Disclaimer: This cartoon contains racist content--stereotypes, caricatures, and imagery. I in no way indorse any of this. Yet, with that said, I encourage you to speak up and let me know if I say something harmful or offensive. It's never my intention to do so, and I want to take accountability for my actions should that occur. Thank you.
Release date: March 19th, 1938
Series: Looney Tunes
Director: Cal Howard, Cal Dalton
Starring: Mel Blanc (Porky, Native Americans, Horse), Billy Bletcher (Porky's Boss), Tex Avery (Boss's Laugh, Rider)
I will say right off the bat that the Hardaway/Dalton (and subsequently Howard/Dalton) entries are far from my favorite, but they brought some good to the studio. I'm still firm in my belief that Bugs Bunny wouldn't exist without them, and Rod Scribner, one of my favorite animators, finally debuts some of his work.
Nevertheless, I put the cart before the horse like I always do. Speaking of horses, Porky gets to live out his dream of riding the pony express. After being alerted to the presence of Native Americans (this is where our disclaimer comes into play) on the trail, Porky's no-good boss sends the eager beaver pig out on a pony express mission as a sacrifice for the depot.
Truck into the establishing shot of the pony express, where dog-faced villagers deposit their mail in the mailbox, a rather obnoxious announcer clueing them in that the pony express is set to depart in 5 minutes. Pan over to reveal the mailbox attached to the rear end of a horse, its rider patiently watching the letters go in.
Suddenly, the announcer yanks on a suspended chord, blaring a horn as the horse and its rider take off. In Kentucky Derby style, the announcer tells us "Theeeeeeeeeeeere they goooooo!"
While nothing is remarkably funny about the sequence today, it's an adequate example as to the type of humor we'll be seeing in shorts with Dalton's involvement. Not to pin the blame down on him, of course, but the Hardaway/Dalton and Howard/Dalton cartoons come off as relatively synonymous in my eyes.
Cue a barrage of mail and horse gags: one of the workers tosses envelopes into the mail slots, accompanied by electric guitar twangs to the beat of the music. Fun, but one can't help but imagine how much stronger the timing and speed would have been had Friz performed this gag too.
A semi-clever pan as we pan left to find another worker vacuuming up all of the envelopes that pop out of the open, unconcealed mail slots. Note that one of them says FOO--it was a nonsensical word from Bil Holman's Smoky Stover comic strip (his Spooky toppers being a personal favorite of mine). The phrase would bubble up in a number of shorts, including Porky in Wackyland and The Daffy Doc.
The worker finishes vacuuming up the stray envelopes, taking bag off of the vacuum (labeled MAIL) and dumping it into a chute. A gag that could be funnier had it not lingered too long, a horse and his rider receive the sack from below, the rider calling his horse on a built in rotary phone. "Y'all set, pard'ner?" The horse neighs his affirmation, and they're off. The gag has potential, but moves like molasses and there's no clever staging to add any "surprise" to the joke.
Meanwhile, another rider exits the depot (walking through a hole with a wide bottom to account for the cowboy's bow legs, a gag referenced from Egghead Rides Again) and boards his horse, who's raring to go. The horse has a kickstand, his legs moving at rapid speed, and with a simple kick of the kickstand the rider scrambles on to his galloping steed. One of the more amusing horse gags, mainly for its speed.
Nevertheless, some momentum arrives as we approach our story. A burly, big-lipped fellow stuffs some letters into an envelope, bellowing "PORKY!"
Those giant pie-eyes on Porky mark the unmistakable hand of Volney White's as Porky sweeps the floor, eh-razzamatazzing and eh-beh-boop-boop-a-dooping all the way (a rather anachronistic music choice considering the pony express lasted from 1860-1861). It takes a second "PORKY!" from the boss to nab his attention. He doesn't seem too slighted by the harsh bellows, instead riding his broom like a horse off screen.
Porky gives a dutiful salute, and we see what working conditions he has to endure as he sticks his tongue out, the boss's grin full of malice as he wipes the envelope back and forth over Porky's tongue. Porky Pig: Professional Envelope Licker.
Regardless, Porky's back to his sunny ol' self. "How about eh-m-me ride the mail eh-se-eh-sometime? Huh, uh-buh-eh-boss?"
The antagonizing boss is quick to put Porky in his place. "You ride the mail!?" Billy Bletcher gives a rather convincing impression of Tex Avery's signature bellow, much to the chagrin of Porky. "NO!"
Volney White animates of Porky glaring daggers at the boss, sticking out his lower lip in an imitation and thusly waggling his finger over it mockingly. While the timing is floaty, the drawing themselves are pretty funny.
Instead of yelling at Porky, the boss thrusts a letter into Porky's clutches. The next scene is funny more by accident than purposefully so with how quickly and drastically the mood changes, but funny nevertheless as Porky accepts the letter, galloping around in a circle on his broom. "A Tisket, A Tasket" serves as an appropriate, childish underscore as Porky tells his imaginary horse "Come on, let's eh-re-ride the mail!"
While Porky gets tongue-tied naming his broom, Billy Bletcher's vocals boom over Porky's as he bellows "DON'T DO THAT!!!" The line sounds almost genuine, so extra points there. Once again, note the double FOO usage in the background.
Elsewhere, one of the pony express riders slides into the depot on his horse, who pants at the strenuous ride. Enter the murky territory of the cartoon as the rider walks up to the boss, plucking arrows out of his butt. He tells the boss that he's unable to deliver the mail, with "too many" Native Americans in the way. While this cartoon isn't nearly as nasty in comparison to, say, Westward Whoa, it still rises a grimace and a heavy sigh from a 2021 viewer--it's certainly a product of its time.
Though the boss is kinder towards the cowboy than he is to Porky, he's still insistent on his business practices. "It HAS to get through! It's important mail for Red Gulch! They haven't had mail in weeks!"
The staging is a little unclear as the boss paces back and forth, stumbling upon a box of horseshoes that blend in a little too well with the background. The boss hatches a plan, and we receive a close-up shot of the boss lifting the box of horseshoes--the close-up would have been more successful had it been before he hatched his idea, or if it wasn't there at all, instead having clearer staging in its place. Nevertheless, it's a little thing.
Boss's plan is a cruel one: after filling up a mail bag with horseshoes (as opposed to real, valuable mail), he'll send Porky on his way to Red Gulch as a "sacrifice", therefore allowing the cowboy to go through while Porky is pursued. The boss and his lackey are in stitches at the idea.
Enter some very fun Rod Scribner animation. Rod Scribner, despite being a little bit overrated in animation circles, is probably my favorite animator--his work under Bob Clampett is to die for, but he has some fantastic scenes under Tex Avery and even Bob McKimson. He's characterized by his wild, loose, crazy animation: tons of movement and wrinkles, right up my alley.
Porky dutifully sweeps the floor, until the boss calls his name. Watch as Porky's animation gets all wrinkly and distorted--he slams his broom and dust pan to the ground before sulking over to endure more abuse.
The scene is almost a little too extreme, at least in personality. Though Porky has every right to be pissed at the treatment he's receiving, it seems like an odd change from earlier, where he was rebounding and still smiling. The downtrodden walk makes sense, but the sudden burst of anger seems a little out of place in comparison to what we've seen. Regardless, it paves the way for some nice animation, so I can only nitpick so much.
Volney White takes the helm once again as Porky sticks his tongue out with a scowl, preparing for more envelope glue. Instead, he's greeted with a pat on the head as his boss reassures him "No, I'm gonna let you ride the mail!"
Though muddled by poor voice direction and awkward animation, the next scene is admittedly amusing as Porky practically screams "Weh-eh-weh-weh-weh-WHOOPEE! Oh, eh-be-be-boy! Ride the mail! Beh-beh-boy oh boy! I'm eh-eh-peh-peh-pony express rider! Oh eh-be-eh-beh-boy! Eh-eh-eh-thanks, boss!" His voice sounds scratchy and hoarse, and the belly flop he does amidst his celebration dance is a bit awkward, but the energy in Blanc's vocals is undeniable. All the while, the boss and his lackey exchange knowing winks.
More Rod Scribner animation as Porky reassures the boss "You'll eh-ne-nee-ne-nee-never regret eh-the-the-this day!", struggling to maintain the weight of his horseshoes. Boss gives another psuedo-Avery laugh before answering "I know it, Porky!" We crossfade as the boss and his lackey are left in a fit of hysterics. Overall, Scribner's animation is rather jittery (particularly when the characters are in held poses), but appealing nonetheless.
A rather amusing detail of Porky's horse is the eyelashes, indicating both Porky's naivety and his horse's--while the horse could stand to be caricatured to a much greater degree, the concept works. Porky loads his "mail", and off he goes with his trusty steed, the boss and his lackey observing from the window and still in stitches.
That is, until they discover that the bag of horseshoes is left on the boss's desk, meaning that Porky is ACTUALLY lugging real mail with him.
Another intriguing detail is the iris wipe. Usually, the wipes are transparent--here, we actually have an opaque, black iris segueing to the next scene. For what it's worth, I actually enjoy the opaque iris here. It adds a nice change of pace while also being "traditional", and it carries a certain charm.
Porky and his horse trot along, where we then cut to the Native caricatures: like all of these shorts dealing with Native stereotypes, they're depicted as mean, surly, and barbaric--needlessly insulting. One Native keeps a lookout from over a rock, another slithers over a rock like a snake, whereas one Native keeps a lookout using a hand on a stick (revealed by a truck out), using it as a back scratcher, stopping only when he spots Porky. Racism aside, the gags are largely unremarkable and uninventive. Things we've seen before and will surely see again.
While Porky continues on the trail, the aforementioned Native uses his backscratcher as a whistle as he blows into the fingers. A horse drawn taxi cart approaches, the Native declaring "Follow that horse!" Another rather underplayed gag that would probably have hit harder in 1938 than today--I say this having seen a dozen funnier variations of the gag, biased as that may be.
At the very least, a new gag is birthed that is executed relatively well here: as arrows narrowly avoid grazing Porky and his horse, they turn white with fear, all of the color draining from them as the Natives approach on their horses (animation that I believe is reused from Sweet Si*ux).
Porky urges his horse to get going, but instead we're met with a visual metaphor as the horse's legs (and hooves) turn into suction cups, literally sticking to the ground. The animation is very fun and clever, but I feel it's a little too literal in delivery--whimsical as the suction cups are, the same effect would have worked fine with the horse's regular legs/hooves.
Nevertheless, the horse is pried free from the ground after taking an arrow to the butt, motivating him to gallop away, dirt clinging to his suction cups. A fun gag that extends its welcome and could use some extra exaggeration/commitment. We instead get another tried and true gag as Porky fires with his pistol (where did that come from?), ricocheting off the horse and landing back on the saddle. Lather, rinse, repeat. The electric slide sound effects are a nice touch.
A common trend here seems to be repeating footage and sandwiching new footage in between: like with the suction cups, we had the Sweet Si*ux reuse, Porky urging his horse to go, reuse again, Porky and his horse, and finally they're off. Now we have Porky firing his pistol, a Native running on his horse, and Porky firing again. Though I understand having to save those Depression dollars and filling up the time slot, the padding doesn't seem very secure, and the gags linger as a result.
Either way, the Native believes he's been shot by Porky, both he and his horse frozen in mid-air (complete with a drumroll) before collapsing to the ground. The drumroll is a very nice touch.
Howard and Dalton seem to be incredibly blatant with their gags: we reach our archetypal screwball, marked not only by the crossed eyes but a question mark on his shirt as well. He fires an arrow at his horse (who glowers at him), and in incredibly anti-climactic fashion we move on to the next gag, a Native riding his bike, performing a war cry and sharpening his tomahawk on the bike wheels.
The tomahawk slices Porky's mail sack (in a fashion that looks almost too deliberate, as if someone invisible was wielding the tomahawk rather than gravity taking the reins), causing a slew of letters to pour out into the wind. Refreshing is the animation of Porky and his horse turning around, very smooth and no momentum broken. Porky brings out a butterfly net, swiping around at the letters flying in the wind and catching them with ease, save for one which is pierced by an arrow.
More reused footage sandwich Porky and his horse turning around AGAIN, with the Natives riding their horses and then the ditzy Native from before pinging his horse with yet another arrow. Meanwhile, one Native fires an arrow--we hear a bell sound indicating that it's a hit, and a baby in a papoose keeps score on a piece of paper. Though the gag has more merit to it than what we have seen, it still comes across as a bit incomprehensible--what did he hit? Porky is unscathed in the following scene. Cartoon logic, I know, but the flow could stand some improvement.
Back yet again to the ditzy Native, who fires at his horse a third time. Comedy comes in threes, and the horse reflects the audience's feelings as he grabs his rider and slams him to the ground. The horse flexing his muscles is a little overkill--stalking off screen would have worked better, but it's at least a slightly rewarding gag overall.
Volney White animates Porky and his horse spotting something in the distance ahead. The triumphant score of "Cheyenne" serves as a relief--finally, an end to this never-ending sequence! White's animation is particularly nice as Porky and his horse slide into Red Gulch's city limits, much to the jubilation of the townspeople, who carry him away.
Elsewhere, the Natives are stopped by the sign, egregiously declaring "NO INJ*NS". Once again, the cartoon is a product of its time--a gross one at that. Regardless, Porky is the hero as the townspeople carry him off into the post office, stopped only as his forehead hits the top of the door, flopping down into the arms of the townspeople but smiling nonetheless.
Rod Scribner does some great animation of the ending scene. Back to the depot (Red Gulch's or the one at home?), Porky's visor and position at the desk indicate his superiority. With a grimace, he yells an ear-shattering "eh-be-eh-beh-be-eh-beh-be-eh-BOY!!!!!!", and in comes a downtrodden former boss, wearing the Janitor's Hat of Shame as Porky haughtily uses his former boss' tongue to seal an envelope.
With a grimace, Porky whips his hand up, preparing to strike the boss. The boss scrambles away, and we iris out as Porky winks at the camera--the power's gone to his head!
This cartoon follows an interesting twist in my tale of personal taste. Usually I go from not liking a cartoon to warming up to it, but here it's the opposite. I never really enjoyed this cartoon in the first place, the racism being too difficult to stomach, but I found the beginning and end with Porky's involvement amusing at the very least. Now, I'm not too sure. This cartoon has many more flaws than I initially realized, not just because it's littered with gross stereotypes and caricatures.
Right off the bat, the whole shootout between Porky and the Natives serves as the most tedious part of the picture. It lasts far too long, the gags are continuously recycled and don't really make much of an attempt to be subtle, and it's not very funny to begin with. It's much easier for me to pick on this with a pause, play, and rewind button, and I'm sure the average 1938 moviergoer wouldn't care, but it still constitutes acknowledgement.
There seems to be an overarching feeling of confusion in this one--maybe more so from me than from Howard and Dalton. Certain aspects lack flow, or don't make sense (is Porky at the Red Gulch depot at the end or not? What did that one Native hit with his arrow causing the baby to keep score? Why am I looking so deeply into this!?), and therefore the cartoon feels incredibly loose as a result. And, of course, there's the blatant racism of it all--again, I realize this was 83 years ago and represents its time and I understand its historical context, but you have to view it with modern sensibilities and be able to say "This is gross and wrong." I digress.
However, there is merit to this cartoon. Rod Scribner and Volney White have some fine bits of animation, Billy Bletcher's performance is great as always, as well as Mel Blanc's, despite poor vocal direction--lots of yelling and screaming a lack of natural vocal flow.
Either way, I'd pass up on this cartoon. An... interesting... first pass for Dalton/Howard for sure, but far from their best, and very far from Porky's best.
Regardless, here's a link--as always, proceed with caution.
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