Release Date:

November 30, 1940

Main Character(s):

Porky Pig

Summary:

A witless lunkhead named Gregory Grunt is hired to see if he can make a reliable night watchman for Porky Pig’s chicken farm. Although Gregory catches the fox in the act of stealing chickens, the fox cons Gregory into a partnership. However, thanks to Gregory’s stupidity and the fox’s overconfidence, the fox accidentally ends up getting locked in the incubator room.

That’s Not All, Folks:

This is another cartoon where Porky has very little to do.

The address “1608 N. Alvarado” is a reference to background artist Peter Alvarado.

What I Like About This One:

Upon reading the telegram about Gregory and seeing who he is, Porky looks at the telegram again and reads the PS, “Alright! So he ain’t neat!”.

Porky having Gregory repeat his instructions with the most important one being “Don’t go to sleep!” (animated by Cal Dalton).

As Porky leaves, Gregory is heard saying “You can depend on me!” But in the very next scene, he is seen snoring in rhythm with the chickens.

The fox introducing himself as the “guy they can’t catch” (animated by Herman Cohen).

The fox rejecting a scrawny chicken and tossing him aside.

Another chicken sleepwalking into the fox’s sack.

Even though Gregory is clearly an idiot, he does have the right idea to stand at the doorway and order the fox to “put ‘em back where you got ‘em!” (animated by Dalton).

The fox’s conning of Gregory: “It won’t be long now, Gregory. You’ll have your own office, and private secretary to sit on your lap, name on the door, and all kinds of stuff like that there!”

The incubator room being right next to the exit door. Of course, the fox accidentally grabs the wrong doorknob when asking Gregory to pick up a few sacks of feed.

The fox’s hysterical monologue (another brilliant Mel Blanc performance) when he realizes he’s trapped in the incubator with no way to get out.

Desperate, the fox grabs a pail that just so happens to be in the room and drinks out of it. But instead of water, it’s full of sand! “Sand! Who put that there!?”

Gregory’s attempts to break the door down.

Porky arriving back in time to find out the fox is trapped in the incubator. He unlocks the door and out comes a steam-shrunken fox (now speaking in a high-pitched voice) threatening to sue him (animated by Richard Bickenbach).

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕 ½