150. Porky in the North Woods (1936)

Release date: December 19th, 1936

Series: Looney Tunes

Director: Frank Tashlin

Starring: Joe Dougherty (Porky), Billy Bletcher (Jean-Baptiste), Berneice Hansell (Benny Beaver)

I can hardly believe it, but here we are: the final cartoon of 1936! 1936 has been quite a big year. Remember Beans? He was still a part of this year’s filmography! Porky truly rose to stardom, Jack King got the boot (along with Beans) in favor of Frank Tashlin... 1937 is a big, big, big year for Looney Tunes. This is the year I really think the cartoons truly become loony. Mel Blanc joining the cast is probably the most major contribution, but Daffy’s emergence (and Pwrunia’s) and Bob Clampett’s directorial debut (Ub Iwerks too, though unfortunately not as notable) are not to be overlooked either. 

Moving on, this is Norm McCabe’s first animation credit! Norm would animate for Bob Clampett and eventually take over his unit in 1941, directing a good batch of cartoons until 1943 when he went to fight in the war. A lot of his filmography is composed of WWII propaganda, some much better than others, but I really enjoy his cartoons, especially his Daffy shorts.

Okay, lots of yapping from me. Let me shut up so I can yap some more: inspired by the 1936-1940 radio show Renfrew of the Mounted, Porky runs a wildlife refuge in the north woods, keeping local animals safe from trapping and hunting. However, a burly lumberjack doesn’t take too kindly to Porky’s good will, and makes it a point to hunt and trap every animal in sight.

The first 20 seconds of the cartoon is a combination of a pan and still images of signs mounted on the trees. Lots of directors (particularly Bob Clampett) would utilize stills or pans in the opening of the cartoon to take up some time and reduce costs. The signs advertise Porky’s game refuge: no trespassing, no shooting, no trapping, no fishing, no fires. Eventually, the signs just reduce to “NO”, a plethora of NOs tacked onto various pine trees. Wonderful accompaniment of the music as the shots get quicker and the signs grow in size, the climax of the scene revealing porky hammering a giant sign to a tree that reads A THOUSAND TIMES NO. The final sign complete, Porky shakes his fists in glory as the local wildlife cheer him on in gratitude and victory.

With the next scene, the peaceful atmosphere of the sanctuary is broken as the familiar thunder of Billy Bletcher’s laugh fills the screen. Tons of beautiful, odd, unconventional camera angles that create an air of mystery and tension. We have no idea what the villain looks like, but right away we can surmise he is indeed a villain as he spits in the faces of the signs. He shoots a rifle at the no shooting sign, throws out a trap by the no trapping sign, casts a line near the no fishing sign, and lighting a fire beneath the no fire sign. We have no idea what he looks like. Bletcher’s laugh is wonderfully haunting and truly enhances the mood of the scene.

A lighter mood as we focus in on two beavers engaging in a jolly game of leap frog, giggles provided by the great Betneice Hansell. Stalling’s underscore of “Canadian Capers” is very fitting and adds an upbeat energy, as well as a nice swingy compliment. Just then, the beavers spot an apple hanging from a tree. Food! 

They rejoice, bounding over time the apple and eventually battling over who gets the food, smacking each other with their tails. One beaver smacks the other so hard that the beaver is sent spinning around like a top, curving up a tree trunk and falling to the ground. The cut back to the offending beaver is rather quick, almost too quick, but it adapts to the high energy of the scene.

With the apple all for himself, the beaver reaches for it. Unfortunately, the string is attached to a trap covered beneath the snow, and the beaver gets his tail caught in the ferocious iron jaws. Crying out in pain and agony, the beaver orders his friend to get help. 

Frank Tashlin’s sense of speed is quite tactile and exhilarating as the trapped beaver pushes his friend forward to get help, backgrounds changing constantly as the beaver slides across the landscape. 7 different backgrounds total! Suddenly, the beaver stops, thinking, and curses silently. He zooms back to where the trapped beaver is, same sense of urgency and speed. With that, he plucks the apple down from the tree and swallows it whole before zooming back to get help. The cutting and pacing reminds me a lot of the fast cutting in Porky’s Romance where Petunia rushes a forlorn Porky back to her house, seeing that he bears chocolates and roses.

Speaking of Porky  the little beaver enlists in his help. Instead of stopping to talk to him, the beaver runs circles around the tree where Porky is situated, dragging him into the circle without a break in momentum. Porky’s taken back to the scene of the crime, where the tearful, trapped beaver thanks Porky for coming to the rescue. Porky pries the trap open, reassuring “Hold still, benny!”, and the beaver is freed. 

Benny’s tail is crumpled up, but Porky doesn’t have time to mend it—“Uh oh, another one!” While Porky goes to aid the offscreen voice crying for help, Benny mopes to the audience “Oh, look at my poor tail. I hope it won’t be a permanent wave!” the permanent wave machine was a relatively new invention, actually invented by a Black woman named Marjorie Joyner! Invented in 1928, it was still new enough for the joke here to hit.

Porky aids other animals who have been victim to the traps, including a rabbit’s crumpled ears and a skunk’s crumpled tail, Porky putting a clothespin on his nose to hide the smell. Tashlin’s love of shadows enhances the mystery behind the brutal trapper as we see a big, bulky shadow march across the ground, past the empty traps. 

A thick, french accent sneers “Ah, so they robbed my traps, eh? What you think of that? I will kill him! He can’t do this to Jean-Baptiste!” Bosko the Lumberjack also featured a french, villainous lumberjack by the name of Pierre instead of Jean-Baptiste. Bletcher’s vocals and Tashlin’s characterization makes JB a much more menacing villain than Pierre.

Now, we spot Porky’s first aid station for his game refuge. Carl Stalling’s accompaniment wonderfully compliments this entire cartoon, but this scene especially. A line of injured, crumpled, downtrodden animals trudge inside the refuge, sulking to a minor accompaniment of “Little Man, You’ve Had a Busy Day”. Pan across the exterior of the cabin, and out stroll the rehabilitated animals, tails and ears shining triumphantly from being straightened out, the accompaniment a major key rendition of “Tramp, Tramp, Tramp, the Boys are Marching”.

Inside we view the process behind Porky’s handiwork in a wonderfully endearing (and amusing) scene, animated by Norm McCabe. Porky has Benny Beaver propped up on a table, placing a cloth over his tail. Porky grabs a steaming hot iron and irons it out, wincing sympathetically as Benny grimaces, but eventually is fixed up and ready to go. Porky’s animation is wonderful, his expressions are clear and he comes off as very fatherly and warm (the “love thy neighbor” sign furthering this. Ironically, the same sign would give Porky turmoil in Porky’s Bear Facts, where he begrudgingly lets in his starving neighbors after remembering his sign.) 

Carl Stalling’s arrangement of “Little Man, You’ve Had a Busy Day” is just wonderful and one of my favorite arrangements he’s done in his entire career. The song itself is very endearing and sweet. In all, a lovely, warm atmosphere.

Outside, a much harsher scene. Jean-Baptiste makes his way to the refuge as we see his lumbering shadow and thundering voice. The animation of his shadow reflecting over the injured animals is very calculated and lovely. Finally, we get a good look at him—essentially, he’s just Le Commandant from Little Beau Porky! The animals spot his brawny figure and disperse at the sight. Jean-Baptiste marches into the cabin, ready for a confrontation.

Porky wraps up ironing a fox’s tail, Jean-Baptiste putting his beefy hands down on the table. Ever absentminded, Porky places a cloth over his hands and irons them, the scene made even funnier as Jean-Baptiste side eyes the audience. Accomplished with his handiwork, Porky removes the cloth as we see JB’s flattened hands. Porky doesn’t register what he just did until a second later, gasping as he finally makes eye contact with the threatening Jean-Baptiste.

Like the previous two Tashlin entries, this cartoon ALSO has a battle scene, animated by Volney White. Stalling’s underscore of “Black Coffee”, one of his favorites, compliments the chaos as JB sneaks around the table, eventually cornering Porky and pinning him down on top of the table. He irons Porky’s tail out, who shudders in pain. Porky’s tail now essentially reduced to a long pin, JB balances him by the table and punches him repeatedly like a bunching back. The animation of Porky wobbling back and forth is wonderful.

JB throws Porky over to the other end of the cabin, his tail getting stuck in the wall. A hot teapot repeatedly scalds Porky’s bottom, but JB snags a whip just in time to retrieve his victim and abuse him some more. JB then engages in a one person game of tennis, hitting Porky repeatedly with a snow shoe, Porky at one turning into a giant ball. The sound effects are all vocal effects, something Treg Brown would popularize. It would become even more popularized with the BOIP/BEOWIP sound effects provided by Bob Clampett, used in many a cartoon.

All of the animals observe in horror from the outside, particularly Benny Beaver. Reusing the 7 backgrounds from when the other beaver was hustling across the landscape to warn Porky about the trap, Benny swings on a moose’s beard and sounding an alarm call. All of the animals of the north woods collaborate: bears come running from their caves, skunks running straight at the audience from a tree, George Arliss caricatured turtles marching in lines and beating their chests, beavers flowing out of their dens, you name it.

The animals all unite together and barge into the cabin, underscored by “Poet and Peasant Overture”. The offscreen action of JB getting his, the camera panning rapidly back and forth in front of an exterior shot, was also used in Tashlin’s first, Porky’s Poultry Plant. Tashlin uses his super quick cuts to convey the exhilaration of the action happening as a beaver launches two beavers into JB via handsaw. JB, now armed with skis, slides down the mountain as the various woodland critters beat up on JB. Beavers and turtles beat him with clubs, beavers firing logs while using a gang of moose(s) as bows.

The cutting starts to get a little too quick for Tashlin’s own good. As the logs pellet into the back of JB’s head, he knocks his dentures out. There’s a literal split second gag of the dentures biting him on his nose, but the cut is so quick to the next scene that you would never know it happened. The other battle scenes have been just as fast in Tashlin’s other cartoons, but this feels particularly snappy, maybe because of the music. It’s still a wonderfully exhilarating scene regardless, just a bit incoherent. 

Benny and his beaver pal trip JB with a rope tied between two trees, with JB crying out “You NASTY man!!!”, quoted from comedian Joe Penner. JB reaches his demise as he plunges headfirst into the snow, with only the bottoms of his skis sticking out.

A triumphant, victorious rendition of “Little Man, You’ve Had a Busy Day” closes out the cartoon as all of the animals celebrate, with Porky inexplicably outside once more and amongst the crowd, shaking his fists. Distant sounds of “WHOOPEE!”s break the celebration, and the animals crowd around to find the source. Iris out on Benny and his buddy using JB’s skis as a seesaw.

I love this cartoon, it’s truly one of my favorite Dougherty cartoons and one of my favorite Tashlin cartoons. Carl Stalling’s arrangements shine bright—his repeated use of “Little Man, You’ve Had a Busy Day” is wonderful and has made me tear up on a number of occasions. Tashlin’s camerawork is just phenomenal, especially with JB’s opening scenes as he defies all the signs, the scene furthered in greatness by Bletcher’s haunting laugh. 

The animation is wonderful—Volney White’s animation of JB and Porky’s battle deserves to be commended, as he animated the entire riff between the two. Billy Bletcher and Berneice Hansell l rock the cartoon with their vocals. Porky doesn’t say much at all, presumably because Tashlin got frustrated working with Dougherty’s uncontrollable stutter. I wonder if that’s what left a bad impression of Porky on him from the start. Nevertheless, WATCH THIS CARTOON! It’s lovely, very moody, very exhilarating, and full of energy. It’s a beautiful cartoon that is absolutely worthy of your attention. Give it a watch! 

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