SATURDAY MORNINGS FOREVER: THE PORKY PIG SHOW

THE PORKY PIG SHOW

(ABC, September 20, 1964-March 14, 1965)

American Broadcasting Company, Warner Bros. Television

MAIN CAST:

For the history of the Looney Tunes, check out the post here.

The Porky Pig Show was the second anthology show featuring Warner Bros.’ stable of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical shorts and was the first show centered around the original Looney Tune, Porky Pig (Mel Blanc).

Daffy and Sylvester helping to celebrate Porky.

Similar to its predecessor, The Bugs Bunny Show, The Porky Pig Show featured new animation showing a group of Looney Tunes characters and kids gathering at a barn for a hootnanny and a viewing of Porky’s show. Amongst the featured characters were Daffy Duck, Sylvester Cat, Tweety Bird, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn, Sam Sheepdog, Granny and Elmer Fudd, although Porky was the only one to ever speak. Linking the various shorts were new segments in the barn with a brief comedy bit inspiring Porky to segue into the short--such as Sylvester chasing Tweety as Porky tried to address the audience--or a clip from a short with new dialogue dubbed over it, like from “Fool Coverage” where a mishap with Daffy and a rocking chair prompted Porky’s line “You’ll go off your rocker too when you see the next cartoon.” Each episode ended with a tearful ending song and Porky giving a plug to that episode’s advertiser.

Yosemite Sam plays with the band.

TThe Porky Pig Show made its debut on ABC on September 20, 1964. The animation for the new segments in comparison to the featured shorts was noticeably different. Following the conclusion of The Bugs Bunny Show’s original run in 1962, Warner Bros. shut down their animation studio in 1963. As a result, animation duties fell to the New York-based Hal Seeger Productions. Each episode was a half-hour and comprised of three different shorts, with the first typically featuring Porky. The series’ opening and closing theme was composed by Barbara Cameron and were sung by the on-screen characters.

They're watching the show we're watching. Whoa...meta.

The series ran for 26 episodes, with the last original compilation airing on March 14, 1965. It remained on the network until 1967. In 1971, ABC revived the show as Porky Pig and His Friends, reusing the same animated segments but with a different collection of shorts. In 2004, the show’s intro was featured as a bonus feature in the compilation DVD Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2. The first episode was included as part of the 2009 compilation DVD Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1960s Volume 1, and the third episode on Volume 2.

EPISODE GUIDE:

“Often an Orphan / Mice Follies / The Super Snooper” (9/20/64)

“Awful Orphan / Bell Hoppy / Wild Wife” (9/27/64)

“Scaredy Cat / Baton Bunny / Feather Dusted” (10/4/64)

“The Wearing of the Grin / The Unexpected Pest / Which is Witch?” (10/11/64)

“Thumb Fun / Ready, Woolen and Able / Wise Quackers” (10/18/64)

“The Prize Pest / Room and Bird / Early to Bet” (10/25/64)

“Drip-Along Daffy / Too Hop to Handle / Chow Hound” (11/1/64)

“The Pest That Came to Dinner / Goldimouse and the Three Cats / Two Crows from Tacos” (11/8/64)

“Dog Collared / Strife with Father / Feline Frame-Up” (11/15/64)

“My Little Duckaroo / A Fox in a Fix / Much Ado About Nutting” (11/22/64)

“Fool Coverage / The Bee-Deviled Bruin / Go Fly a Kit” (11/29/64)