Milk and Money (1936) *** (out of 4)An evil banker tells Porky's father that they are going to lose the farm if it isn't paid for by the next day. Porky decides to get a job working as a milk man to gain some extra cash and soon another money making opportunity comes his way.This here is another winning short for the Porky Pig series, which was really picking up steam at this point. Tex Avery directed this one and while I wouldn't call it a classic film there are still plenty of nice little gags here that make it worth watching. One such example is early on when Porky is plowing a field and a horsefly stings the horse and gets the job done a lot quicker. Another nice gag involves a horse race where a frantic pace in the animation really makes for an impressive scene. MILK AND MONEY is certainly a charming little gem that fans of the series will enjoy.

Directed by Tex Avery, "Milk and Money" is not a bad Warner Bros. cartoon featuring an early version of Porky Pig, voiced not yet by the great Mel Blanc but by the not-so-great Joe Dougherty. Dougherty apparently could not say one line without heavily stuttering, and this proved to be a bit of a damper for the character of Porky. Anyhow, Porky and his pop live on a farm, and Porky is forced to get a job in order to save the farm from foreclosure. (You wouldn't really do that to Porky and his dad, now, would you, Mr. Viper?) "Milk and Money" is not a great cartoon, but there is one scene I find amusing. Porky's poppa claims that things are looking dark, and the screen itself begins to darken, but Porky suddenly tells his dad to look on the bright side, and the screen becomes brighter.Our friend Hank Horsefly has a thing about biting rear ends, but he ultimately turns out to be quite helpful for Porky and his horse.

I notice that the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoons often made a point of portraying what was going on in the world when they were made. One example is Tex Avery's "Milk and Money". Porky Pig and his father own a farm, but their snakelike banker threatens to take it away from them if they don't pay. Of course, Porky has a few tricks up his sleeve...even if they happen by accident.I suspect that they didn't intend for this cartoon to be a "Grapes of Wrath"-style lesson about the Great Depression, but it does sort of come out like that, what with the sinister banker trying to take their farm, as happened to so many people during those miserable years.Overall, a worthwhile cartoon.

This is an early Tex Avery short that is not done quite in the style that would mark his later efforts. An early Porky Pig adventure, Avery more or less cut his teeth as a director helping to develop Porky, as well as playing a major role in the development of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Egghead/Elmer Fudd, before leaving Warner Brothers after a dispute with producer Leon Schlesinger and moving to MGM in 1942. Well worth looking for, it was originally in black ad white. Recommended.