seen in bonus features for the first two Looney Tunes Golden Collection
DVD
box sets, before finally being issued in its original monochrome form on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3
DVD.
This cartoon was colorized in 1968 (just after Seven Arts Productions
, successor to Guild 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 animation quality dropped considerably from the original version with this method.
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. This preserved the quality of the original animation (the end result also resembled the actual color cartoons released around the same time).
The title is a play on the food, "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 the Disney and Screen Gems
studios. It is also the final appearance of Porky Pig
in a black-and-white cartoon.
" in a cartoon. Composed by Raymond Scott
, "Powerhouse" became iconic through its use in over forty Warner Bros. cartoons.
and Daffy 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). Daffy Duck gambles away all his money in a game of Craps
while in the elevator. Because Daffy now has no money, he cannot pay the bill; therefore, he and Porky try to escape by way of many zany gags. The hotel manager eventually gets the upper hand and locks them up in a hotel room until they pay up. Winter
is approaching, and Daffy is beginning to lose his sanity
. Porky (after writing "Porky Loves Petunia
" amidst the graffiti on the wall) suggests they call Bugs Bunny
for advice. Daffy concurs (even going so far as to say, "Yeah, Bugs Bunny, my hero!" in what would later be considered an out-of-character moment) and tries to call the rabbit for advice. But as it turns out, Bugs Bunny himself (in his only original black-and-white
appearance in a theatrical short) is locked up in the room next door.
Animated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
short subject
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
in the Looney Tunes
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...
series, produced in black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
and released to theatres on June 13, 1943 by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was directed by Frank Tashlin
Frank Tashlin
Frank Tashlin, born Francis Fredrick von Taschlein, also known as Tish Tash or Frank Tash was an American animator, screenwriter, and film director.-Animator:...
with musical supervision by Carl Stalling
Carl Stalling
Carl W. Stalling was an American composer and arranger for music in animated films. He is most closely associated with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts produced by Warner Bros., where he averaged one complete score each week, for 22 years.-Biography:Stalling was born to Ernest and...
, and produced by Leon Schlesinger
Leon Schlesinger
Leon Schlesinger was an American film producer, most noted for founding Leon Schlesinger Productions, which later became the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio, during the golden age of Hollywood animation.-Early life and career:...
. Originally released in black and white, clips of a digitally-colored version of the cartoon were seen in bonus features for the first two Looney Tunes Golden Collection
Looney Tunes Golden Collection
The Looney Tunes Golden Collection was an annual series of six four-disc DVD box sets from Warner Bros.' home video unit Warner Home Video, each containing about 60 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies animated shorts...
DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
box sets, before finally being issued in its original monochrome form on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3 is a DVD box set from Warner Home Video that was released on October 25, 2005. It contains 60 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical short subject cartoons, 9 documentaries, 32 commentary tracks from animators and historians, 11 "vintage treasures from...
DVD.
This cartoon was colorized in 1968 (just after Seven Arts Productions
Seven Arts Productions
Seven Arts Productions was founded in 1957 by Ray Stark and Eliot Hyman. The company was a frequent producer of movies for other studios, including The Misfits for United Artists, Gigot for Twentieth Century-Fox, Lolita for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and Is Paris Burning? for Paramount Pictures.Over...
, successor to Guild Films
Sunset Productions
Sunset Productions was a television syndication division of Warner Bros. which existed in the 1950s.-Overview:Sunset Productions is best known as the company identified on a package of black-and-white Warner Bros. cartoons distributed in television syndication in the early 1950s...
, 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 animation quality dropped considerably from the original version with this method.
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. This preserved the quality of the original animation (the end result also resembled the actual color cartoons released around the same time).
The title is a play on the food, "pigs feet
Pickled pigs feet
Pickled pigs feet is a type of pork associated with Cuisine of the Southern United States, African American soul food, as well as Irish cuisine, and Korean cuisine....
."
This was the first Schlesinger cartoon directed by Tashlin after his return to the studio following a five-year absence for stints at the Disney and Screen Gems
Screen Gems
Screen Gems is an American movie production company and subsidiary company of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group that has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation....
studios. It is also the final appearance of 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...
in a black-and-white cartoon.
Music
Porky Pig’s Feat contains the first use of the music "PowerhousePowerhouse (song)
Powerhouse is a instrumental musical composition by Raymond Scott, probably best known today as the iconic "assembly line" music in animated cartoons released by Warner Brothers.-History:...
" in a cartoon. Composed by Raymond Scott
Raymond Scott
Raymond Scott was an American composer, band leader, pianist, engineer, recording studio maverick, and electronic instrument inventor....
, "Powerhouse" became iconic through its use in over forty Warner Bros. cartoons.
Plot
The cartoon centers around Porky PigPorky 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...
and Daffy Duck
Daffy Duck
Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons, often running the gamut between being the best friend and sometimes arch-rival of Bugs Bunny...
's attempts to escape the Broken Arms Hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
manager
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
without paying their bill (on which they are charged for every luxury, including breathing air, sunshine, and goodwill). Daffy Duck gambles away all his money in a game of Craps
Craps
Craps is a dice game in which players place wagers on the outcome of the roll, or a series of rolls, of a pair of dice. Players may wager money against each other or a bank...
while in the elevator. Because Daffy now has no money, he cannot pay the bill; therefore, he and Porky try to escape by way of many zany gags. The hotel manager eventually gets the upper hand and locks them up in a hotel room until they pay up. Winter
Winter
Winter is the coldest season of the year in temperate climates, between autumn and spring. At the winter solstice, the days are shortest and the nights are longest, with days lengthening as the season progresses after the solstice.-Meteorology:...
is approaching, and Daffy is beginning to lose his sanity
Sanity
Sanity refers to the soundness, rationality and healthiness of the human mind, as opposed to insanity. A person is sane if they are rational...
. Porky (after writing "Porky Loves Petunia
Petunia Pig
Petunia Pig is an animated cartoon character in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros. She looks much like her significant other, Porky Pig, except that she wears a dress and now has braided black hair, although the character did not originally have...
" amidst the graffiti on the wall) suggests they call Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is a animated character created in 1938 at Leon Schlesinger Productions, later Warner Bros. Cartoons. Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray rabbit and is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality and his portrayal as a trickster. He has primarily appeared in animated cartoons, most...
for advice. Daffy concurs (even going so far as to say, "Yeah, Bugs Bunny, my hero!" in what would later be considered an out-of-character moment) and tries to call the rabbit for advice. But as it turns out, Bugs Bunny himself (in his only original black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
appearance in a theatrical short) is locked up in the room next door.