Calling Dr. Porky

In this cartoon, Porky poses as a doctor. A dog comes to his office with the hiccups. On his way to the exam room, some elephants chase him. He runs in to the exam room, and tells Dr. Porky that his problem is that he is being chased by elephants. While Porky goes off to rig up some medication, the elephants come in, give the patient an exam, and ask him a series of questions. When Porky comes back, he gives his patient the medicine, which works for a second, but then the elephants come back. If you haven't seen this cartoon, see it!

Funny Porky short directed by Friz Freleng. The title is a pun on Calling Dr. Kildare; there's even a line at the start of the cartoon referencing it. In this one Porky is a doctor who gets more than he bargained for when a drunk comes in tormented by imaginary pink elephants. It's a wackier style of cartoon than I normally associate with Freleng but it's a fun one. Most of the humor comes from the drunk and the elephants. Porky's almost always the straight man in his shorts but here he's practically a background character. The animation is quite nice. Well-drawn characters and backgrounds. Lovely colors too. The music and voice work are also nice. It's not a hilarious cartoon but it's fun for what it is.

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.

'Calling Dr Porky' is not one of Friz Freleng's best cartoons and he was yet to be in his full prime, but for a relatively early effort from him it's a very solid one. It is never what one would call hilarious and this is yet another instance of Porky being underutilised, fairly bland and being outshone by the supporting characters. It is a good thing that the supporting characters are great fun, one feels sorry for the dog while providing some great humour out of a serious situation, while the elephants steal the cartoon.

As said, while never hilarious 'Calling Dr Porky' is very funny, well engineered stuff, with a good deal of lively energy. Freleng does a great job directing, it's a relatively early effort for him but there is a wackiness (more so than usual) that he characterises with control and imagination as well as visual wit.

The story is hardly an original one, the freshness of the execution makes this not matter like it could have done. Everything goes at a fast pace without being rushed.

Animation is excellent, it's fluid in movement, crisp in shading and very meticulous in detail. Ever the master, 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.

Mel Blanc's voice acting as always is impeccable.

In summary, solid stuff. 8/10 Bethany Cox