Porky Pig's Feat (1943)
Broke after Daffy Duck gambles away their cash, Porky and Daffy try every possible trick to sneak out of the Broken Arms Hotel without paying their bill, until a desperate phone call reveals Bugs Bunny is stuck in the exact same fix next door.
Porky Pig’s Feat marks the first cartoon use of Raymond Scott’s “Powerhouse,” later a Looney Tunes staple, and the final black-and-white theatrical appearances of both Porky Pig and Bugs Bunny; it was also Frank Tashlin’s first Warner Bros. cartoon after a five-year stint at Disney and Screen Gems.
Background
Porky Pig’s Feat was director Frank Tashlin’s first cartoon for Warner Bros. after a five-year stint working at Disney and the Screen Gems studio, and it brought a distinctive visual sensibility to the studio’s established characters. The plot follows Porky Pig and Daffy Duck trying every possible scheme to sneak out of a hotel without paying their bill after Daffy gambles away their money, until a phone call reveals that Bugs Bunny is stuck in the exact same predicament in the room next door.
What to watch for
Watch for the cartoon’s use of Raymond Scott’s tune “Powerhouse,” heard here for the first time in a Warner Bros. short before it became a recurring musical cue associated with frantic machinery and chase scenes in countless later Looney Tunes cartoons. The short is also notable as the final black-and-white theatrical appearance for both Porky Pig and Bugs Bunny, marking something of a transitional point for both characters as the studio moved fully into color production.
