The Wearing of the Grin

Porky Pig looking to get out of the rain while in Ireland, stops in an old castle inhabited by the wee' people, don't ya know? They think he's after their pot o' gold, and so sentence him to were the Green shoes, it's at this point that the film takes a surreal tone. Does this film stereotype the Irish? Yup, but who cares, I'm Irish and it didn't bother me (when I first signed onto IMDb, I typoed my last name, but trust me I'm Irish with a capital O'). It was funny and when it comes down to it, that's all that matters. This cartoon is on Disk 2 of the "Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 1" It also has an optional commentary as well as a small featurette.

My Grade: B+

It is 12 miles from Dublin in the middle of nowhere. Porky Pig stumbles upon a castle in the pouring rain. He finds shelter and caretaker Seamus O'Toole living there by himself. Porky is invited to stay. It turns out that Seamus is actually two leprechauns, O'Pat and O'Mike, standing one on top of the other. They think that Porky is there to steal their pot of gold.

This is a fun little Irish takedown with Porky. It could be a Halloween short. On top of that, O'Pat and O'Mike are good characters who become small support Looney Tunes extras. The surreal section could be a little more real to allow for something else.

I have not watched all that many Looney Tunes cartoons where Porky is the main character (and he is accompanied by side characters), but I am starting to thoroughly enjoy them. Why more cartoons with Porky in the spotlight were not made is something that I cannot really understand, but in a way I guess that makes it all the more exciting to watch these kind of cartoons (ones where Porky is the main character). Here he is in Ireland(!) and is on his way to Dublin, when he realizes that it is: a) Late at night and b) That the rain is coming down in obvious torrents. Porky makes up his mind to stay in the "quaint little castle at the top of the hill" (yeah right) and makes his way up to ask for lodging. On the way he reads the sign "Beware of Leprechauns." If only Porky pays attention to the warning more carefully...

I very much enjoyed this cartoon for the Irish theme (I am partly Irish and anything with an Irish theme tends to excite me), which works very well. I also liked the leprechauns, who are mean characters but very likable. The other things I enjoyed about this cartoon was the randomness, the animation and the character of Porky. One of the reviewers here, magicunicorn, says this cartoon is not very exciting. I think his brain was not working properly. This is anything BUT not exciting. It's very exciting. :-)

I recommend this to people who like exciting cartoons (unless you find very odd stuff exciting), Ireland, Porky Pig and wacky cartoons. Enjoy "Wearing of the Grin"! :-)

8 and a half out of ten.

Wearing of the Grin, The (1951)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

It's a dark and stormy night so Porky Pig tries to get shelter inside a dark castle but he turns into a couple leprechauns who think he's there to steal their gold. This has never been one of my favorites and this latest viewing just affirmed that for me. The thought of Porky going up against a couple leprechauns should have made for some great entertainment but that's not the case here as we only get a couple small laughs. The whole gimmick of the two leprechauns coming together as one was an interesting idea but not enough is done with it. The same could be said about the joke dealing with the dancing shoes. Even Porky himself doesn't have too much to do. Considering it only runs 7-minutes you're going to stay entertained but there's so much better out there.

The Wearing of the Grin is not a favourite by all means, but I liked it a lot. The animation is very good, with beautiful colouring, convincing character features and dream-like visual effects. The music as pretty much always is a delight as well, as are the sight gags(beware of the leprechauns was a good one). I for one enjoyed the climax, it was funny if a tad predictable, and the dialogue comes by thick and fast. The story is effective if slight, and the characters are good too. Porky is suitably timid here, but it is O Pat and O Mike who steal the show, they could be seen as stereotypical but they were funny, that's what mattered to me. And of course Mel Blanc is excellent. Overall, it is visually imaginative and definitely worth a look at least once. 9/10 Bethany Cox