PORKY’S MOVIE MYSTERY (1939)
Article 4048 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 10-3-2012
Directed by Robert Clampett
Featuring the voices of Mel Blanc and Billy Bletcher,
Country: USA
What it is: Cartoon

When the Phantom of Hollywood (as played by the Invisible man) is on the loose, the detective Mr. Motto (as played by Porky Pig) is called in to catch him.

Here is Warner Brother’s take on the B movie mystery Mr. Moto series, with Porky Pig doing his trademark stutter to a Chinese accent. This one is fun for fans of classic horror, as it not only features the Invisible Man (who’s on his rampage because they only used him in one movie) but the Frankenstein monster as well (being grilled by a diminutive detective). It’s not one of the best cartoons of the era, but it has a lot of fun with various cliches (including stock footage and a spate of newspaper headlines). And, if I’m not mistaken, the final caricature is of Hugh Herbert.