Linbeymusol
Wonderful character development!
TrueHello
Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.
TaryBiggBall
It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.
Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de)
"Porky the Fireman" is a 6-minute black-and-white cartoon from over 75 years ago. The director is Frank Tashlin before he switched to live action and working with Jerry Lewis. The voice acting comes from the legendary Mel Blanc very early in his career here. Porky was actually his first big recurring role, even if the little pig still looks very different here and also lost some of his popularity to Bugs and Daffy in the coming years. Well, this short film here has an interesting reference occasionally and 1 or 2 funny scenes, but as a whole it is just not enough entertainment compared to with what Warner Bros came up with in the coming years, decades even. Not recommended.
TheLittleSongbird
...One of his better ones actually. The animation is fluid and detailed, the fire effects are very inventive and the camera angles once again shows a director who knows how to direct his material and do it expertly. It's that particularly that makes one wish that Tashlin was better known. The music is jaunty and very beautifully orchestrated, the dog's theme matched his movements brilliantly. The gags are literally at least 5-laughs-a-minute, and luckily even at such a fast pace all the gags work wonderfully, the best being hilarious and the dog bagging the best moments. The story is always fun and not too predictable. Porky is good and amuses in how inept he is at his job, though the stronger and more charismatic is the dog, his manner is perhaps too relaxed for such a potentially life-threatening situation but that's what makes him so funny. Mel Blanc as always does a stellar job with the voice acting. Overall, excellent early Porky cartoon and one of his better ones, notable for Tashlin's direction, the humour and the dog. 9/10 Bethany Cox
slymusic
"Porky the Fireman" is a self-explanatory Frank Tashlin-directed Porky Pig cartoon. Porky and his crew dash off to extinguish the roaring blazes at a theatrical boarding house, where plenty of funny gags arise.For me, the major highlight of "Porky the Fireman" is the lackadaisical pipe-chomping dog on Porky's crew. He follows the curvature of a fire hose as he nonchalantly strolls towards Porky and calmly asks him, "What did you say?" "I said turn on the water!!" "Oh." The dog then strolls back to the hydrant. Another time, he slowly climbs a ladder and asks Mabel the Fat Lady, "What did you say?" She responds by frantically coaxing him to save her from the burning building and put her on the street. "Oh." He grabs her and tosses her out the window!The only remaining question I have regarding "Porky the Fireman" is: What happened to all the firemen at the very end?
boblipton
In 1935, Disney's MICKEY'S FIRE BRIGADE was a great cartoon. Three years later, under the direction of Frank Tashlin, PORKY THE FIREMAN took the same subject and did it forty times as well. Clocking in at 40 gags per minute, a sensible plot and excellent animation, this movie marked the end of Disney's domination of animation. Three years later, the Clampett satire of FANTASIA, A CORNY CONCERTO, would seal the issue.
