Porky's Poultry Plant

With some of the early Porky Pig cartoons, it seems that the people creating the cartoons often didn't go for outright humor (that may have started when Daffy Duck came along). For example, "Porky's Poultry Plant" has a rather simple plot line: Porky runs a chicken farm and has lost some hens to a pernicious hawk/buzzard; the hawk/buzzard kidnaps a chick, and Porky flies after the villainous bird, resulting in an aerial version of football.

Usually, I would expect Frank Tashlin's cartoons to contain a lot more in the way of sight gags, but this one sticks to its simple plot. Maybe it was sort of a place holder while they were creating some of the more famous cartoons (1936 also saw the release of "I Love to Singa"). Still, it is worth seeing as a look at the early days of the Looney Tunes. Just understand that they don't go for the really wacky stuff that would soon characterize their work.

Frank Tashlin's 'Porky's Poultry Plant' is a case of historical importance exceeding enjoyment factor. 'Porky's Poultry Plant' was not only the directional debut of Tashlin, it was also the first Warner cartoon with music by the irreplaceable Carl Stalling. Tashlin and Stalling would both go on to produce an astonishing array of work for the Warner Bros. cartoon studio and their enormous talents are much in evidence here despite the weak material. The cartoon opens with a gorgeous pan across the farmyard which is typical of the live-action techniques Tashlin brought to his cartoons. However, we then have to sit through a series of cutesy gags about feeding chickens into which even Tashlin cannot inject any energy. Porky's voice is also excruciating here, provided as it was by Joe Dougherty, an actor with a real speech impediment who was unable to control his stutter as Mel Blanc later would. Some of Porky's sentences seem to go on forever! 'Porky's Poultry Plant' picks up towards the end as Porky becomes embroiled in an airborne battle with some vultures, resulting in a terrific battle which showcases Tashlin's instantly assured direction. It's too late to really save the cartoon though and it peters out with a cutesy gag that's more in keeping with the dull opening scenes. 'Porky's Poultry Plant' emerges as weak material brilliantly directed, probably of interest mainly to those who are interested in animation history but of little worth as the entertainment it was intended to be.

In "Porky's Poultry Plant", farmer Porky has a big problem...the hawks are killing off many of his chickens. So, he does what anyone would do in this situation....they buy an airplane and attack the hawks in their own turf!

This is a cartoon with lots of action and a VERY dark but enjoyable ending. Compared to many other Porky cartoons of the era, this one has more laughs and is more enjoyable. And, like other early Porky Pig cartoons, he looks nothing like the more trim and less homely 1940s and later versions of the character.

By the way, if anyone cares, the airplane Porky flies looks highly reminiscent of a Gee Bee Racer--a stubby but very fast plane built for racing in the 1930s.

Porky's Poultry Plant (1936)

*** (out of 4)

Porky is feeding the various animals on his farm including the ducks and chickens. Then his farm comes under attack by a hawk that has been stealing various chickens. Now it's up to Porky to try and protect what is his.

PORKY'S POULTRY PLANT is another winner for the series, which of course was still rather young here. What's so fun about this short is that there's a lot of imagination going on and especially during the finale where Porky gets into his airplane and goes after the hawk who has stolen a baby chicken. There's a lot of action going on and plenty of nice little laughs as this battle plays out. Another good thing about this is an earlier scene where Porky is trying to feed everyone but the same chicken keeps getting left out.

(From LT Golden Collection V4D2) Frank Tashlin's cartoons always have a great setup - think of Porky and Daffy trying to escape the hotel manager. This one is a bit more basic but still fun, with Porky the owner of a poultry farm and a bunch of hens. A run-in with a chicken hawk quickly turns into a pre-World-War-2 dogfight when Porky, still very chubby in 1936, takes to the skies in his equally paunchy airplane. Really solid short with some very cool action shots. The creative black & whites often are the best surprises because they're so often overlooked, and this one is no exception.

A 10 line minimum for a 7-minute short does seem a bit steep, doesn't it?