Release Date:

January 15, 1938

Main Character(s):

Porky Pig

Summary:

On the farm where Porky Pig and his poppa live, the cow Bessie stops producing milk. Poppa orders an ACME “Creamlined” Cow, which is a mechanical robot cow. Porky tries to get Bessie back in action but the robot cow won’t give her a chance.

That’s Not All, Folks:

This is the first use of ACME products in a Warner cartoon (and the second overall) since “Buddy’s Bug Hunt”.

At one point, a poster in the barn depicting “Bull Bontana” is seen. This is a reference to wrestler, boxer, and actor Lewis “Bull” Montana.

At one point, Bessie produces a bottle of chocolate milk. The joke is that Bessie birthed a black child, which is a reference to a white woman birthing a black child, something that was considered socially taboo.

This is also the first cartoon to use the “mail instantly delivered” gag.

What I Like About This One:

The opening chorus of “Porky’s Poppa Has a Farm” with Porky using a record player to get out of saying “Oh, boy” but it also stutters (animated by Robert Cannon), a goose using honking devices (animated by Norm McCabe), and Bessie having to show her calves (the back of one’s legs; animated by Chuck Jones).

The song ending sadly with “But on this farm he has a mortgage”.

Bessie being quarantined with “hoof ‘n’ mouth” disease, which shows her with her foot literally in her mouth.

Bessie’s production chart is shown to heavily decline as extra papers roll out on to the floor.

Porky trying to get Bessie’s foot out of her mouth, but each time he does, the other foot goes in her mouth (animated by Jones).

“Oh, Bessie, you gotta eat. You don’t want to be smothered in onions, do ya?” (earlier Poppa had threatened to send her to the hamburger factory).

Porky propelling a large pile of hay into Bessie’s mouth by putting it on her feet (so her uncontrallable “foot going in mouth” disease proves useful; animated by Jones).

Bessie giving birth to bottles of milk (with a little baby cry heard every time she does; animated by Cannon).

The mechanical cow producing various cheeses: cottage (shaped like houses), limberger (with a clothespin on them), and Swiss (a cuckoo pops out and shoots holes into them with a machine gun).

Porky ordering Bessie to “step on it” but she’s actually pouring milk into a tube that pours milk into three separate bottles (animated by Jones).

Porky putting a block of ice on Bessie’s head in order for her to produce ice cream.

The mechanical cow dousing Bessie’s hay in vanishing cream, so her next few milk bottles she produces fade away.

When Poppa declares the mechanical cow the winner for producing the most milk bottles, Bessie pops out of the tin casing, meaning she’s actually the winner.

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕