Porky's Phoney Express

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.

Porky Pig has always been a never less than watchable character, he is endearing and amusing when used well. Do prefer it when he is playing it straight against characters with stronger personalities (i.e. Daffy Duck, a classic partnership), but he has many times, depending on the material, been very effective as a lead when he isn't underused and playing second fiddle to funnier supporting characters.

He is endearing and amusing here, plus he is actually treated like a lead character. Even if there are stronger personalities in the other characters, with the often very funny boss character faring the strongest.

'Porky's Phoney Express' does contain its fair share of clever, decently timed and amusing gags, though there is little razor-sharp, hilarious or imaginative. It's not a dull cartoon either, the pace is kept lively and the ending was a very nice deserved reversal touch, though the story is basic and predictable.

While Porky and his boss come off best, there are less than flattering stereotypes also that were not uncommon at the time but don't really hold up well or fly today.

Mel Blanc and Billy Bletcher provide top notch voice work in their own distinctive and versatile ways.

Animation is pretty good, apart from the stereotypical Indian designs and occasional choppy scene transitions. Mostly though, it's fluid in movement, crisp in shading and very meticulous in detail.

Saving the particularly good element until last, 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.

Overall, above average cartoon if a long way from a classic. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Yes, "Porky's Phoney Express" is very much a product of the days when it was acceptable to portray American Indians as savages. I will say that the cartoon contains some clever gags (such as "Follow that horse!" and the Indian's hand), but are we really about to treat as a masterpiece anything that portrays a decimated people like this? I suspect that if they ever release this onto DVD, they'll have to put it in a section of cartoons containing racist images of non-white people. Others in such a section would be "Ali Baba Bound" and "Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs". Until then, you can find it on YouTube. Just understand what kind of cartoon it is.