Porky's Poor Fish (1940)

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Must See Movie...

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

. . . America's wild birds (not to mention several endangered small mammal populations), but the hapless feline protagonist of PORKY'S POOR FISH gets cut down to size by fish and rodent alike. Whether it's the "little shrimp with big mussels," the flying fish, or the electric sign eels, the denizens of the not-so-deep more than hold their own against their Fritz-like foe. (During WWII, cartoons often used cats as stand-ins for Nazis, while canines were drawn to bring to mind the Allied Cause, epitomized by the English bulldog.) The nameless cat featured here looks so fearsome with claws out in full-on attack mode that little kids may well have gone home to nightmares. However, it's the twice-stalked Incredible Hulking Mouse who elicits the last laugh here, as Mr. Cat shrinks inversely to the growth of this rodent-on-steroids (an obvious precursor to MIGHTY MOUSE of the 1950s). Reduced to a whimpering puddle, the animated cat comes to the end much of the American public wished for Hitler at this time.

Bob Clampett's 'Porky's Poor Fish' is a so-so cartoon populated by appalling puns and one or two nice moments. Set in Porky's Fish Shoppe, 'Porky's Poor Fish' occupies an uncomfortable area between a standard black 'n' white Porky cartoon and one of the books-come-to-life Merrie Melodies that were popular at that time. Typically of many of the early Porky cartoons, Porky is far from the star, appearing only in a rather stilted opening musical number and the climax of the film. For the rest of the time the star is a scraggly cat who sees the fish shop as an opportunity for a free meal but gets more than he bargained for. Unfortunately, the audience gets far less than they bargained for. As was sometimes the case in the books-come-to-life series, the spotlight is thrown on punning signs which could have worked just as well in a non-animated medium. Laughs are scarce and, while the cartoon is just about saved by Clampett's energetic direction, there is very little at all to recommend 'Porky's Poor Fish' over any of the other below-par early Porky cartoons.

Some ingenious but corny gags involving flying fish that look like bomber planes and electric eels that light up to spell out warning messages play a huge part in the success of PORKY'S POOR FISH, but the pig himself is out to lunch.The shenanigans of a hungry cat with his eye on the fish store sets the pace for a fast-moving B&W cartoon with a number of sight gags (all pretty corny but fun to watch). The animation is good, although one misses seeing these sort of things in the vivid color used throughout most of the '40s and '50s cartoons.Not the funniest Porky the Pig, but it'll have to do--as seen on the Errol Flynn Signature Collection No.1.

In "Porky's Poor Fish," directed by Bob Clampett, our good friend Porky Pig owns a pet fish shop, where the inventory is a potential target for an alley cat who hopes for an easy lunch. But, as the cat learns over the course of this film, trying to capture just one tiny fish in Porky's shop is no easy task.My favorite moments from this black-and-white cartoon include the following. First and foremost, my hat is off to Carl Stalling for his orchestration of the wonderfully swinging jazz number heard during the opening credits and during the first scene of the mouse whistling & skipping (followed by the cat). Porky likewise has a nice song/recitation as he introduces the audience to his shop. The two "filet of sole" fish become a pair of tap shoes, a lone "mussel" develops muscular arms that look EXACTLY like Popeye's, and all the flying fish resemble bomber airplanes as they take to the air.Porky Pig himself is not prominently featured in "Porky's Poor Fish," but the fish in his shop are loaded with jokes, gags, and puns associated with their names. This film may not exactly be the most popular Warner Bros. cartoon ever directed by Bob Clampett, but it is still worth seeing for the amount of work that Bob and his animation unit exerted into it. Catch this cartoon on Disc 4 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 4.