Porky's Super Service

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.

Directed by Ub Iwerks, with animation by Bob Clampett and Chuck Jones, 'Porky's Super Service' is very good and a lot of fun. It is always interesting to see Porky in his early years, but that is not usually the only reason to see his early cartoons, even if he went on to do much better things. It is not the most inventive of concepts (not a problem really) and the kid's brattiness is taken a little too far at times (is a problem).

Mel Blanc is outstanding as always however. He always was the infinitely more preferable voice for Porky, Joe Dougherty never clicked with me, and he proves it in 'Porky's Super Service'. Blanc shows an unequalled versatility and ability to bring an individual personality to every one of his multiple characters in a vast majority of his work, there is no wonder why he was in such high demand as a voice actor.

The animation is excellent, it's fluid in movement, crisp in shading and very meticulous in detail. Clampett and Jones bring characteristic visual imagination and wit. The story may be predictable, but it's beautifully paced with never a dull moment and strongly structured.

Writing is witty and never less than amusing. Likewise with the sight gags, which are peppered throughout with little sense of unsettlement. Porky is a likeable and amusing lead and his chemistry with the kid is a large part of the kid's appeal. Despite the kid's brattiness, many of the laughs do revolve around being ahead of Porky for much of the time and Porky struggling to keep up

Carl Stalling's music is typically superb. It is as always lushly orchestrated, full of lively energy and characterful in rhythm, not only adding to the action but also enhancing it.

In summation, not an animated masterpiece but with a lot of very good things. 8/10 Bethany Cox

According to IMDB, there are two other colorized versions of this cartoon directed by Ub Iwerks, a man who helped create Mickey Mouse with Walt Disney back in the late 1920s. Fortunately, I found the original black & white version....and it was rather amusing.

In this short, Porky Pig is working at a full service gas station. A variety of gags occur early on, but when an older woman brings in her car with a bratty baby inside...things heat up considerably and the cartoon shifts into high gear. Very funny and an amazing finale...this one is worth seeing.

Porky's Super Service (1937)

*** (out of 4)

Black and white Looney Tunes short has Porky running a gas station and doing a great job at taking care of everyone. This all changes when an obnoxious kid is left in a car and decides to drive Porky crazy. Director Iwerks, best known for his early Disney cartoons, does a great job keeping this film moving and gives it a certain attitude that only his films have. There are many jokes from start to finish but the highlight has to be the sequence where Porky knows the kid is up to no good and keeps trying to catch him but the kid is always one step ahead. The work by Bob Clampett and Chuck Jones is beautifully done as is the voice work by Mel Blanc.