oscaralbert Review of Porky's Spring Planting

Porky's Spring Planting (1938)

The dog has all the best lines here . . .

[7/10 · 20 March 2017]

. . . as Porky's mutt "Streamline" turns out to be a cornucopia of Trivial Pursuit-type tidbits of info from the 1900s, when this Looney Tune was first released. As Porky is chiding his pooch for not being enough of a Yard Nazi to keep the neighboring flock of chickens from gobbling down the garden vegetables that they've planted, Streamline mutters "Sure, I'm a watch dog - - I'm full of ticks." In the Old Timey Days of Yesteryear's 20th Century, many folks wore time-telling gadgets on their wrists called "wristwatches" or "watches" for short, and these Beta versions of a smart device included an infinite number of gears and gizmos that actually made them go "tick-tick-tick." In fact, the advertising slogan for one company's "watches" was "It takes a licking, and keeps on ticking." That's because the company knew that ALL watches of the 1900s usually broke during their first week of usage, from "over-winding," being dropped, or liquid submersion. Earlier, Streamline had protested his work assignment by growling that "I'll be able to sleep all day when I get my social security," since this cartoon was released at a time when getting monthly money just for surviving until old age was a cutting-edge new concept. Finally, when Porky gives Streamline a bone to bury, the pet digs up his heavy metal safe, stating "None of this share-the-wealth business for me," which pretty much contradicts his willingness to accept an Old Folks Allowance from Uncle Sam.