Release Date:

October 4, 1947

Main Character(s):

Porky Pig, Charlie Dog

Summary:

A dog named Rags McMutt escapes from the pound and hides in a car where he encounters his old friend, Charlie Dog. Charlie tells him the story of how he apparently got a master in Porky Pig, when Porky actually doesn’t want anything to do with him.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 1032 and was released as a Looney Tune.

The cartoon was given a Blue Ribbon reissue. “Oh, Where Has My Little Dog Gone” played under the opening credits:

Story: Tedd Pierce and Michael Maltese

Animation: Lloyd Vaughan, Ben Washam, Ken Harris, and Phil Monroe

Layouts: Robert Gribbroek

Backgrounds: Peter Alvarado

Voice Characterizations: Mel Blanc

Musical Direction: Carl Stalling

Directed by Charles M. Jones

This is the first appearance of Charlie Dog, who speaks with a Brooklyn accent and has one goal in life: to get a master. However, he only succeeds in annoying potential masters. While Charlie is not at all a bad guy, it’s possible that he’s another example of Jones showing his dislike for dogs (“Fresh Airedale” and 1951’s “Chow Hound” are also excellent examples of this). Charlie would also pester Porky in “Awful Orphan” and “Often an Orphan” (both released in 1949) as well as a Southern Colonel who hates Yankees in “Dog Gone South” (1950) and an easily irritated Italian restaurant owner in “A Hound for Trouble” (1951). He would also get his own episode in Looney Tunes Cartoons, “Adopt Me” (2021).

The cartoon is a slight remake of “Porky’s Pooch” in that a Brooklyn-accented dog tells his homeless friend of how he got Porky as his master with most of the cartoon being told in flashback. Here, however, we return to the present at the end and the dog listening to the story (Rags) finds out that his friend (Charlie) is being delusional.

The title is a pun for “Little Orphan Annie”. Speaking of that musical, my mother often sings “It’s a Hard Not Life” whenever someone in the family makes an unnecessary complaint about something.

The restored print uses the incorrect ending theme.

In one scene, Charlie pretends to be pregnant, which Porky is somehow initially fooled by, as Charlie’s voice is clearly masculine. He only finds out the deception upon realizing the dog’s name is “Charlie”. Charlie can actually be a feminine name, as a nickname for “Charlotte”, even though it’s mostly spelled that way with a “y” rather than an “e”.

“Singing Down the Road” plays during the scene of Charlie facially imitating everyone on the street up to the point where he follows Porky to his apartment as well as during the ending scene where Rags finds out the truth about Porky not wanting anything to do with Charlie and realizing he’s better off in the pound after hearing the story.

One of the people that Charlie facially imitates is a caricature of Mel Blanc.

One thing that occurs in all three Porky and Charlie cartoons is Porky attempting to ship Charlie away to another country and doing an evil laugh while doing so. What makes this evil laugh hilarious is that Porky can’t even do that without stuttering.

What I Like About This One:

The cartoon starts off with an ominous prison break-like tone as only Rags’ silhouette is seen as he digs his way out of the pound. After his escape, a spotlight is shown on him as sirens start blaring and he runs for it (animated by Lloyd Vaughan).

In order to avoid getting spotted by the guards, Rags hides in a random car (animated by Vaughan) and shivers under a blanket just as they pass by. Conveniently, Charlie happens to be in this car and is somehow able to recognize him without seeing his face first: “Well if it ain’t Rags McMutt! I never forget a face” (animated by Ben Washam).

Charlie assumes that Rags is not doing so good and tells him that he should do like him and get himself a master since humans are suckers for dogs and always go for the big soulful eyes routine. Charlie begins to tell his story about how we went to the streets to look for a master (animated by Washam).

The flashback begins with Charlie facially imitating everyone on the streets, including a red-haired geek with an overbite who stammers, “Duh, duh, duh”. He then spots Porky and visualizes him as a “sucker” before following him and attempting to win him over by opening the elevator as well as his apartment door for him (animated by Vaughan).

Charlie barges into Porky’s apartment and begins his “you ain’t got no dog, I ain’t got no master” bit and mentions that he is “a full-blooded pedigreed half-collie half-airedale half-Pekinese half-St. Bernard with just a pinch of Spitz!” Upon asking where he can get a combination like that, Charlie announces, “Going! Going! Going!” before Porky throws him out and declares, “Gone!” (animated by Phil Monroe)

Charlie also demonstrates that he can chase cats. As he dashes off to do so, Porky shuts the door before cat and dog fighting noises are heard. Porky opens his door to find that Charlie got beat up by the cat he chased as the cat asks, “Does this belong to you?” before kicking Charlie back into the apartment (animated by Monroe).

Next demonstrating the tricks he can do, one of these includes Charlie playing dead, including imitating Rigor Mortis by sticking all four feet in the air. Porky throws him out by picking the still-playing dead Charlie by the tail. “Th-th-this pooch is getting to be a d-d-darned old pest”, he mutters. Charlie takes the hint that he’s not wanted and decides to leave packing his bags and taking a lamp with him as he goes “home to Mother”. He returns a few seconds later because “Mother wasn’t home” (animated by Monroe).

Irritated, Porky attempts to push Charlie out the door but Charlie holds onto the doorway and pleads for Porky to not do this as it’s not good for him to be roughly handled the way he is. When Porky questions “w-w-what do you mean th-the way you are?”, Charlie whispers something to him which shocks Porky. It’s revealed that Charlie has tricked Porky into believing he’s pregnant, and Porky actually believes this. It’s not until Porky asks him his name and Charlie reveals it that Porky gets wise. “Ch-ch-ch-ch-CHARLIE!?” After getting thrown out through the bed collapsing into the wall, Charlie returns and tells Porky, “Well, there actually WAS such a case in Venezuela!” before Porky shuts the door on him (animated by Ken Harris).

Later, Charlie is seen crying outside the small door in Porky’s door but Porky assumes he’s just trying to work on his sympathies. When Porky looks again, Charlie pretends to be freezing in the snow before it’s revealed to the audience that Charlie is standing on a box and shaking talcum powder over himself. Seemingly convinced, Porky allows Charlie to stay, but he’ll have to live in a dog house. Ecstatic, Charlie chants, “I get to live in a dog house! I get to live in a dog house! Oh goody, goody! Oh joy at last! My own little dream house!” Said dog house turns out to actually be a crate where as soon as Charlie steps inside, Porky boards it up while doing the evil stutter laugh (animated by Harris up to here) and has it mailed to Australia (animated by Washam).

When Porky returns to his apartment, he sees travel stickers all over the crate and Charlie dressed up in an Australian explorer outfit greeting him with, “‘Iya there, Nipper!” In a gruff Australian accent, Charlie talks about his adventures there and the extraordinary animal that is the kangaroo, imitating one with Porky sticking out of his pants as if he were the joey (animated by Monroe).

Back to the present, Charlie concludes, “So it went day in and day out. But… (sniffs flower)… here I am”. Suddenly, Porky returns to his car and kicks both dogs out, while berating Charlie, “And st-st-stay out! How many times d-d-d-do I have to tell you, I d-d-don’t WANT a dog!” Charlie laughs that Porky is “always gagging and joshing” before chasing after him and telling him, “Wait for baby!” Realizing this isn’t worth the hassle, Rags asks the audience, “And that’s what you gotta go through to get a master?” before running back to the dog pound and banging on the steel door demanding to be let in! (animated by Washam)

Where Can I Watch It?

At toontales.net!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕 ½