I Haven't Got a Hat

This Two-Strip Technicolor cartoon certainly is not one most folks would care about one way or the the other. So why is it an important film? First, and most importantly, it's the debut of Porky Pig. Back in the day, Porky was NOT cute but a bit grotesque...though in the first one he's a bit less gigantic and ugly. All he does in this one is recite a poem in class....the film really isn't his starring vehicle. Second, while not a major innovation, it is interesting to see this Looney Tunes short in color--albeit a more primitive version than the Three-Strip Technicolor used by Walt Disney. Why was Disney using it in 1935 and no one else? They bought exclusive rights to its use...and gave the Disney films real color...not the orangy-green you see in the two color processes.

The film consists of some animal children in school putting on some sort of pageant where they recite, sing and dance. It's not the most interesting idea for a short, that's for sure. But it was 1935 and this was still well before the studio became the best at producing entertaining shorts. Instead of humor, the older cartoons by Looney Tunes/Warner Brothers tended to be more cute and had a lot of singing.

So is it any good? Well, compared to the average film of the day, it was better than usual--with slightly better animation than most of the competition. Humor-wise, it had a few moments though none of the great laughs you'd later expect with a Looney Tunes cartoon.

Yes, this is Porky Pig's debut, although it certainly is not an attractive first look at the stuttering porker. Porky and a couple of other "kids" are all part of school musical and recital and Porky's bit leads off the show.

He recites a rendition of Longfellow's "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere," or at least starts to but it quickly becomes Tennyson's "Charge of the Light Brigade." Mostly he just sweats while trying to remember his lines. I liked the sound effects help Porky received from offstage and the fact that even though his classmates unleashed the dogs on him, they did give him good applause!

"Ham and Ex," two little singing dogs, get my vote for "best in show," which also featured "Miss Kitty" reciting "Mary Had A Little Lamb," and the piano playing "Oliver Owl," whose tune is greatly enhanced by a fighting dog and cat inserted into the piano by a mischief-making fellow student.

This one really isn't much for laughs but overall, it's "cute" and it's in color, which is pretty good considering it's made in 1935. In fact, the graphics and the color restoration are excellent for 1935 and it's a collector's piece of sorts being that it's Porky's debut. It is the lead-off cartoon on Disc 3 of Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 3.

Miss Cud is the school teacher. The students include Beans the Cat, Porky Pig, Oliver Owl, Ham and Ex. The students are performing in a Musical and Recital.

Warner Brothers was trying to copy Our Gang's success with a bunch of characters as kids. Beans became an early minor Looney Tunes star, but it is Porky Pig who is the big longtime breakout. Both made their first appearance here. By itself, this is mostly an introduction to a bunch of characters. There isn't much to the story. It is basic and a passable six. But that is only if there is nothing else. This is a rookie card. Those are worth way more.

Mr. Freling comes up with the ultimate classroom stutterer in this Merrie Melodies cartoon. It begins with an elementary age Porky reciting "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" in front of an audience. Other characters strut their stuff too, but I only recognise Porky.

Although "I Haven't Got a Hat" just looks like a cute cartoon, it really seems to be focusing on the various kinds of things that can happen during a school recital, namely stage fright and resentment. Probably most famous as Porky Pig's debut (he sings about Paul Revere's ride), the cartoon culminates when an owl tries to play the piano but a cat messes with the piano.

So, this is a formidable part of cartoon history. The crowd behind the Looney Tunes cartoons would further develop the cartoons in later years, but this is a good reference point. Worth seeing.

The lamb's fleece was as white as corn flakes. Ha!