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Porky's Hero Agency is a 1937 Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Robert Clampett, and starring Porky Pig.
Plot
Porky is reading the story of the gorgon, a Greek myth about a woman who turned everyone she looked at into stone. His mother tells him it's time to go to bed. While he's asleep he dreams of being a Greek hero known as Porkykarkus. In this version the Gorgon runs a photo studio, and Porky is able to save by sneaking in and grabbing her life-restoring needle, just before he wakes up.
Availability
- VHS - Porky Pig: The Days of Swine and Roses (computer colorized)
- LaserDisc - Wince upon a Time: Foolhardy Fairy Tales and Looney Legends (unrestored)
- DVD - Marked Woman (unrestored, added as a bonus)
- DVD - Porky Pig 101, Disc 2 (restored)
Censorship
On Cartoon Network, the scene of the Gorgan's guard telling Porky that he's next to be turned to stone followed by Porky picturing himself as a piggy bank, is cut out of this cartoon (barring its appearance on The Bob Clampett Show), most likely because the Gorgan's guard looks as if he's in blackface.[1]
Notes
- The name "Porkykarkus" is a clear parody of Parkyakarkus, a Greek stereotype who was the stage personna of comedian Harry Einstein.
- The Emperor's "fireside chat" is a nod to Franklin D. Roosevelt's weekly radio addresses.
- The "bring-em-back-alive" needle is a pun on hunter Frank Buck's best-selling novel Bring 'Em Back Alive.
- Bob Clampett and members of his animation unit (Chuck Jones, Lu Guarnier, Robert Cannon, John Carey and Ernest Gee), appear as statues placed together to form a human picket fence.
- The Gorgon is a parody of Lizzie Tish, a character played by comedian Bill Comstock on Al Pearce's radio show.
- The Three Stooges make a cameo. When turned to stone, they resemble the famous "three wise monkeys" sculpture.
- Porky gives the broken Venus de Milo statue a set of Popeye arms. The first few bars of Popeye's theme song are heard on the soundtrack.
- Porky brings to life a Greek temple labeled "Shirley", a reference to child star Shirley Temple.
Gallery
Add a photo to this galleryReferences
External links
- "Porky's Hero Agency" at the Big Cartoon DataBase
- Classic, Rare and Censored Cartoons @ archive.org
- "Porky's Hero Agency" @ trilulilu.ro
