Wagon Heels

One of the many simultaneously racist and clever Warner Bros. cartoons, Bob Clampett's "Wagon Heels" lets everything all out. I seem to recall that there was an earlier cartoon with almost the exact same plot (it may have been "Injun Trouble"). Anyway, the plot has Porky Pig leading a wagon train through the Old West, called Injun Joe Territory. Injun Joe is probably the nastiest dude out there, but a silly pioneer knows a secret about Joe. Yep, it's all part of our cultural myth of manifest destiny...as an excuse for some crazy gags! So, more than anything, these cartoons serve to represent stereotypes about different people. On the Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVDs (this one appears on Volume 5), there's a disclaimer explaining that some of the cartoons contain racist images. And the depictions of American Indians were very likely the most negative. But even so, you can't deny that Bob Clampett had some truly ideas when it came to cartoons. I recommend it as a look at previously acceptable stereotypes. And of course for the clever tricks.

According to this history lesson, Mighty redskin Injun Joe, the Super Chief (woo woo) owned most of the USA by sheer force in the year of our Lord 1849. Luckily a Wagon Train leaves New York for California lead by fearless scout Porky Pig on his black horsey. When they stumble on a massacre sight (good gravy and heavens to Betsy!) Porky has to be a hero and take on that mighty Super Chief Injun Joe (woo woo).

Suddenly this blue tippy toed idiot character called Sloppy Moe pops up out of nowhere to agitate the Porker and us, the viewers. I really don't see how anyone could find this character even remotely funny. Luckily the Super Chief himself turns out to be pretty impressive (woo woo!), splitting mountains and everything else in his way without even lifting a finger. Bear traps, wild animals and impassible streams are nothing to him (but neither can they stop Porkys horsey from getting his master where he needs to go).

Now that screwball Sloppy Moe starts bothering the Mighty Injun (boo woo). This prompts him to attack the wagon train on his little wooden horse. The frontier men retaliate by firing talking guns straight out of Roger Rabbit's Toontown, but Joe the Mighty uses entire tree trunks for arrows and spits their bullets back at them. Yes, once again the references to war are clearly apparent. Finally Porky and Sloppy take on the incredible red skinned hulk in a surprising finale that almost, but not quite, makes you forgive Sloppy Moe for being so annoying.

8 out of 10

Bob Clampett's cartoons often were high in energy and fun and displayed a uniquely wacky visual style that one can recognise immediately. Porky Pig is often likable and amusing, if at times overshadowed by characters with stronger personalities.

'Wagon Heels' is not Clampett or Porky at their finest, but it is very good stuff all the same. Its only real debit is the character of Sloppy Moe, whose inept stupidity is so overdone that the character is never funny, in fact calling him dumb isn't enough to describe how insufferably annoying he is.

The animation is excellent. The colours are gorgeously vibrant, even nearly 80 years on, while also rich in detail and high in imagination. Carl Stalling's energetically high-voltage, luscious, rousing, dynamic and action-enhancing music score and inspired arrangements of pre-existing music shows off his compositional genius.

As often with Clampett, 'Wagon Heels' often veers between very funny to hilarious, only really mis-stepping with Sloppy Moe. The closing gag and anything with Injun Joe are particularly good. Porky is very likable and hardly bland while Injun Joe is funnier and more interesting, he is a stereotype sure but he is an entertaining one.

Mel Blanc does a superb job with the voices as always.

On the whole, very good cartoon apart from Sloppy Moe. 8/10 Bethany Cox

This was a pretty weird cartoon, but very interesting. The sight gags made this a winner. There were some very bizarre sights, believe me.

The "cast of characters" were Porky Pig, his horse, Sloppy Moe and Injun Joe (rhyme not intended). I enjoyed everyone except "Sloppy Moe," some blue, ghost-like cowboy figure with a dumb voice who was too stupid for laughs. However, the rest were very entertaining. Who doesn't like Porky Pig? His horse in this Western tale was just as funny, if not more so. Injun Joe, The Super Chief, also was good, a combination Paul Bunyan and Superman, until his weakness was revealed!

Even better than the characters was the art in here. This is nice-looking cartoon and Warner Brothers did a nice job restoring it for their Golden Collection Volume Five. Those great colors and art made the sight gags work even more.

In addition, one gets a history lesson. I never knew Injun Joe owned almost all of America according to the map we see at the beginning! Porky is a lookout-scout for the wagon train which is heading west from New York City. Along the way, we see corny signs in the road and on the different wagons, but they are fun to read. That's subtle to the wild things that happen after they reach Injun Joe's territory.