Release Date:

July 1, 1939

Main Character(s):

Porky Pig

Summary:

As a schoolboy struggling to learn the Pledge of Allegiance, Porky Pig dreams that he is visited by Uncle Sam, who teaches him the importance of the Pledge by telling him about significant historical events.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The cartoon was given a Blue Ribbon reissue. In a rare move, the music that played over the opening credits is actually heard in the reissue this time (I really wish they did that with ALL the reissues, though). The credits were:

Supervision: Charles Jones

Animation: Bob McKimson

Musical Direction: Carl W. Stalling

Additionally, when the cartoon was restored for the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 2 DVD set in 2004, the original end card was put back in. Instead of the usual “That’s all, folks!”, the end card just simply says “The End” over the final shot of the US flag.

The cartoon is in the “100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons” book (and since I forgot to mention it, “Thugs with Dirty Mugs” is also in that book).

This is the only Warner cartoon to have no gags whatsoever as it is completely serious in its history portrayals.

This is Jones’ first Porky Pig cartoon as well as Porky’s first appearance in a color cartoon since his debut in “I Haven’t Got a Hat”.

Presumably, Robert McKimson was the sole animator on this cartoon.

The flag has 48 stars as Alaska and Hawaii weren't admitted as states yet. Additionally, the line “under God” is not present in the Pledge as that line would not be added until 1954.

The cartoon was released three days before Independence Day in 1939.

What I Like About This One:

Despite having no gags, this is a very well done cartoon, especially in terms of animation and music.

The music that plays when Uncle Sam first appears.

John Deering’s voice work as Uncle Sam.

Uncle Sam chuckling at the fact that Porky doesn’t know what “Land of the Free” means before explaining that a lot of Americans “don’t appreciate our freedom, but these people did”, while pointing to a map of the thirteen colonies in 1775. He then explains that “they came to this great unknown country in search of freedom. Instead they got-” and then the words, “OPPRESSION”, “UNFAIR TAXES”, “TYRANNY”, “UNFAIR LAWS”, and “INJUSTICE” appearing several times.

The shot of the cannon firing after Patrick Henry says “Give me liberty or give me death!”

The sequence with Paul Revere calling out “To arms!”, with the realistic looking animation and total seriousness.

The music that plays during the scene of the men marching before fading into John Hancock’s signing of the Declaration of Indepedence.

The rendition of “The Girl I Left Behind Me” that the Spirits of ‘76 play (two of them playing separate drums and another playing a flute).

The words, “FREEDOM OF RELIGION”, “FREEDOM OF PRESS”, and “FREEDOM OF SPEECH” appearing over the Constitution before being signed by George Washington, along with the patriotic and triumphant music playing.

After Washington’s signing of the Constitution, Porky is now eager to learn what happened next. Uncle Sam shows that what happened was “a vast movement to the West, led by the great scouts, a courageous people pioneered their way into the unexplored wilderness” as “Oh Susanna” plays and the Western states show up on the map.

Uncle Sam concluding his lecture by saying “the incredible hardships, the magnificent sacrifices of these gallant pioneers might have been in vain had it not been for a Great American”. He is referring to Abraham Lincoln, as he and Porky look over at a bronze statue of him as Uncle Sam recites the last line of the Gettysburg Address.

When Porky wakes up and having learned a lot from his dream, he easily memorizes the Pledge and fully says it with no problem as we pan upward to the flag as “Columbia the Gem of the Ocean” plays.

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕