Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

A Brilliant Conflict

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Porky's Poultry Plant (1936) *** (out of 4) Porky is feeding the various animals on his farm including the ducks and chickens. Then his farm comes under attack by a hawk that has been stealing various chickens. Now it's up to Porky to try and protect what is his.PORKY'S POULTRY PLANT is another winner for the series, which of course was still rather young here. What's so fun about this short is that there's a lot of imagination going on and especially during the finale where Porky gets into his airplane and goes after the hawk who has stolen a baby chicken. There's a lot of action going on and plenty of nice little laughs as this battle plays out. Another good thing about this is an earlier scene where Porky is trying to feed everyone but the same chicken keeps getting left out.

"Porky's Poultry Plant" is an early Porky Pig cartoon that marked the directorial debut of Frank Tashlin, who would eventually make a transition from animated cartoons to live-action feature films. In this film, Porky doesn't look or speak the way we are accustomed to, but he is still such a lovable character as he watches after the livestock on his farm.There are two scenes from "Porky's Poultry Plant" that I especially like. First, Porky plays a funnel like a snake charmer's flute in order to retrieve a few worms from the ground for his baby chicks to eat. And second, when Porky flies his airplane trying to save a chick that has been swiped by vultures, a rooster serves as a football commentator!Lots of great action and quick camera cuts characterize the animated cartoons of Frank Tashlin, and "Porky's Poultry Plant" is no exception. Tashlin was certainly a welcome addition to the Warner Bros. cartoon family.

Frank Tashlin's 'Porky's Poultry Plant' is a case of historical importance exceeding enjoyment factor. 'Porky's Poultry Plant' was not only the directional debut of Tashlin, it was also the first Warner cartoon with music by the irreplaceable Carl Stalling. Tashlin and Stalling would both go on to produce an astonishing array of work for the Warner Bros. cartoon studio and their enormous talents are much in evidence here despite the weak material. The cartoon opens with a gorgeous pan across the farmyard which is typical of the live-action techniques Tashlin brought to his cartoons. However, we then have to sit through a series of cutesy gags about feeding chickens into which even Tashlin cannot inject any energy. Porky's voice is also excruciating here, provided as it was by Joe Dougherty, an actor with a real speech impediment who was unable to control his stutter as Mel Blanc later would. Some of Porky's sentences seem to go on forever! 'Porky's Poultry Plant' picks up towards the end as Porky becomes embroiled in an airborne battle with some vultures, resulting in a terrific battle which showcases Tashlin's instantly assured direction. It's too late to really save the cartoon though and it peters out with a cutesy gag that's more in keeping with the dull opening scenes. 'Porky's Poultry Plant' emerges as weak material brilliantly directed, probably of interest mainly to those who are interested in animation history but of little worth as the entertainment it was intended to be.

With some of the early Porky Pig cartoons, it seems that the people creating the cartoons often didn't go for outright humor (that may have started when Daffy Duck came along). For example, "Porky's Poultry Plant" has a rather simple plot line: Porky runs a chicken farm and has lost some hens to a pernicious hawk/buzzard; the hawk/buzzard kidnaps a chick, and Porky flies after the villainous bird, resulting in an aerial version of football.Usually, I would expect Frank Tashlin's cartoons to contain a lot more in the way of sight gags, but this one sticks to its simple plot. Maybe it was sort of a place holder while they were creating some of the more famous cartoons (1936 also saw the release of "I Love to Singa"). Still, it is worth seeing as a look at the early days of the Looney Tunes. Just understand that they don't go for the really wacky stuff that would soon characterize their work.