Porky's Spring Planting

Until the rise of Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny at the very end of the 1930s, Porky Pig was Termite Terrace's biggest star, but he was largely a straight man. In this one he is a farmer doing his spring planting, beset by a lazy watch dog ("I must be a watch dog -- I'm full of ticks") and raiding chickens. Part of my lack of enjoyment may be due to the poor coloring imposed on the print I saw.

Tashlin tries his best, using some of his interesting compositions. In the beginning scenes, while Porky is harrowing the ground before planting, he is shown in a tight shot from a very low angle -- almost a worm's-eye view. Tash would go from directing cartoons with very live-action compositions to live-action movies with very cartoonish set-ups. but this is not, alas, one of his better efforts.