Porky's Pet

"Porky's Pet" is a 1936 Looney Tune cartoon released on July 11, 1936. It was directed by Jack King, animated by Cal Dalton and Sandy Walker, and its music was directed by Norman Spencer. Its main star is Porky Pig.

Storyline

The mailman rides up to Porky Pig's house on his bicycle (after a bumpy ride) and delivers a telegram to Porky. When Porky reads the telegram, he sees it's an offer from a big shot producer in Broadway, New York City, who wants Porky and his pet ostrich, Lulu, in his show, with the promise of $75 a day. This is too good for Porky, so he goes and tells Lulu the good news. Porky gets Lulu out of her cage, but Lulu chooses to slide down the stairs and jerks Porky down with her leash. Then, Porky shuts the front door on Lulu.

At the train station, the duo see a passenger train coming, but it doesn't stop for them. When Porky tells Lulu this and hears another passenger train coming, he sets the signal to stop, making the train screech to a halt at the station. Porky and Lulu get on board, but the conductor kicks them off, on account of a "no pets" rule. Porky then tells Lulu to go down to the tracks so he can pick her up when the train passes by. Porky gets on board and the train departs. When it passes by Lulu, Porky grabs her and pulls her in.

Realizing what will happen if the conductor finds out, Porky shoves Lulu under his seat, but Lulu insists on poking her head out. She even swallows a bald passenger's wig, and when a boy tosses his toy airplane in the air, she swallows it and the plane sends her neck on a ride. Finally, she swallows another passenger's accordion.

Just then, the conductor appears asking the passengers for tickets. Porky sees him, shoves the noisy accordion down Lulu's throat to her stomach, takes a passenger's guitar case, removes the guitar, shoves Lulu into the case, and takes another passenger's sewing scissors so he can cut off Lulu's tail. When the conductor comes up to Porky, Lulu blows her cover by squaking, pushing her legs out, and taking the conductor on a wild ride to the other side of the coach. Angered, the conductor throws Lulu out and kicks Porky off the train from the observation car.

Thinking they're in a rut, Porky spots a handcar in a siding and a cow grazing. He and Lulu hop on the handcar, and Porky grabs the cow's tail. The cow happily takes them down the track, and even outruns the train, much to the conductor's surprise.

Facts

*First time Porky Pig gets a job offer.
*First time Porky Pig travels by train.
*First appearance of Porky's pet ostrich, Lulu.
*This cartoon may have inspired Walt Disney studios to create the 1940 Mickey Mouse cartoon "Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip". In turn, the plot and premise--a railway station and a greedy ostrich who swallows a concertina--recalls a picture Disney made three years before, "Donald's Ostrich". Another cartoon about an ostrich's appetite causing trouble--in this case, swallowing fireworks--by Warners was "Plenty of Money and You" (Freleng,1937.)

Quotes

*Porky: (after first train races through) "He d-d-d-didn't s-s-s-s-stop."
*Conductor: (shortly after Porky and Lulu board second train) "You can't bring no buzzard on this train."

External links

*imdb title|0028126
*http://www.bcdb.com
*http://www.looneytunes.com