Claws for Alarm

Several years after Scaredy Cat, Porky Pig and Sylvester the Cat would once again play master and his pet who is easily frightened especially by malevolent mice when they visit a haunted house. As before, Porky is oblivious to everything as he tries to sleep and blames his pet for any disturbances he gets while Sylvester is only trying to save him at every opportunity. Plenty of genuine scares and laughs abound, that's for sure! Also, as before, Sylvester doesn't speak to emphasize his underling relationship with Porky which works perfectly well for them in these cartoons of which three were made. Actually, in this one, Sylvester does somewhat take charge at the end. Kudos to Chuck Jones and his team for making these entertaining shorts.

Porky and Sylvester are teamed as owner and pet in this one. They are out driving somewhere in the middle of night in the middle of nowhere but Porky is excited to drive up to "Dry Gulch," which looks like a ghost town. Sylvester sees it for what it is but Porky, for some unknown reason, sees it "as a perfectly splendid place to spend the night." To him, the fact nobody is around just means these country folks must go to bed early.

This is a theme I saw in another Porky & Sylvester cartoon in which Porky doesn't wake up to reality until the last minute and poor Sylvester constantly gets accused of being a "scaredy cat." The only thing different is the setting: this being in a ghost town out West.

Poor Sylvester gets accused of every mental illness you can think of, after each time he saves his dumb master's life because the latter doesn't see what's really going on. It's deadly mice trying to kill Porky.....a slew of them, but our loyal cat is up to the task, even if he's not appreciated. This, like the other cartoon with the same theme, is both funny but frustrating we wait - and hope - Sylvester gets the credit he deserves.

I can't give away the ending.....but it's downright diabolical! This cartoon can be seen on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Three.

Porky and Sylvester stop for the night at a dilapidated old hotel. Porky ignores the obvious signs that this place is haunted but Sylvester is very much aware of all the spooky goings-on. Chuck Jones does a great job here with the comedy and the creepiness. There's a really nice dark atmosphere with this short. Mel Blanc outdoes himself with some very funny stuttering punchlines for Porky. This is a follow-up to the awesome Scaredy Cat, which also starred Porky and Sylvester. In many ways, it's even better than that short. Both are classics, however, so we're really splitting hairs trying to decide which is best. Love that final shot!

I really loved Claws for Alarm, the 1950s were a wonderful time for Looney Tunes cartoons, and this is no exception. Comparisons with Scaredy Cat are inevitable, though I am not going to compare, other than to say although I loved Scaredy Cat I marginally preferred this(probably not a popular opinion here but oh well). The animation is dark and atmospheric, and also has a crisp and smooth feel to it. The backgrounds especially are wonderful to look at. The music is clever and also adds to the atmosphere. The dialogue is very good too, and the sight gags are interesting. And I have to say I loved the ending, it was very scary. Porky is good, but Sylvester is the scene stealer in my opinion, while Mel Blanc is exceptional once again as always. Overall, atmospheric with a great ending. 10/10 Bethany Cox

A comedic but genuinely terrifying piece of vintage animation.

It really gets to me, these gremlin on the plane scenarios, in which only one character sees the danger but is not believed.

The archetypally creepy house with Porky just totally oblivious to any possible danger could teach the horror movies a thing or two. There is a skin crawlingly real sense of an unseen menace that could be just about anywhere.

Yes, it's funny too and also somewhat poignant and the pay off is great.

I really like this silent Courage the Cowardly Dog-esque version of Sylvester and with that I think I have a sufficient character count.