Review by bob the moo

When he is tricked and abandoned by his master, Charlie the Dog accepts his lot and moves on. Pulling every trick in the book, Charlie can't get anyone to stop and adopt him. Leaving the roadside, Charlie spots a right pigeon in farmer Porky Pig and sets out to be taken in as a farm dog.

Porky is not a great character where he is required to really carry the film - he works better in a solid partnership (ie Daffy Duck in full manic mode!). Happily for the audience, Charlie the dog is a great partner and is responsible for making this short as funny as it is. The plot sees the slick, smart dog Charlie trying to convince Porky that he should be his farm dog. The material is funny and Charlie easily gets way more than his fair share of good lines. The ending is a little lame but mostly it is funny stuff.

Porky is OK here, as he often is when working alongside a solid partner, but it is Charlie's film. The two share joint billing and many people may be surprised to see this minor character up there with Porky Pig. However I think it is vice versa - Porky should consider himself lucky to be above the title as Charlie does all the work and gets all the laughs. Without Charlie, Porky would only be able to get vague laughs out of this film - as shown by the vague laughs at the end.

Overall, a very funny and enjoyable cartoon - but it is 99% due to the dialogue and actions of Charlie combined with his great, city-smart delivery and attitude!