Porky's Poultry Plant

With some of the early Porky Pig cartoons, it seems that the people creating the cartoons often didn't go for outright humor (that may have started when Daffy Duck came along). For example, "Porky's Poultry Plant" has a rather simple plot line: Porky runs a chicken farm and has lost some hens to a pernicious hawk/buzzard; the hawk/buzzard kidnaps a chick, and Porky flies after the villainous bird, resulting in an aerial version of football.

Usually, I would expect Frank Tashlin's cartoons to contain a lot more in the way of sight gags, but this one sticks to its simple plot. Maybe it was sort of a place holder while they were creating some of the more famous cartoons (1936 also saw the release of "I Love to Singa"). Still, it is worth seeing as a look at the early days of the Looney Tunes. Just understand that they don't go for the really wacky stuff that would soon characterize their work.

Porky's Poultry Plant (1936)

*** (out of 4)

Porky is feeding the various animals on his farm including the ducks and chickens. Then his farm comes under attack by a hawk that has been stealing various chickens. Now it's up to Porky to try and protect what is his.

PORKY'S POULTRY PLANT is another winner for the series, which of course was still rather young here. What's so fun about this short is that there's a lot of imagination going on and especially during the finale where Porky gets into his airplane and goes after the hawk who has stolen a baby chicken. There's a lot of action going on and plenty of nice little laughs as this battle plays out. Another good thing about this is an earlier scene where Porky is trying to feed everyone but the same chicken keeps getting left out.

(From LT Golden Collection V4D2) Frank Tashlin's cartoons always have a great setup - think of Porky and Daffy trying to escape the hotel manager. This one is a bit more basic but still fun, with Porky the owner of a poultry farm and a bunch of hens. A run-in with a chicken hawk quickly turns into a pre-World-War-2 dogfight when Porky, still very chubby in 1936, takes to the skies in his equally paunchy airplane. Really solid short with some very cool action shots. The creative black & whites often are the best surprises because they're so often overlooked, and this one is no exception.

A 10 line minimum for a 7-minute short does seem a bit steep, doesn't it?

A remarkable cartoon for the period. First, it was Carl Stallings' debut as Termite Terrace's musical director, a position he would hold for twenty years, producing a remarkable body of work. Second, it was Frank Tashlin's second directorial credit -- his first was three years before for Van Beuren -- and his mastery of directing is already obvious. Notice the long panning shot that opens the movie, and the POV (Point Of View) shots from the chickenhawk's perspective. Or perhaps it is a vulture; species are not rigid in the cartoon universe.

This is not, I should add, a very funny cartoon. The situations are handled dramatically and the number of gags is not very high. But it is worth your time.

In "Porky's Poultry Plant", farmer Porky has a big problem...the hawks are killing off many of his chickens. So, he does what anyone would do in this situation....they buy an airplane and attack the hawks in their own turf!

This is a cartoon with lots of action and a VERY dark but enjoyable ending. Compared to many other Porky cartoons of the era, this one has more laughs and is more enjoyable. And, like other early Porky Pig cartoons, he looks nothing like the more trim and less homely 1940s and later versions of the character.

By the way, if anyone cares, the airplane Porky flies looks highly reminiscent of a Gee Bee Racer--a stubby but very fast plane built for racing in the 1930s.