“Everybody wants a dog!”
Directed by Charles M. Jones; Story by Michael Maltese; Animation by Lloyd Vaughan, Ken Harris, Phil Monroe, and Ben Washam; Layouts by Robert Gribbroek; Backgrounds by Peter Alvarado. A Looney Tune released in 1949.
A man is going on a picnic with his dog, Charlie. Starting a game of fetch, the man drives off leaving Charlie behind. Seems like the norm. Charlie is a little annoyed that he let himself fall for the ole’ “Let’s go on a picnic.” ploy. But doesn’t dwell on it long and begins searching for a new master. Despite his cute eyes, and charming tricks, none seems interested. He then overhears farmer Porky. A farm is a great place for a dog, and Charlie offers himself up. Porky is not interested. But Charlie is a dream come true of mixed breeds! He’s 50% of pointer, boxer, setter, spitz, and pincher. (With accompanying gags for each) And he’s also 100% Labrador Retriever. When Porky calls his bluff, he offers to prove it by retrieving Porky’s Lab. Since Porky doesn’t have one, they got nothing more to say to each other. And so, Porky kicks the dog back to the street. Upon reaching home, he finds Charlie requesting ham and eggs. (Porky? Why are you raising pigs on your farm? This disturbs me greatly.) He once more makes to throw him out, but there is a man from the Humane Society out there watching him. (Probably got some calls about a farmer selling his own kind as a food source. No, I’m not dropping that. That was a strange joke, Chuck.) Porky shifts his tone until the man is gone, then once more orders Charlie to leave. Charlie delivers a sob story about how he always wanted to live in the country. He is weak and needs wholesome food to regain his strength. And his observations of city life sound pretty legit. (I’ve yet to see one person smile in one of those.) Porky agrees to let him stay. He even has a sleeping bag for Charlie. (Looks a little like a mail sack to me, but who cares? Charlie looks so cute with just his head poking out!) Turns out it was a mail sack, and Porky mails the dog to Scotland. He finds the Scottish Terr…Mixed breed back at home. Admitting defeat, he concedes to being Charlie’s owner, and suggests they go on a picnic. Charlie apparently didn’t learn his lesson the first time, and happily agrees. As soon as they arrive, Porky throws a stick for the dog to fetch. Charlie in turn, takes the car and leaves Porky stranded. (Guess he did learn his lesson after all. You can’t trick an old dog new teach. Wait…) Porky snaps, and begins acting like a dog. He does the cute eye routine, and is apparently better at it than Charlie, as someone does indeed pick him up. A dog catcher.
Personal Rating: 3