A Façanha do Gaguinho

One of the funniest of the Frank Tashlin cartoons -- Porky Pig and Daffy Duck try to skip out on an overpriced hotel stay! The Seinfeldian immorality of "Porky Pig's Feat" is quite surprising for 1943, a time when cartoons were frequently used to illustrate didactic military and patriotic themes.

Porky's bill for two nights stay at the Broken Arms Hotel is outrageous. He's even charged separately for the "air, sunshine and goodwill!" When the big fat French guy from the hotel comes to collect, Porky says his pal Daffy is in charge of the money. Unfortunately, Daffy has just thrown away money in a craps game.

One thing leads to another and the Frenchman winds up challenging Daffy on the "field of honor."

Well, you know Daffy doesn't have a lot of honor, and they never get to that duel - just a war to see if they can get out of the hotel without paying while the big hotel manager makes sure the opposite happens. All parties take a beating in this war. In the end, Daffy calls up Bugs Bunny hoping he'll help!

It was odd to see Daffy Duck in black-and-white. In all the Looney Tunes Collection DVDs, I've always seen him in color. This was part of the Volume Three.

This Looney Tunes episode may be very slapsticky and have a good deal of jokes that have been used so many times, it still works as a good quality Looney Tunes cartoon. I enjoyed it immensely, mainly thanks to a few of the unexpected jokes, character appearances and personalities of Daffy and Porky.

In this episode, Porky needs to pay a very expensive hotel bill and is waiting with the hotel manager for Daffy Duck, who is staying with him, to bring the money. Unfortunately, Daffy has been gambling at this time and loses ALL THE MONEY needed to pay the bill. Great. So, when Daffy realises that Porky is relying on him to pay the bill, he immediately becomes defensive against the hotel owner...

The cartoon had an "unexpected visitor," whom I will not reveal as it is quite late on in the episode. In the cartoon are also some quite witty statements and gags and the episode is fast-paced as most Looney Tunes are and very entertaining. There is one thing that slightly put me off the episode: I did not enjoy the surprisingly long sequence of "Ows!" submitted by the hotel manager as he falls down the stairs. Not only was it boring but it made me think of how it might feel in real life. Not nice.

I recommend this episode to people who like Porky and Daffy and to people who like early Looney Tunes cartoons. Enjoy "Porky's Pig Feat"! :-)

One of the things that I've always liked the most about the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoons is their unpredictability. "Porky Pig's Feat" goes all the way, as Porky and Daffy come up with all sorts of elaborate schemes to try and escape from a hotel. You see, the effete manager has charged them for things like air (for breathing), while Daffy gambled away all the money. The whole thing escalates into full-scale war.

Aside from what Porky and Daffy do to the owner - and what he does back to them - the last segment was a surprise. Then again, movie studios and executives always like to advertise themselves (Porky mentions Leon Schlesinger). Overall, a really funny cartoon.

So, in conclusion, let's all help them get their "Feat" back on the ground (apologies to the Beatles).

Porky and Daffy are checking out of an expensive hotel. But they have no money to pay the bill. What ensues is a hilarious effort to take off without paying. But the hotel manager is on to them and cuts them off at every turn. They try violence and a subterfuge, whatever they can. This has a delightful ending and more depth than the majority of these cartoons. It's almost like a 1930's comedy.