Jeepers Creepers

Here is another Porky Pig cartoon, great for Halloween. This one is directed by Bob Clampett, and I remember watching the edited, colorized version on TV as a little kid. But from watching the original black-and-white version online as an animation-loving adult, I found it much better than the crappy edited version for TV.

In this short, Porky is a police officer ordered to investigate strange goings-on at an old, run-down, deserted house. But the house is actually haunted, and a fun-loving ghost (voiced by Disney regular Pinto Colvig) plays a series of pranks on the unsuspecting pig. And then Porky gets scared and runs out of the house.

There is one scene I liked that was kind of recycled from the short "The Case of the Stuttering Pig." It was funny when a scared Porky ran up the stairs like a flash and then jumped right into the ghost's arms, stuttering. "I just saw a..." Overall, I loved this short.

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.

As was said with some other Bob Clampett-directed Porky Pig cartoons, have more often than not had a lot of respect and appreciation for Clampett, and while not quite one of my favourite Looney Tunes characters (prefer those with consistently stronger, funnier and interesting personalities) Porky has always been very easy to like. 'Jeepers Creepers' is as perfect a representation of both as one can get, and one of the best to me.

Clampett's distinctive outrageously wacky and anarchic style is all over 'Jeepers Creepers'. Porky is endearing as ever very effectively plays it straight, is used well and is actually treated like a lead, after having cartoons where he feels more like underutilised support. The ghost is a great support character.

Mel Blanc is outstanding as always. He always was the infinitely more preferable voice for Porky, Joe Dougherty never clicked with me, and he proves it here. Blanc shows an unequalled versatility and ability to bring an individual personality to every one of his multiple characters in a vast majority of his work, there is no wonder why he was in such high demand as a voice actor. Pinto Colvig, most familiar to me as the original voice of Goofy for the Disney Silly Symphonies cartoons, is every bit as great.

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.

'Jeepers Creepers' is beautifully paced, imaginative, often hilarious in a wonderfully bizarre way and very spooky. The creepy setting is used to full advantage and the disembodied walking shoe gag is indeed a riot.

In conclusion, very spooky and lots of fun. 10/10 Bethany Cox

No collection of old time cartoons would be complete without this one. If I were going to select my all-time favorite Warner Brother Loony Tunes cartoon, it would be a tie between this nutty ghost story and the nuttier "Porky in Wackyland" (1939) aka "Dough for the Do-Do". I first saw these as a small kid at the age of 4 or 5 and have been a fan of these old cartoons on into adulthood. The ones created in the 1930s and 1940s have always been the best.

Anyway, this nutty ghost story holds your attention from beginning to end. Imagine sitting in a police cruiser (Porky is an policeman in this one.) and being told to "investigate strange noises in an old, abandoned house. And to be careful - THERE MIGHT BE GHOSTS!!!!". Porky stops for a minute and thinks to himself "Did he say ghosts?" And the radio responds "Yes - you know those white things that go "BRAHH AH AH AHHH!". Great fun.

At the house there is a rambunctious, but overall seemingly harmless ghost with the voice of the great Pinto Colvig and a bizarre sense of humor (I can relate to that) that enjoys scaring people. And he does a great job on Porky once he arrives. (I won't reveal everything here.) And the disembodied "walking shoe" prank is hysterical. (I would love to a pull a gag like that.)

Great fun throughout.

10/10 Dan Basinger