Edgar Allan Pooh
. . . this animated Looney Tunes short released by Warner Bros. in the 1940s could go a long way toward fleshing out that dire Another Dimensional possibility. Sid Squirrel doesn't even merit a name on Wikipedia's Master Compendium spreadsheet of all things Looney Tunes (unlike "Michigan J. Frog," whose lone appearance in ONE FROGGY NIGHT will live forever in cartoon infamy). Perhaps this also is Sid's only Looney Tunes role (though I cannot say for sure, as I have seen just 200 or so of Warner's 1,039 classic shorts). Suffice it to say that Sid hails from Brooklyn, and is a huge Dodgers fan (with no inkling that his team will desert him for greener pastures within a decade). Here, Sid is vacationing high in the Last Tree Standing on a woodlot Porky Pig is clear-cutting (or "pork-chopping," if he's working as a government contractor). Taking offense to Porky's efforts, Sid affects Bugs' accents and clothing styles as he rivets a metal girdle around "his" tree, breaking 11 of Porky's axes, driving the porker to resort to firearms and dynamite. Amid this action, Sid drops a few of Bugs' tag-lines, such as "Bon Vo-Ahhh-Gee" (for "Bon Voyage"). Bugs, however, could have said, "What's up, Doc?" if he had starred in this episode, with Porky clear-cutting something more down-to-earth (such as ginseng or morel mushrooms).
Michael_Elliott
Porky Chops (1949) *** (out of 4) A squirrel from Brooklyn goes to the great Northwoods to get some rest but then comes across lumberjack Porky Pig trying to cut down his tree. The two start battling one another but soon a third party is going to enter the picture. This is a pleasant short that manages to have quite a few smiles and it's certainly cute enough. The one problem I have with the short is the actual squirrel who just doesn't sit too well with me. I've seen this film several times over the years and each time I can't help but think it would have been different with a better character. As far as Porky goes he's at the top of his game and the poor guy takes a nice beating like he always does. The third party that shows up only appears for a matter of seconds but he clearly steals the film. I won't ruin the gag as it's one of the best in the film.
Lee Eisenberg
Arthur Davis, who directed "Porky Chops", was most famous as an animator; maybe he just didn't have exactly what it takes to be a director. This cartoon is pretty funny - hell, it looks like "Citizen Kane" compared to some of the cartoons coming out today - but it mostly seems to be a one-joke premise, as Porky Pig tries to chop down a tree but the wise-guy squirrel using it as his vacation home keeps interfering.So, it's not a great cartoon, but still good for a few laughs...particularly with what happens after the dynamite gag (the Termite Terrace crowd sure had a way with dynamite, didn't they?).PS: The name "The squirrels of Central Park" originally came from Gary Larson's cartoon "The Far Side". The squirrel here reminded me of that.
movieman_kev
Elmer..I mean Porky Pig is a lumberjack, waiting to chop down a tree that a wascilly rab..i mean squirrel is in. This short didn't sit well with me, it just didn't jibe at all. Porky didn't act like Porky at all. Who is this squirrel?? And while the completist in me is happy that it's on the DVD collection, the lover of good animated shorts is disheartened that it's included. Definitely among the worst Looney Tunes shorts that I have seen, and I say that sadly. This cartoon is on Disk 2 of the "Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 1" I send raspberries to whomever made this.My Grade: D+
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