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Swooner Crooner
Swooner Crooner restored
Directed By: Frank Tashlin
Produced By: Leon Schlesinger
Released: May 6, 1944
Series: Looney Tunes
Story: Warren Foster
Animation: I. Ellis
George Cannata (uncredited)
Arthur Davis (uncredited)
Layouts:
Backgrounds:
Film Editor: Treg Brown (uncredited)
Voiced By: Mel Blanc (uncredited)
Sara Berner (uncredited)
Richard Bickenbach (uncredited)
Music: Carl W. Stalling
Starring: Porky Pig
Frankie Rooster
Bing Crosby Rooster
Rudy
Al
Jimmy
Cab
Preceded By: Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips
Succeeded By: Russian Rhapsody

Swooner Crooner is a 1944 Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Frank Tashlin.

Plot

Porky Pig is the supervisor of the "Flockheed Eggcraft Factory", where dozens of hens lay eggs for the war effort (in this case, World War II). The hens suddenly get distracted from their egg laying when a handsome rooster named Frankie (who sings like Frank Sinatra) is heard singing outside. Frankie's renditions of "It Can't Be Wrong" by Dick Haymes and "As Time Goes By" (from Casablanca, 1942) causes all the hens to swoon.

Porky rushes to investigate. Soon, he's auditioning for a new crooner; those showing up are caricatures of Vaughn Monroe [1] ("Shortnin' Bread"), Al Jolson ("September in the Rain"), Jimmy Durante ("Lullaby of Broadway"), Cab Calloway ("Minnie the Moocher", "Blues in the Night"), and Bing Crosby ("When My Dream Boat Comes Home").[1]

Porky asks the Bing Crosby rooster (who introduced himself as "The Old Groaner") to be the crooner, provoking a competition with Frankie. Between the two of them, the overexcited hens' egg production is increased to a level beyond what Porky can handle, including a just-hatched hen chick laying an egg many times her own size.

Surveying literal hills and mountains of eggs all over his farm, Porky was impressed and asks the two roosters, "How did you ever m-m-make 'em lay all those eggs." The roosters demonstrate their technique by crooning at Porky, who lays a mountain of eggs himself as a result.

Availability

Censorship

  • Versions of this cartoon shown on most American TV channels (particularly Cartoon Network, Boomerang, TNT, TBS, and some local syndicated affiliates) cut the part where the Al Jolson rooster auditions in blackface with "September in the Rain," going from the Nelson Eddy rooster tiring himself out while singing "Shortnin' Bread" to the Jimmy Durante rooster singing "Lullaby of Broadway."[2]

Notes

  • The cartoon was nominated for the 1945 Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons), which it lost to the Tom and Jerry cartoon "'Mouse Trouble".[3]
  • This cartoon was re-released into the Blue Ribbon Merrie Melodies program on February 12, 1949.[4] In fact, it was the first Looney Tunes short to be re-released under the Blue Ribbon program and the only Looney Tunes short to be re-released under "IN TECHNICOLOR" before Warner Bros. changed to "Color By TECHNICOLOR".
  • The copyright was renewed in 1972.
  • Part of the cartoon's basic premise was reused in the 2004 short "Cock-a-Doodle Duel" with Foghorn Leghorn. In it, Foghorn competes with a genetically-engineered rooster to make hens lay eggs.
  • Pre-1995 prints are known to keep the original ending music. However, both the European and American Turner dubbed prints change the ending music audio to the 1941-55 MM rendition.[5][6] Hence, the DVD and Blu-ray releases use the USA 1995 dubbed version's soundtrack.[6]

References

External links

Porky Pig Cartoons
1935 I Haven't Got a HatGold Diggers of '49
1936 Plane DippyAlpine AnticsThe Phantom ShipBoom BoomThe Blow OutWestward WhoaFish TalesShanghaied ShipmatesPorky's PetPorky the Rain-MakerPorky's Poultry PlantPorky's Moving DayMilk and MoneyLittle Beau PorkyThe Village SmithyPorky in the North WoodsBoulevardier from the Bronx
1937 Porky the WrestlerPorky's Road RacePicador PorkyPorky's RomancePorky's Duck HuntPorky and GabbyPorky's BuildingPorky's Super ServicePorky's Badtime StoryPorky's RailroadGet Rich Quick PorkyPorky's GardenRover's RivalThe Case of the Stuttering PigPorky's Double TroublePorky's Hero Agency
1938 Porky's PoppaPorky at the CrocaderoWhat Price PorkyPorky's Phoney ExpressPorky's Five & TenPorky's Hare HuntInjun TroublePorky the FiremanPorky's PartyPorky's Spring PlantingPorky & DaffyWholly SmokePorky in WackylandPorky's Naughty NephewPorky in EgyptThe Daffy DocPorky the Gob
1939 The Lone Stranger and PorkyIt's an Ill WindPorky's Tire TroublePorky's Movie MysteryChicken JittersPorky and TeabiscuitKristopher Kolumbus Jr.Polar PalsScalp TroubleOld GloryPorky's PicnicWise QuacksPorky's HotelJeepers CreepersNaughty NeighborsPied Piper PorkyPorky the Giant KillerThe Film Fan
1940 Porky's Last StandAfrica SqueaksAli-Baba BoundPilgrim PorkySlap Happy PappyPorky's Poor FishYou Ought to Be in PicturesThe Chewin' BruinPorky's Baseball BroadcastPatient PorkyCalling Dr. PorkyPrehistoric PorkyThe Sour PussPorky's Hired HandThe Timid Toreador
1941 Porky's Snooze ReelPorky's Bear FactsPorky's PreviewPorky's AntA Coy DecoyPorky's Prize PonyMeet John DoughboyWe, the Animals - Squeak!The Henpecked DuckNotes to YouRobinson Crusoe Jr.Porky's Midnight MatineePorky's Pooch
1942 Porky's Pastry PiratesWho's Who in the ZooPorky's CafeAny Bonds Today?My Favorite Duck
1943 Confusions of a Nutzy SpyYankee Doodle DaffyPorky Pig's FeatA Corny Concerto
1944 Tom Turk and DaffyTick Tock TuckeredSwooner CroonerDuck Soup to NutsSlightly DaffyBrother Brat
1945 Trap Happy PorkyWagon Heels
1946 Baby BottleneckDaffy DoodlesKitty KorneredThe Great Piggy Bank RobberyMouse Menace
1947 One Meat BrawlLittle Orphan Airedale
1948 Daffy Duck Slept HereNothing but the ToothThe Pest That Came to DinnerRiff Raffy DaffyScaredy Cat
1949 Awful OrphanPorky ChopsPaying the PiperDaffy Duck HuntCurtain RazorOften an OrphanDough for the Do-DoBye, Bye Bluebeard
1950 Boobs in the WoodsThe Scarlet PumpernickelAn Egg ScrambleGolden YeggsThe DuckstersDog Collared
1951 The Wearing of the GrinDrip-Along DaffyThe Prize Pest
1952 Thumb FunCracked QuackFool Coverage
1953 Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century
1954 Claws for AlarmMy Little Duckaroo
1955 Jumpin' JupiterDime to Retire
1956 Rocket SquadDeduce, You Say
1957 Boston Quackie
1958 Robin Hood Daffy
1959 China Jones
1961 Daffy's Inn Trouble
1965 Corn on the Cop
1966 Mucho Locos
1980 Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century
1996 Superior Duck
2004 My Generation G...G... Gap
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