Claws for Alarm

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!

In my opinion, one of the greatest Warner Bros. cartoons ever. Another of the long list of great Chuck Jones shorts of the '50s ("Drip-Along Daffy", "Rabbit Seasoning", "One Froggy Evening") and another in which Porky Pig and (here, his pet cat) Sylvester go on a trip and face disaster, unknown to Porky (see also "Jumpin' Jupiter", 1955).

Porky and Sylvester check into an abandoned hotel, and are menaced by evil (satanic?) mice intent on killing them both. It's beyond me how such subversive stuff was put on cinema screens in 1954. The collaboration of Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese brings about a level of twisted genius, as well as cockeyed comedy, that few cartoons, even WB cartoons, can ever hope to match. A true masterpiece of short animation.

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

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 Pig and Sylvester are driving in a spooky town looking for a place to stay the night. When Porky finds a hotel, Sylvester is scared silly. An unseen presence keeps trying to kill Porky only to be saved by Sylvester, but Porky never sees it. Porky thinks that Sylvester is going crazy.

This is a great little Looney Tunes for Halloween. I love the start of the unlikely duo driving into a spooky town and I love the designs of the buildings. I do wonder if WB shouldn't show a bunch of these cartoons for Halloween although they may be too morbidly violent for today. I can see parents groups going crazy.