Save your money for something good and enjoyable

I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes, Hanna and Barbera and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons. Actually appreciate it even more now through young adult eyes, thanks to broader knowledge and taste and more interest in animation styles and various studios and directors.Have a lot of appreciation and admiration for Bob Clampett, with a visual and humour style so distinctive and easily recognisable. His early work was very variable but when on top form and in his prime the best of his work was great and even more. 'Meet John Doughboy' is not one of Clampett's best. It is a very good cartoon though, even if there are funnier, wittier and fresher cartoons from him, and saw Clampett's unique style all over it and being at ease with the material. Admittedly, 'Meet John Doughboy' may be slight and while Porky's more substantial role is appreciated he is not always as interesting as the supporting characters and caricatures.While most of the cartoon is very amusing and well done, not all the gags work, either because the timing is not as sharp or because some of the material goes over the head due to unfamiliarity. 'Meet John Doughboy's' caricatures are far from forgettable and provide a lot of fun, familiarity with those being caricatured is in order though. Mel Blanc as always does a fantastic job with the voice work, showing an unparalleled ability to bring individuality to multiple characters. The animation is as always high in atmosphere, with lots of smooth movement, imaginative detail in the gags and rich and meticulous detail in the backgrounds. Carl Stalling's music score is as ever high in energy, liveliness, character, lushness and whimsy, and not only is dynamic and fits effortlessly with the action but enhances everything.What's more, 'Meet John Doughboy' is entertaining, with some amusing wildness, wit and bite starting to show at this point in the dialogue. Plus there are some beautifully timed and animated and imaginative sight gags, that contain some surprises and a lively pace.In conclusion, well done and entertaining if not perfect. 7/10 Bethany Cox

. . . along with Jack Benny and Rochester, it's mostly the Punny Narrator who puts on the show in MEET JOHN DOUGHBOY. This Looney Tune was released as True Blue Loyal American Democrats were battling Hitler's Fifth Column collaborators in the Rich People's Party for the Hearts and Minds of Our Nation. Then, as Today, the Elephantine Nazi Sympathizers in the U.S. Congress were itching to blow up every tiny international incident into a Big Brouhaha of Benghazi Proportions. In a MEET JOHN DOUGHBOY quote that could be taken from Today's newspaper, Citizen Sugar Kane paraphrases the current Rich People Party Idol Donald J. Duck by contending that "Our Open Door Policy is responsible for the (Military) Draft." Then, as now, RPP adherents bent over backwards to avoid paying ANY taxes and to shirk their birthright duty to serve in ANY military rank lower than Commander-in-Chief. MEET JOHN DOUGHBOY pictures every serviceman as a loathsomely incompetent hayseed. No doubt silver spoon childhood viewings of MEET JOHN DOUGHBOY inspired future U.S. Presidential Election Loser W. Bush to fritter away much of HIS time "serving" by going A.W.O.L., while would-be Game Show Host-in-Chief Donnie Duck-the-Draft "I'm the physically fittest candidate ever!" Trump was certified as 4F or UNFIT for service FOUR TIMES by his Art-of-the-Deal doctors.

Meet John Doughboy (1941) *** (out of 4) This is a rather interesting Merrie Melodies short and starts off in a theater as Porky Pig introduces the "film" that's about to play. The film is basically showing what all happens in the Army and other services and you have to give it credit that nothing like this would be attempted today. We see countless jokes aimed at a variety of topics including a British "spitfire" plane that actually spits fire. Another joke deals with the draft where a man thinks he's too small to get in the service and then we get the payoff. There's even jokes about "Citizen Sugar Kane" and we are asked what would happen if America ever got invaded. That last joke certainly looks a lot different when viewed today. This B&W short runs just 7-minutes but there's not a slow moment to be found. Not all of the jokes work but when viewed today you can't help but get a surreal feel from it and especially when you consider what was coming up just a few months after this thing would have originally been seen. The animation is the usual high standards.

As usual for Bob Clampett in this period, another fine comedy newsreel with an armed forces theme -- with the war going on in Europe and a draft in this country, it was a natural theme and the beginning of the flag waving period. The credited writer is Dave Monahan, the best of Termite Terrace's writers for 'fake newsreel' cartoons and the jokes have not aged badly.Clampett was one of the two geniuses directing at Schlesinger's cartoon factory in this period -- Chuck Jones' peak period would start next year and Friz Freleng, although rarely a groundbreaker, just turned out excellent cartoons. But Clampett and Tex Avery were madcaps, Avery slightly better at gag construction but Clampett for his speedy and outrageous animation Don't miss ANY chance to see any of his cartoons.