The Sour Puss

Bob Clampett's 'The Sour Puss' is at its best when its being surprisingly gentle and leisurely. It takes a good few minutes to build up to the main plot of a fishing trip and Clampett restrains his usual frantic pace for some very nicely executed gags. Porky's impersonation of a fish has to be seen to be believed! In these opening scenes we are introduced to Porky and his fish-loving cat as they decide to go fishing. We then share a partially sleepless night with the characters before finally arriving at the lake. At this point, however, 'The Sour Puss' takes a turn for the worse. The character of a nutty flying fish is introduced and with this comes the recognisably crazy pacing of a Clampett cartoon. Unfortunately, the fish character is an immensely annoying carbon copy of very early Daffy Duck and we get another run through of the formula from Tex Avery's 'Porky's Duck Hunt'. This scenario had already been replayed and perfected with Avery's masterful 'Daffy Duck and Egghead' and 'The Sour Puss' feels like the studio is treading water, recycling scenarios with inevitably diminishing returns. The flying fish is not only annoying and occasionally poorly animated, he also completely takes the focus away from Porky and his cat who had previously been carrying the film very nicely. 'The Sour Puss' ends up being a cartoon that falls apart when its main plot rears its ugly head, the character that was meant to be its trump card proving to be its downfall.

Since cartoon characters usually take their dogs hunting, it was at the very least interesting to see Porky Pig take his cat hunting. But not even that idea could have prepared me for what was in store here.

After Porky tells the loopy feline that they're having fish for dinner, the cat sort of flips out to the point where the bird decides that he's seen everything (in case you don't know that gag, you'll find out). But it's once they go fishing that the cartoon takes off. This fish acts as if he's on acid or something. It seems that the Termite Terrace crowd took Daffy from "Porky's Duck Hunt" and applied the characteristics to an aquatic vertebrate.

All in all, "The Sour Puss" is definitely a funny one. You're sure to like it. The last line is a parody of Lew Lehr, who appeared in Movietone newsreels in the 1930s and said things like "Chickens is duh cwaziest people!" The Termite Terrace crowd also parodied him in "She Was an Acrobat's Daughter" and "Scaredy Cat".

As with most Looney Tunes cartoons, thoroughly entertaining and definitely recommended. One gag does fall flat though, the counting fish gag is not very funny and feels drawn out, and some of the middle can feel rather rushed and manic. The animation is very fluid and detailed though, with all the characters drawn well, the black and white is beautifully shaded. The music is orchestrated beautifully, especially when the fish is introduced, and is very characterful, matching the facial expressions remarkably. The story doesn't try to do too much nor does it feel too thin, and it is paced very nicely. It's also well-structured generally, the beginning gently sets things up while also providing some good laughs, and the ending is so funny it makes the sides split. The dialogue is fresh and sharp, the fish's lines are a riot, and the gags are cleverly timed and most make their mark, Porky imitating a fish is just hilarious, easily one of the funniest things he's ever done. Porky is a good lead, not as bland as he can be at times, and the cat is a gem of a character in facial expressions and such. The flying fish- the anchor character of The Sour Puss-, aside from a slightly grating giddy laugh, is wonderfully wacky and often steals the show. Occasionally though especially in the middle it can mean that Porky and the cat are a little sidelined in terms of humour, so the character rapport and such can be a little imbalanced. The canary's Now I've seen everything moment doesn't disappoint either. Mel Blanc does a fine job with all the characters, if slightly overdoing it with the fish. In conclusion, very good and entertaining. 7.5/10 Bethany Cox