Le Château hanté

Wearing of the Grin, The (1951)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

It's a dark and stormy night so Porky Pig tries to get shelter inside a dark castle but he turns into a couple leprechauns who think he's there to steal their gold. This has never been one of my favorites and this latest viewing just affirmed that for me. The thought of Porky going up against a couple leprechauns should have made for some great entertainment but that's not the case here as we only get a couple small laughs. The whole gimmick of the two leprechauns coming together as one was an interesting idea but not enough is done with it. The same could be said about the joke dealing with the dancing shoes. Even Porky himself doesn't have too much to do. Considering it only runs 7-minutes you're going to stay entertained but there's so much better out there.

Porky Pig takes shelter from the rain inside an old Irish castle, despite a sign outside that warns "Beware of Leprechauns." Sure enough, there are leprechauns inside the castle. Two of them, to be exact. Believing Porky to be after their pot of gold, they make him wear a pair of magic green shoes that force the tired pig to keep dancing an Irish jig. It's a beautifully animated cartoon with lovely colors. Nice voicework and music. It's not hilarious but it is amusing and fun to watch. The visuals are amazing for such a slight cartoon, particularly after Porky puts on the shoes and has his freak-out. By the way, some remarks here about stereotyping with the leprechauns? Really, people? Has it really come to that?

Porky Pig looking to get out of the rain while in Ireland, stops in an old castle inhabited by the wee' people, don't ya know? They think he's after their pot o' gold, and so sentence him to were the Green shoes, it's at this point that the film takes a surreal tone. Does this film stereotype the Irish? Yup, but who cares, I'm Irish and it didn't bother me (when I first signed onto IMDb, I typoed my last name, but trust me I'm Irish with a capital O'). It was funny and when it comes down to it, that's all that matters. This cartoon is on Disk 2 of the "Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 1" It also has an optional commentary as well as a small featurette.

My Grade: B+

Top o' the mornin' to ye. The rest of the day to you as well. Young Porky, bound for Dublin in the rain, meets the Little Folk and has the harder part of it, to be sure. O'Pat and O'Mike make it a time he'll remember the length of his days, I'll be bound! Great dialogue, including one line I have to quote here or a banshee will haunt me: Sure and it's sight enough to set the heart crossways in ye! Tis a fine treat for all the children of Erin and those that are Irish only one day a year! Tis recommending it strongly, that I am!

It is 12 miles from Dublin in the middle of nowhere. Porky Pig stumbles upon a castle in the pouring rain. He finds shelter and caretaker Seamus O'Toole living there by himself. Porky is invited to stay. It turns out that Seamus is actually two leprechauns, O'Pat and O'Mike, standing one on top of the other. They think that Porky is there to steal their pot of gold.

This is a fun little Irish takedown with Porky. It could be a Halloween short. On top of that, O'Pat and O'Mike are good characters who become small support Looney Tunes extras. The surreal section could be a little more real to allow for something else.