Porky's Romance (1937) User Reviews

love's labor's crossed

[lee_eisenberg · 6/10 · 5 October 2007]

Love may be blind, but some people may need it like that. Such is Porky Pig's fate in "Porky's Romance". After he goes to all the trouble to buy his dream girl Petunia flowers, candy, etc., the holier-than-thou sow rejects him. But what if she accepts him? Apparently, she and her worthless dog Fluffnins (can't these women ever give their dogs better names?) spend all day eating candy - and both growing fatter than Rush Limbaugh - while Porky is their slave.

OK, so this cartoon asserts that women are cute but shallow creeps (Petunia falls for Porky after seeing the candy), while men are angry jerks (look at what Porky does at the end). Or maybe these two are like that just for this one cartoon. Either way, it's a little bit weird, but not terrible. Maybe the Termite Terrace crowd was on the verge of finding the zany path that their cartoons would take but hadn't quite found it. I see that this got released a week or two before Daffy Duck made his debut; I guess that his debut solidified their wacky repertoire.

Is This The Best That Porky Gets For His Romantic Pursuits!?

[StrictlyConfidential · 5/10 · 15 August 2020]

Oh-me! Oh-my! - The love-bug has gone and bitten poor, lonely, love-sick Porky. And, there's no doubt that he's got the "fever" real bad.

And, unfortunately, (for the muddle-headed Porky) he's fallen head-over-heels for the absolutely dreadful Petunia who immediately gives herself away once she spies the box of chocolates that her foolish-hearted Romeo has brought to spark her affections.

Anyway - I found that the message behind "Porky's Romance" to be quite a pessimistic one where it actually went well out its way to encourage men (be they pigs or not) to remain bachelors for as long as they possibly can.

A Mostly Sad & Cruel Story

[ccthemovieman-1 · 4/10 · 7 May 2007]

This has an odd introduction as we see a stuttering "Petunia Pink" being introduced as a new star for Looney Tunes. She doesn't do well, let's just leave it at that. After that minute bit with her, the opening credits suddenly appear.

Then we see an obviously-in-love Porky buying diamond rings, candy, flowers, etc., and we hear a great song "I Want to Woo" or something with great lyrics. Pay attention to them and you'll get some laughs. Poor Porky isn't laughing, however, after he arrives at Petunia's door and gets the brush-off.

The shallow Petunia glances at Porky walking away and sees the big box of candy, runs and snatches that and Porky back to her house. She then pigs out, big-time, on the candy. Poor Porky can't share in that because Petunia's dog "Fluffnins" growls each time he reaches for a piece (of candy). Not only is Petunia bad news, so is her trained dog. In no time, heartbroken Porky is out the door while the sadistic girl he loves laughs at him. This is pretty cruel stuff.

The last half is not unusual in old cartoons: the main character has a dream where he sees the future and finds out losing his girl wasn't so bad, after all! The only funny part of this entire cartoon, frankly, was the very end when Porky gives his two cents to the dog, too. Otherwise, there isn't much to this.

Emotional Roller-coaster

[Ares-10 · 10/10 · 1 November 2005]

Who would have thought an 8-minute cartoon could produce such emotions? At first I was sad and really felt the depression when sweet little Porky's heart is broken. Porky takes some drastic measures, and ends up dreaming about his life with the girl he wants to marry, but doesn't want to marry him. It is funny, and then heartbreaking if anyone's life would turn out like his dream. Porky then wakes up to decide whether he still wants his dream girl. I truly felt sad for Porky and understood his decisions. I was angry at the girl, Petunia Pig, for she was only using Porky and breaking his fragile heart. The cartoon, in only 8 minutes, makes the viewer think about his/her own life and suggests that you think about big decisions in your life before making them. Perhaps the sweetest moment in cartoon/film history is when Porky goes to see his dream girl and she laughs at him. He walks off her front porch only to first turn around and kiss a plate with her name written on it that is displayed by her front door. Porky then walks off heartbroken. What a greatly sad moment.

A great piece of story telling that runs the emotional gamut

[phantom_tollbooth · 8/10 · 3 November 2008]

Frank Tashlin's 'Porky's Romance' opens with a special pre-credits announcement: "Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing Leon Schlesinger's new Looney Tunes star, Petunia Pig". Petunia introduces herself in a routine not dissimilar to the nerve-wracked recital that shot Porky Pig to fame in 'I Haven't Got a Hat'. Just how seriously the studio took Petunia's potential is unclear but, if she was intended to be a new cartoon superstar they didn't give her much of an opportunity to endear herself to the audience. In 'Porky's Romance', Petunia is cruel, selfish, idle and greedy and, while this may not have been beneficial for the character's longevity, it is extremely beneficial for the cartoon. 'Porky's Romance' is a great and handsome piece of work in which Porky goes through an emotional roller coaster which even includes a suicide attempt when his proposal to Petunia is turned down. While Porky spends most of the cartoon being dumped on by everyone, he finally gets the last laugh in one of the most satisfying final moments in any cartoon. 'Porky's Romance' is a film that aims to make audiences laugh, cry and wince in equal measure as we empathise with the nightmare of Porky's heartbreak and then the even more horrific glimpse at the possibilities of married life (a slightly sexist representation by today's standard but this was the 30s!). Tashlin's talents as storyteller and crafter of characters is much in evidence but, despite turning up in a few more cartoons, Petunia never got to be that new cartoon star. That title was snatched from her just two cartoons after 'Porky's Romance' when Tex Avery's 'Porky's Duck Hunt' introduced a certain little black duck with a penchant for scene-stealing.

"Porky Pig! Pooh pooh!"

[slymusic · 18 September 2006]

Directed by Frank Tashlin (Tash for short), "Porky's Romance" is one of the earliest black-and-white Porky Pig cartoons. The fat Porky that we see in this film is nothing like the cuter Porky that we all know today, but he still looks funny! The basic plot of "Porky's Romance" is that Porky wants to marry Petunia, but a dream sequence causes Porky to eventually reconsider, as he realizes just how shallow Petunia is. If they had gotten married, Porky would have ended up frantically doing all the washing, cooking, & ironing, as well as taking care of all the screaming baby piglets, all the while taking a lot of blows from the abusive Petunia, who only loves Porky for his chocolates.

Highlights: Porky is especially bouncy at the opening of this cartoon as he purchases a diamond ring, a bouquet of flowers, and a box of chocolates in anticipation of his date with Petunia. During the film's prologue, Petunia explodes when she fumbles her radio speech and is gently told to not get excited. Porky struggles with his own words as he gets down on his knees to propose to Petunia, whose dog Fluffnums sneers & growls at him as he tries to take just one piece of chocolate. Finally, at the end, Porky runs away from Petunia, but he returns just long enough to give Fluffnums a good swift kick!

One final element of "Porky's Romance" that we must not overlook is Carl Stalling's excellent musical commentary. The two popular songs that I recognize in this cartoon are "When My Dreamboat Comes Home" (heard when Porky & Petunia kiss in front of their hotel window while on their honeymoon) and "Oh! You Beautiful Doll" (heard when Porky arrives at Petunia's front door, when the super-sized Petunia continues to stock up on chocolates during Porky's dream sequence, and when Petunia sweetly tells Porky she'll marry him at the end of the cartoon).

Porky's Romance

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 27 September 2016]

While not one of my favourites from Porky Pig or Frank Tashlin, 'Porky's Romance' is still a good example of what makes Porky a likable character and why Tashlin is so under-appreciated.

Am not crazy about the character of Petunia, it is very clear why she's like that and it is also clear that it is intentional, but one can't help thinking that even for what the cartoon was going for with her character that she was rather too cruel. Also much prefer Mel Blanc's voice work for Porky, his voice and stutter more natural and more endearing than the overdone one provided here by Joe Dougherty.

Animation on the other hand is great. The black and white colours are lovingly done, the drawing is fluid and smooth and the backgrounds have some very nice detail. The music score by Carl Stalling is bursting with lively character, beautiful orchestration, clever instrumentation and an unmatched ability to enhance the action and elevate material to a greater level.

'Porky's Romance' is not what you call a funny cartoon, it is not that kind of cartoon. What it is though is very emotionally poignant and sweet and it is very easy, well impossible not to, to relate to Porky. One really hates the amount of hate and heartbreak he endures, which makes how he has the last laugh at the end even more satisfying. Do have to agree that 'Porky's Romance' excels at how it tells its story.

Overall, a very good cartoon if not among my favourites. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Warner Bros. tries to warn American men . . .

[oscaralbert · 8/10 · 13 August 2016]

. . . of their fast-approaching DOUBLE INDEMNITY doom with this late 1930s Looney Tune, PORKY'S ROMANCE. Back in the 1900s, ALL U.S. public schools were like Today's Red State Academies: woefully lacking in Sex Education. Teachers were prohibited from informing boys that it was unthinkable to offer a girl a marriage proposal BEFORE at least sliding into Third Base with her. Warner high-lights this short-coming by having Porky proposing to Petunia 58 seconds into their first date--when his nearest physical contact with her has been confined to petting her pooch, "Fluffnins." In Real Life, this kind of sexual ignorance led to many boys popping the question to their own first cousins, step-sisters, and half-sisters--even up North, as well as Down South, of course. The onset of World War Two prompted thousands of such ill-advised pairings. Even if these sexual rookies were NOT blood relatives, when the surviving instant grooms returned from the Front Lines at War's End, their now-experienced spouses frequently were less than thrilled. As the Looney Tuners predicted, this led to hen-pecking, husband abuse, and often outright DOUBLE INDEMNITY-style murder, since wives had about as much respect for the Returning U.S. War Heroes as Donald Trump has for John McCain.