The Village Smithy

The Village Smithy (1936)

*** (out of 4) Porky finds himself working with a blacksmith. Their latest job calls for them to put shoes on a horse but Porky accidentally grabs a rubber set.

THE VILLAGE SMITHY isn't the greatest animated short that you're going to see but there's no doubt that it's a highly entertaining one thanks in large part to some creative animation as well as some nice laughs. There were several good moments here but the highlight has to be the sequence where Porky tries to hammer the shoe into shape and not knowing it's rubber he hits it and sends the hammer back into his face. As I said, the animation is extremely good throughout and makes this a winner for the series.

During the 1940s and 50s, Fred 'Tex' Avery made some of the weirdest and funniest cartoons in history...for MGM. However, in the 30s and early 40s, Avery worked for Looney Tunes and his loss to MGM was, in hindsight, huge. Some of Avery's strange sense of humor is present in this one and it's well worth seeing.

During the 1930s, Looney Tunes suffered from having great artists but lousy stories compared to some of the competition. Bland stories and bland characters which make viewing these cartoons today a bit of a chore. However, by 1936 the studio had finally created a decent character in Porky Pig and here Avery injects his weirdness into the tale.

"The Village Smithy" is a famous poem by Longfellow and here the film begins with the narrator reciting a bit of it. But weirdness sets in and then it degenerates into a silly cartoon...very silly indeed. And, the Smithy's assistant, Porky, is a bit of a screw-up...leading to some nice laughs.

An Avery trait is breaking the fourth wall...and this film does several times, mostly at the beginning. As a result of this and some clever gags, you get one of the best Porky cartoons of 1936. Well worth seeing and, especially, fun.

When I watched Tex Avery's "The Village Smithy", I assumed that it was an original idea created by the Termite Terrace crowd; I was more than a little surprised when I read on IMDb that it was based on a Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem! But no matter whence it came, it's quite a funny cartoon, as Porky Pig works as a blacksmith's assistant and inadvertently sends his boss on the wildest ride ever.

There have been numerous instances in which I've seen a spoof of something while having no idea that it's a spoof. Certainly a number of these instances involved Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoons (I saw "What's Opera, Doc?" long before I'd ever even heard of Wagner's work). It's also happened with "The Simpsons" (I remember when Maggie hit Homer on the head with a mallet and red paint flowed down a drain; only later did I see "Psycho" and get the reference). There are many pop songs that I only learn about because I hear "Weird Al" Yankovic's parodies, and many B-movies that I only see on "Mystery Science Theater 3000". I wouldn't be surprised if many members of my generation encounter the spoofs of famous works before encountering the originals.

But anyway, this is a pretty funny cartoon. Porky sure did some neat stuff during the two years when he was Warner Bros. top cartoon star.

I bet that we all miss some things when we're not looking.

Take one poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, add Porky Pig and put them in the Tex Avery blender, set on "maniac" and this cartoon is what resulted. Tex Avery style of gags abound. Pay attention to backgrounds and the extras. Some very good stuff to be seen here. Well worth your time.

Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons.

Also have much admiration for Tex Avery, an animation genius whose best cartoons are animated masterpieces and some of the best cartoons ever made from anybody. 'The Village Smithy', adapted from the classic poem 'The Village Blacksmith' in a wildly entertaining and deliciously warped way, like 'Milk and Money' and 'Porky the Wrestler' is up there as among Avery's best Porky Pig cartoons. To me, 'The Village Smithy' is also one of Porky's better early efforts and Avery's better early ones in general. Sometimes during this period there was the sense that he had not yet found his feet, his style can be found all over here.

'The Village Smithy' is also a cartoon where the relative slightness of the story can be completely overlooked because of the hilarity and brilliant timing of the gags (of which there are a lot and they come thick and fast), immaculate pacing and Avery's wild wackiness being apparent throughout and used to full advantage. The treatment of blacksmithing is done to truly imaginative effect.

Animation is characteristically great, crisp, detailed and fluid, the black and white holds up well. Carl Stalling once again provides an outstanding score, it is lush, energetic and characterful, with clever orchestration and a mastery of not just adding to the action but enhancing it as well (Stalling was a near-unequalled master at this).

It can be expected that Porky is a likable character and he is, though to me he works better in support against a stronger in personality character, while he plays it straight, than a lead.

The only issue for me again is Joe Dougherty's voice work as Porky, it's not just because Mel Blanc's more famous interpretation is more appealing to me but Dougherty doesn't sound anywhere near as natural or endearing, have always found that he overdid the stutter and that's true here too.

Concluding, great. 9/10 Bethany Cox