316. The Haunted Mouse (1941)

Warner cartoon no. 315.
Release date: February 15, 1941.
Series: Looney Tunes.
Supervision: Tex Avery.
Producer: Leon Schlesinger.
Starring: Mel Blanc (Black Cat), Walter Tetley (Haunted Mouse).
Story: Michael Maltese.
Animation: Sid Sutherland.
Musical Direction: Carl W. Stalling.
Sound: Treg Brown (uncredited).
Synopsis: An exhausted cat travels to a ghost town, where he ends up heckled by a spirited mouse.

What perhaps most Warner enthusiasts have been hoping for, the first appearance of Michael Maltese, whose first writing credit appears in this cartoon. He is, without doubt, the strongest writer at the studio, and quite possibly the greatest cartoon writer whose lived?

He was excellent at using play-on words for strategy sequences, creating very human and believable characters in his writing, as well as writing excellent stories, period. Who else would create a bizarre but tour de force ending of the Father's Day presentation in A Bear for Punishment, or have a singing cat alley pester an annoyed Porky or Elmer in Back Alley Op-roar/Notes to You, and a whole lot more.

Maltese spoke about how in his early years in the Story department, he had been rejected by his gags from the "Kansas City boys", especially Bugs Hardaway, who claimed Maltese wasn't contributing material. I'd be curious whether Maltese wrote the story himself, or if this was all contributed with several other story men.

Not to mention, Leon Schlesinger was also becoming more relaxed with the system between the shorts, and thus allowing the directors and artists to show more creative freedom. Porky no longer appears in every black and white Looney Tunes short, whereas other directors are given more fresh freedom by directing one-shots as well as Porky cartoons, without having them being forced to Bob Clampett, who also would produce a few one-shots this year.

It's fair to say that by around late 1940 as well as into 1941: Tex Avery had started to gradually started to turn out more fresh shorts, rather than relying on spot-gag cartoons, which had been his standard trademark around 1939 and 1940.

I suppose the success of Bugs Bunny would have inspired Tex to produce more Bugs shorts, as well as creating alternate characteristics, but this short is a slight different turn for Tex, especially for Warners.

As mentioned in the synopsis, the plot of the short is of a famished cat who ends up being heckled by a spirited mouse, possibly due to subtle hallucinations. The concept as well as the plot itself feels like a entry that Tex would have produced in the late 40s at MGM, when he started to produce more bizarre stories and not relying too much on parodies on a certain topic, or especially spotgags. No doubt that Tex always used parody and spot-gags throughout his career, the short itself feels like he's paying homage towards the earlier bizarre and entertaining stories he turned out in his earliest Warners shorts.

You could also say this was one of Tex's shorts where he was attempting to create several more wisecracking personalities who outwit their nemesis, like Bugs. Previously he used the fox with a Bugs personality in Of Fox and Hounds, and would not long use the same persona in The Crackpot Quail. Hell, he has the early Bugs persona, where he kisses the cat in the lips, shouting "Guess who?".

You would say it is featured with the mouse, but the mouse is more of a menace than streetwise. He does have the streetwise personality when he gives the cat a spirited bowl of cream (which vanishes) and then starts to trick the cat, after he complains of an empty stomach, "I was sure hungry for that milk, 'cos my stomach's empty!", in the sequence animated by Scribner.

The sequence itself feels it shows some minor Mike Maltese contributions, especially with the interactions as well as the dialogue, "Holy cats, it IS empty!". Though, despite perhaps being a type of Bugs Bunny personality, the mouse is missing the streetwise Brooklynese voice by Mel Blanc, as the voice actor is Walter Tetley. Tetley, who was a child impersonator actor is mostly remembered for Sherman in The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show as well as Andy Panda, doesn't sound too ideal for the role as it feels the personality would be better off as an assignment for Blanc, though that's just personal thoughts.

Also note the use of double-takes that is featured in several of the sequences, and double-takes have been a prime formula for Maltese in gag setups (not only cartoons in general), and perhaps his contributions are evident for those sequences.

Excluding the double take in their first encounter, two prime examples appear where the dumb cat is seen yelling through a mouse hole at the cat.

The spirited mouse shouts out, "Hello jerk" which causes the cat to retaliate and ordering the mouse to step outside. The spirited mouse reappears and yells back, trying to fool the cat as well as to get the audience laughing. Another sequence is also evident where the cat, believing he has caught the mouse in his paws with the spirited mouse inspecting. Note the scene is one long shot, where two pieces of action appears at once. It both works off well in terms of delivery though the timing is quite slow, with not too much energy.

With a few contributions that feel more or less like the works of Maltese, the rest of the sequences just appear to be more or less of Tex's own contributions as well as his own gags, which show a lot of comic movement, with Tex taking advantage of some invisible gags. One of the more funnier and humorous gags appear when the cat can be seen tickling the cat invisible, and ends up breaking down with laughter.

Then with the more visual gags, this appears where the mouse grabs the cat's tail and then kicks the cat in the booty, at least how it appears to look on screen. A similar gag Tex would have used in his MGM cartoons, but the action as well as the timing is mild compared to what he could achieve.

With more fun from the haunted mouse as well as more Tex contributions, a typical and predictable hotgag then turns up, which is quite possible one of the oldest gags in general, like the banana skin. This then ends with the cat yelling in mid-air, though like the reaction better in Of Fox and Hounds, which showed great timing of the shock.

Despite having particular gags through the short that aren't too satisfying, by having gags that don't feel too greatly timed, as well as a lot of talkie scenes, it ends in a satisfying albeit dark matter, which is definitely what Maltese would have contributed to.

The cat dies, and becomes a spirit like the mouse, which therefore makes him a threat. Since the cat was not a threat to the mouse, having the cat die like the mouse becomes a lot more fulfilling as a gag, ending with great justice. This then leads the cat to abandon the ghost town, by changing the population name of the sign from '100' to '99' with that Tex-oriented gag.

And so, The Haunted Mouse feels more of a Tex product than it does with Michael Maltese's own contributions, at least in terms of story. The gags themselves appear more of Tex's own contributions whereas with Maltese, parts of the dialogues as well as building up to a factor would be his. Though, Tex being the director having a lot of control over his pictures, it would make sense a lot of contributions of the short were his own. By the time the short was released, did the story credits still get rotated or was Maltese actually assigned to the short? I suppose it is hard to tell. You can read more about Maltese's view on Tex in an interview in Tex Avery: King of Cartoons, by Joe Adamson, as well as Hollywood Cartoons. Overall, the short was average as a typical Warners viewing, but it was also a decent step for Tex as he is building more and more fresh material as well as more bizarre and funnier concepts.

Rating: 2.5/5.

315. Sniffles Bells the Cat (1941)

Warner cartoon no. 314.
Release date: February 2, 1941.
Series: Merrie Melodies.
Supervision: Chuck Jones.
Producer: Leon Schlesinger.
Starring: Margaret Hill-Talbot (Sniffles / Other Mice)
Story: Rich Hogan.
Animation: Ken Harris.
Musical Direction: Carl W. Stalling.
Sound: Treg Brown (uncredited).
Synopsis: Sniffles is used forces of persuasion by his friends to bell the cat, which he reluctantly accepts which would almost cost his life.

Sniffles Bells the Cat...that title is totally predictable, don't you think? With that title, you can already guess that Sniffles will bell the cat by the end of the cartoon, and the title itself is very cutesy-ish too. Well, never judge a book by its cover, which is why we are here to review this short...

This short is quite possibility the definition and prime example of a Chuck Jones cartoon from his earliest years, which of course means sluggish pacing and cutesy concepts. Whereas Sniffles is already a cutesy character by Chuck himself, and the situations Sniffles faces are usually mundane--this short definitely has a lot of those comments combined here.

You could say using the title itself is a form of poor pacing, as the audience would already know that Sniffles attempting to bell a cat will take the entire cartoon running time, which gives Chuck the excuse to pad the cartoon with molasses timing as well as a lot of verbosity in the dialogue sequences. It's still quite clear Chuck wasn't yet ready to step out of his own comfort zone, as he still was already focusing on creating perilous situations for Sniffles, as well as creating and experimenting (with little effect) of the character.

As it may appear unusual in a Chuck Jones opening for a 1941 cartoon, it opens off with a chase sequence as the mice are seen running away from the cat escaping into their home just in time. There is no sluggish pacing, or exposition, it starts straight off there and it already starts off fresh. Then it cuts towards the sequence where the mice complain about quiet and cunning the cat was, which then leads to Sniffles suggesting to bell the cat. Then this results in a sequence with no brevity, but just padded dialogue and pacing that in fact takes up almost half of the cartoon's length. Sniffles' reluctance to bell the cat and the mice's use of persuasiveness are realistic in storytelling, but its use of repetition and unfocused pacing really slows the entire short down, and leaving the action sequences with the cat to perhaps appear rushed.

However, Chuck also appears to be focusing on his expressions and artistic tendencies than he is concerned of the dialogue, which does stand out as artistically pleasing. Chuck's use of pantomiming where the mice point to Sniffles is believable and well planned, as Chuck was a master of pantomime in animation. Notice the use of Jones' unusual piece of staging from Sniffles' point of view of the mouse holding the bell, which stands out as symbolic, and the mice's expressions of persuasiveness are solid. Though, the shots of Sniffles' reluctance (possibly animated by Bobe Cannon) appear to just stand out as unfocused and unneeded.

It doesn't stop from where Sniffles shows reluctance, the poor pacing and padding still goes on as Sniffles is forced outside the mouse hole, holding onto the bell. Whilst the mice promise to let him back in unless he bells the cat, Sniffles then walks away in a state of confusion and nervousness. The character animation may be quite solid, though even Disney could easily quicken the pacing.


This leads him to faint, and you'd expect this to be the end of the long-paced sequence, but it does sort of move forwards, but only progressively.

This results in Sniffles standing in a corner and with his simple mind, rehearses on how he would advertise the bell to the cat, which is just adds up to another sequence of more sluggish pacing, and this gives a less supposedly suspenseful sequence of the cat pursuing Sniffles.

This is without doubt, one of Jones' worst piece of pacing he has done to cartoon running times in general, and this is an awful lot more mundane than the other bland sequences with Sniffles from previous shorts. It isn't until he continues to his rehearsal does the cat turns up, resulting in a double take for Sniffles, that it finally starts to pace up the cartoon as it should have done a lot earlier on in the short.

Not to mention, this doesn't mean Chuck creates some fresh and inventive sequences, as he certainly had an original concept in the short...a shell game. The cat rushes inside the kitchen, noticing three different teacups standing, and suspects Sniffles is hiding inside there.

The sequence, most likely animated by Ken Harris, shows some very strong character animation as well as very solid proportions and careful drawing. The movement is very rich, and almost very human for a cat, especially the hand movements. A sequence what every animator should be proud of for animating.

During the shell game as the cat picks up a few empty shells, when he picks up the cup with Sniffles featured inside, this is presented in a pantomime form. We all know which cup Sniffles is hiding from, and this creates suspense as well as hope our protagonist will not be eaten, perhaps from a young child's point of view.

The sequence is also sometimes associated of a similar sequence which was featured in the Disney film, Cinderella, which was released some nine years later. Compared to this short, the shell sequence in the Disney film is rather wacky, peppy and entertaining (being Ward Kimball's animation), whereas in this short it is presented in Jones' own interpretation which is suspenseful and slow. Stylistically the sequences are nothing alike, whereas the short appears to be artistically demanding, and in the Disney version it is for humorous circumstances. However, it's most likely the sequence in Cinderella was purely coincidental.

Other uses of repeated formulas by Chuck can be seen in the first screenshot where he shows the mice in the background as silhouettes, which is indeed intriguing staging and showing that the guard mouse sands out, but this occurs in a not-so needed sequence. Another formula that Chuck has used, and appears to have been overlooked from historians or enthusiasts, is that Chuck appears to enjoy using sequences which show small, vulnerable characters like Sniffles at the brink of death, by sitting on top of the cat's nose.

Though this was sort of seen in shorts like Sniffles Takes a Trip (Sniffles sitting on a crane), but it appears to be used in alternate circumstances, where a character double-takes at a dangerous situation, and by using a lot of gloss on the antagonist, to make the cat stand out as very menacing and threatening.

 As though all must come to a finish, the sequence then quickens up again, where Sniffles is seen rushing through the scenery. Just in one of the shots, he runs through the bell knocking it over and landing straight at the cat's neck, which is what the audience and the reviewer had been expecting throughout the running time, judging on the title.


Just as Sniffles makes it inside the mouse hole and slamming the door. This means that Sniffles is alive and we would have to indulge more of his annoyance until Chuck gets bored of the character, which is not yet.

The other mice then ask Sniffles with astonished responses as to how Sniffles did the task, which as we all know happened by pure luck. Just as he makes up tales of how he accomplished it, he crosses his fingers with superstition. This could also be a subtle breaking the forth wall moment, as this suggests only the audience know of Sniffles' lies.

To conclude the review, the short is not only very predictable in terms of the title, but as mentioned its simply one of Jones' poor sense of timing which is very unfocused and third-rate. A lot more could have been accomplished with the sequences of Sniffles and the cat, though having plodding just lost the spark of the overall concept. Despite plodded pieces of dialogue, the shell game remains the best sequence of the short in terms of its freshness as well as excellent character animation. Having previously worked on a short where he attempted comedy again with Bugs Bunny, the short clearly shows how he still doesn't want to make the drastic move just yet.

Rating: 2/5.

314. The Fighting 69 1/2th (1941)

Warner cartoon no. 313.
Release date: January 18, 1941.
Series: Merrie Melodies.
Supervision: Friz Freleng.
Producer: Leon Schlesinger.
Starring: Mel Blanc (Ant Leaders/Various Voices).
Story: Jack Miller.
Animation: Herman Cohen.
Musical Direction: Carl W. Stalling.
Sound: Treg Brown (uncredited).
Synopsis: A pair of picnic ants quarrel over a picnic setting; which leads to war on who claims the food.

For a Warners cartoon that occurred during 1939-1941; this short actually goes to a different direction; in terms, making the short artistically fulfilling and creating a string of gags enjoyable. For example, this short takes a great break from a typical Warner shorts that tried too hard on spot-gag shorts or having radio references in their shorts.

The synopsis for the cartoon however is very basic and non-philosphical: a separate tribe of ants (red vs. black) battle over a picnic set up in a park, and this results in a war. A rather new turn for the Warner shorts at the time it was in production.

You could consider the short to be, perhaps, revolutionary when developing the humour for the Warner shorts, but a typical Warner fan would rebuff this short as an adequate Warners cartoon, whereas watching the short chronologically, it goes a step further from what was made in the past year. This is quite possibly Freleng's comic timing come to very good use, where he helps create some very creative gags that appear in the short, and which shall be explained in the short throughout the review.

Being Jack Miller's last Warner Bros. credit he written for the studio, is a pretty decent farewell short for the director. The whole setup and abstraction of the short is very creative and entertaining. Having a group of black ants, and red ants going to war over a picnic is of course, silly and wacky, but at least it lives up to the Warner's style. In terms of dialogue; the opening sequence is not a far cry from what you may expect from a short written by Michael Maltese.

The opening part with the black ant and the red ant quarrelling and snatching the olive from one another chanting, "Oh no, you won't/Oh yes, I will!" is  a step ahead from what you'd expect from dialogue in a Warner's short. The delivery, the dilemma, and the scenario of it is a great bracer for what's to come in later shorts. Of course if you are going to count the Groucho Marx line: "Of course you know, this means war!" and the fact the title references the movie The Fighting 69, but that's just about it when viewing the short.

The short itself also experiments with some alternate camera angles, as well as a montage for the war sequence, and it's quite a decent parody of the trench life in the First World War. The montage itself is quite an effective start which follows the war sequence. It has some pleasing and intriguing staging, as well as some creative gags that follow.

The red ants are seen with their feet walking through the muddy paths, and then it follows with a little parody of the 167th Infantry Regiment, being called the "4th Alabam".

The "ants in your pants" synonym is in fact a rare pun for the time it was made that tops a lot of what Tex or Clampett were making in their Warner shorts. I suppose the "Royal Flying Ants" gag is a little lame, considering how ants don't have wings, and being disguised as warplanes, by adding wings is a little dumb but I suppose it fits in decently with the other montage shots.

The sequences during the battle also show some great gag opportunities which are quite impressive for the time it was animated. During the battle sequence, we find in the ant's trenches where the black ants are seen defending a hot dog. One of the black ants, however, then rushes over to the trench, and retrieves a jar of 'hot mustard', and speaks with a Rochester voice, "Forgot the mustard".

Not only does Blanc make the impersonation work, but its use of wild caricature and that black ants have the connotation for a stereotype actually blends in very well, and it ends up as a funny scene, which would have worked from any Warner short from a later era.

Other war related gags with some great deliveries and punchlines shows the black ants attacking their enemy with a piece of limburger cheese, which are seen as a hand grenade. It's all comical in its subtle or overtly ways. The black ant is seen wearing a gas mask, to prevent the horrid smell of Limburger flowing around him. When the red ants receive the dropping in their trench, they then dug up the limburger and place it with the disclaimer, "Keep in a cool dry place".

Nevertheless, Freleng also takes some advantage with his comic timing in most of his scenes, especially with the sequence of the black ants rushing in and out of the screen to collect small pieces of food like olives, strawberries, etc. Carl Stalling also steps in for the right touches where he uses his 'musical cliche' for the steps, which is a favourite element for Friz.

Other collaborations with Friz and Stalling for the sequences is also evident for the construction of the sandwich sequence, as well as when the red ants are seen creeping through the trenches, and stopping during the sound of gunshots firing.

A great piece of delicate timing and staging appears where the ants are each grabbing a piece of a chocolate cake which leaves the cherry centred in a isolated position, whilst the pieces move towards the distance. Possibly done by an effects animator, it's great to see how the pieces appear to be divided by measurement and also how they move away in the same pace. Already feeling ambitious from that point, Freleng hasn't finished the touch by having a red ant steal the cherry which is seen left in the screen.

After what appears to be ages of consistent war related gags, it all therefore comes to an end; where a human is seen wrapping up the picnic basket. This leaves to a pothole, as to why the human didn't stop the ants raiding the food, and also how it somehow remained unnoticed.

I suppose potholes are excused for cartoons. This then leads to the red ant leader and the black ant leader (now seen in uniform) quarrelling over one last piece of food left, which is a cherry cake. They agree to a peace conference, where it is decided the cake would be divided equally. A very subtle, though warming gag shows two veteran ants from each race reuniting, reflecting perhaps some last remaining Civil War veterans.

The ants, however, decide to split the cake equally, but considering the cherry is in the middle, they move the line over the cake, making the rations unequal. The feud is then restored, and this results in the ant race fighting over the cherry cake. A great plot device for a cartoon, with a great conclusion. Though, they could have removed the piece of cherry, but I suppose it shows whats a 'cake' without a cherry topping. The ending and irony all works well and satirises peace conferences splendidly.

In all, The Fighting 69 1/2th is a good break from consistent poor shorts with dated radio references, and this short takes a new breath of air. It provides what the writers and artists can offer, which is a looney concept with some fine gags and dialogue. Considering that previous Warner shorts relied heavily on references and pop culture for the dialogue, (and that is still a element they use); the quarrel of the ants is a great example of how they can create a funny conflict, as well as personality. To say if there were any flaws of the short, I'd say story wise it is quite bumpy. Whereas the beginning and the middle are important plot points for their reasons, during the war sequences, they are a middle consistent, and it is mostly just gags being thrown at the screen, with not much dialogue or dilemma. It would have worked better if it showed the continuos flaws from each side of their trench. I suppose, The Gay Anties, another Freleng short about ants is an improvement from the short, though they are very different to one another.

Rating: 3/5.

313. Porky's Snooze Reel (1941)

Warner cartoon no. 312.
Release date: January 11, 1941.
Series: Looney Tunes.
Supervision: Bob Clampett & Norm McCabe.
Producer: Leon Schlesinger.
Starring: Mel Blanc (Porky Pig/Additional Voices), Robert C. Bruce (voice over).
Story: Warren Foster.
Animation: John Carey.
Musical Direction: Carl W. Stalling.
Sound: Treg Brown (uncredited).
Synopsis: A short which poorly satirises a series of newsreels hosted by Porky Pig.

Sorry for the late and delayed postings that are coming in this reviews...but boy, this is a bad cartoon. A real bland with Clampett's talent lacking and effort placed into it. Just thinking about the cartoon itself and after watching it is more painful than my viewing of it.

Probably worth mentioning, this is the short which finishes the long-time policy for the Looney Tunes to always feature a recurring character in the series, as this is the point where Leon Schlesinger's policies are beginning more relaxed, and the freedom of the Warner directors bind them.

Following 1941; as well as to 1943; the LT shorts still remain in black-and-white but produce an occasional one-shot cartoon from one of the directors who were strictly making Merrie Melodies shorts.

This also becomes a turning point for Clampett, as for the first time in his career, he's producing one-short cartoons; and moving over to colour cartoons. From after this short; Clampett gets a little break from a consistent routine of directing Porkies until he almost snapped. Other directors like Chuck, Tex and also Friz take their turns to direct Porky shorts, giving Clampett a chance to breathe.

In this short, Clampett (and McCabe) again make little use for their talent, and the Porky output just get mediocre by the short. By becoming more mediocre, a spot-gag short is the answer. Another factor: Porky is taken for granted, by being given a much lesser spotlight.

The whole plot and concept of the short show how the Clampett unit have just gotten lazier with their cartoons, and reworking past elements featured in previous shorts.

The Film Fan was a rather lame spot-gag short featuring film reels of upcoming film trailers and newsreels in a cinema; whereas this short has a similar element though the element is presented as a newsreel in the style of Sees All, Hears All & Knows All--judging by the referenced ending shot of Porky rolling the film. With that, the short then becomes bombarded with horrible and unfunny gags which aren't punchy or surreal at all, making it a very un-worthwhile viewing. Though, the introduction  to the Pathe News introduction is satirised in a satisfactory way, though thats it.

One of the most bizarre moments in the short, and a guilty pleasure would be the Lew Lehr sequence in which the short satirises the newsreels performed by comedian Lew Lehr. To begin with, yes it is a very stupid sequence. The whole satire of it is very lame, as well as the gags involving dogs, and even satirising a comedian who isn't particularly as funny as the Warner directors emphasise. Talking of highlight, it would be Porky's impersonation of Lew. Before I begin, a lot of it has its downfalls: it is a stupid out-of-character moment for Porky, and his Lehr expressions are wrongly off-model.

However, you just give Mel Blanc some great recognition and praise for giving Porky quite a three-dimensional performance in this sequence. He creates this sense of realism for Porky, where you certainly believe the character is human, and can perform impersonations like anybody else. This is a very difficult voice and assignment for a voice actor to establish, and due to the hugely talented Mel Blanc, he comes to great advantage of the sequence, and makes the gag work very well. He does a similar performance with Porky back in Porky's Movie Mystery, where Porky is seen as a impersonation of Mr. Moto.

Another sequence worth analysing for the short would be the 'Tax Expert' sequence; it's not worthy for the poor gag delivery which appears in the short, but in artistically, it is fulfilling. The gag of the sequence is a local financial advisor who advises his audience on income tax to simply "skip it", believing it turned him out for the better.

As the camera trucks out, we discover he is already held in prison for his inactivity of income tax. The gag itself is executed modestly, and it does the job well, though what stands out the most is the realism and perspective of the animation of the man's head movement.

It shows how Clampett intended to show some realism in his animation in terms of construction and tight timing. It moves in such unusual angles, with proportions handled carefully, and yet the perspective shows some amusing caricatured drawings that it the results are pleasing.

Of course, the proportions are slightly disjointed, as a supposedly realistic face with tiny cartoon eyes are rather erratic, but I suppose it was how Clampett wanted it to be seen from his vision. If any of the Clampett sequences show some decent comic timing, during the newsreel sequences; I would nominate the horserace sequence which features what is seen as just a typical horserace. Clampett and Warren Foster, emphasise on the pun from the commentator: "Yes, ladies and gentlemen it's a photograph finish!"; where the gag translates metaphorically to the horses posing for a photo shoot, before proceeding to racing. The gag is flawed in terms of writing, but Clampett's timing adds up to the shattered pieces.

To sight on the cartoon's weak gags and sequences; there is too many to list from that is creates a very disastrous plot and pace for the short itself. The fact its a spot-gag which just shows a routine of unfunny gags all run down together when viewing the cartoon. It also doesn't help when too many recycled elements appear in the short.

An example can be explained during the swimming race reel, where the divers are swimming the full length front crawl underwater in a river. As the race draws to a finish, we find a group of alligators climbing out of the river having eaten the contestants.

Since these type of gags have appeared too many times in a Warner short, because apparently, a hundred times a charm! Most of the weak and unfunny gags appear all through the short, that I will not want to analyse the whole lot of it, as it isn't worth to be gone into detail. It's all the same elements and deliveries that have been done before, and for an avid Warner cartoon critic like myself, watching the shorts with nothing original to offer is enough to get sick of the short in the first two minutes.

In conclusion, Clampett's short is a mess, and it's a bigger mess compared to Clampett's other mediocre shorts that he was making in that era. Porky's Snooze Reel expresses little of Clampett's talent artistic wise (excluding the tax scene), no effort was combined in the story of the short, it also features an abundance of dated and unfresh gags, and...the weaknesses of these gags show there is nothing salvageable of the short at all. Clampett evidently wasn't trying or expressing any desire, as his desire was directed for a totally different path he was close to crossing. To me, the only real effort shown in the short was the Mel Blanc impersonation of Porky (a la) Lew Lehr. To add to the technology and animation all combined to produce this short, this short shows how the environment could have been a tad saved if a tree wasn't torn down to make a cartoon which was a painful experience to watch. However, luckily Clampett will turn out for the best, even if it takes one whole year to finally make it; and this gives Porky a new fresh start, with alternate directors, as well as a new song to sing for Clampett.

To add a new element to future reviews; I have considered using a out-of-5 rating for future reviews: if you wish for this to not be featured in future reviews, please comment on this blog for your objection. If  you accept it, then you don't have to say anything....

Rating: 1.5/5.