Release Date:

April 13, 1940

Main Character(s):

Porky Pig

Summary:

On Porky’s Pig’s farm, an Eddie Cantor chicken gets advice on how to get his wife to have baby boys from a Bing Crosby chicken.

That’s Not All, Folks:

Other than Cantor and Crosby, Jack Benny, Rochester, Kay Kyser, and Ned Sparks are also caricatured.

This is probably Porky’s briefest appearance in a cartoon where he supposedly stars.

After Bing gets a hen to lay multiple eggs, several of them have names that are references to various Warner staff members. These include Bob (Bob Clampett), Warren (storyman Warren Foster), Chuck (Chuck Jones), Sid (animator Sid Sutherland), Ben (Ben Hardaway), Alex (animator Alex Ignatiev), Dick (animator Richard Bickenbach), Ray (Ray Katz), Art (background artist Art Loomer), Roger (staff member Roger Daley), Melvin (storyman Melvin Millar), Rev (animator Rev Chaney), Norm (animator Norm McCabe), John (animator John Carey), and Sam (assistant animator Sam Nicholson).

What I Like About This One:

A sign advertising “Miracle Eggs”: “If it’s a good egg, it’s a miracle”.

When Porky says good morning to “Mrs. Cow”, she replies with “How do you do?” in the manner of Bert Gordon (similar to how the whim wham whistling shark said it in “Fresh Fish”).

Porky and his horse switching places at one point when plowing the field.

“Jack Bunny”, a caricature of Jack Benny who is an Easter Bunny, painting eggs by squirting “Easter Egg Paint” on each and getting rid of bad ones by smashing them with a mallet. When he’s about to smash a black egg, a Rochester chick pops out and begs him not to.

Eddie reading a book called “My Son, My Son” and also having other books called “American Boy” and “Boys Life”.

Eddie’s reaction when his wife, Ida, only hatches five girls.

Eddie replacing his “Boy Wanted” sign with a “Boy Still Wanted” sign.

Bing singing “I’ve Got a Lot of Beautiful Babies and Each and Every One is a Boy” (to the tune of “You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby”) while pushing them in a stroller that fits them all.

Bing showing Eddie how he gets hens to lay male offspring: singing to them.

After Eddie starts crooning to Ida, a bird imitates Walter Winchell talking into a microphone informing, “Flash! I have it on the very best authority that the Eddie Cacklers will have a son at any moment!” He later adds, “I’ll be back in a flash with more trash!”

When Eddie goes out singing substitute lyrics for “I’m Happy About the Whole Thing”, he tells a Kay Kyser chicken that he’s going to have a boy. Kyser replies, “That’s right, you’re wrong!” (this is the exact same line reused from “Africa Squeaks”).

A Ned Sparks chicken commenting, “I’m happy about the whole thing!” when he clearly has a grouchy expression.

When Eddie wonders if this new chick is a boy, the chick replies, “Mmm, could be”. The “Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons” appropriately describes this as: “Just born and he already knows his Warner toon cliches!”

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕 ½