Porky the Fireman

In 1935, Disney's MICKEY'S FIRE BRIGADE was a great cartoon. Three years later, under the direction of Frank Tashlin, PORKY THE FIREMAN took the same subject and did it forty times as well. Clocking in at 40 gags per minute, a sensible plot and excellent animation, this movie marked the end of Disney's domination of animation. Three years later, the Clampett satire of FANTASIA, A CORNY CONCERTO, would seal the issue.

...One of his better ones actually. The animation is fluid and detailed, the fire effects are very inventive and the camera angles once again shows a director who knows how to direct his material and do it expertly. It's that particularly that makes one wish that Tashlin was better known. The music is jaunty and very beautifully orchestrated, the dog's theme matched his movements brilliantly. The gags are literally at least 5-laughs-a-minute, and luckily even at such a fast pace all the gags work wonderfully, the best being hilarious and the dog bagging the best moments. The story is always fun and not too predictable. Porky is good and amuses in how inept he is at his job, though the stronger and more charismatic is the dog, his manner is perhaps too relaxed for such a potentially life-threatening situation but that's what makes him so funny. Mel Blanc as always does a stellar job with the voice acting. Overall, excellent early Porky cartoon and one of his better ones, notable for Tashlin's direction, the humour and the dog. 9/10 Bethany Cox

If you thought that cartoon gags had gone as far as they could, just watch "Porky the Fireman". Whether the fire spells out messages, water from the fire hose plays Whack-a-Mole with the fire in the windows, or one character seriously needs his hearing fixed, the whole cartoon goes to show that nothing was sacred to the Termite Terrace crowd.

OK, so maybe we could also be cynical and say that Warner Bros. spent about the first four years of Porky Pig's existence mostly putting him in various kinds of roles just for the hell of it (aside from this one, he was also an engineer, pilgrim, bullfighter, etc.). But seriously, with the sorts of gags that these cartoons had, how can you not like them at least some?! I will say that Porky and the other characters really started getting some of their best roles in the early '40s, but this is still worth seeing, if only as a historical reference.

Frank Tashlin's 'Porky the Fireman' is one of those excellent early Porky Pig cartoons in which Porky could easily be substituted for a different character. The emphasis here is very much on a series of extremely inventive gags all based around a burning building which Porky's fire brigade is trying to save. Frantically alternating between trying to find a source of water and rescue people from the blazing windows, the firemen finally extinguish the last flame… or do they?! 'Porky the Fireman' moves at a real lick, ensuring that if you don't like one gag there'll be another one along immediately. This speedy pace is only broken up by the cartoon's true star, a laid-back, pipe-smoking dog whose terminally relaxed demeanour is entirely incongruous with the situation. Some of the dog's jokes take longer than your average gag but Tashlin treats his material with an assurance which makes certain that the audience will not become bored. The inventive idea of personifying the flames that are destroying the building results in some brilliant moments too. 'Porky the Fireman' dashed my preconceptions about its dull title by proving to be a fast-moving, funny and fresh animated short. Recommended.