Frank Tashlin had returned to the Schlesinger studio in 1942 after a four year absence. He returned in stronger form, directing several cinematic masterpieces.This Oscar nominated short is one of most popular and celebrated short he directed. The WB cartoons are known for caricaturing famous celebrities of the day. There were a few cartoons in the late 30's that lampooned popular crooners, but this was the ultimate tribute to the crooners and the songs they popularized. Frank Sinatra was an up and coming singer around this time and his intense popularity with teenage girls is referenced. Bing Crosby is featured as his rival to the ladies. I wonder if either of them ever commented on their depiction in this short, given how popular it was.This short was very popular among release and would be referenced in and influence future cartoons of this type. Chief among them Tex Avery's LITTLE TINKER (1948) and an uninspired CATCH AS CATS CAN (1947).One of my favorite shorts from the wartime period.

Although Porky Pig appeared in almost 200 shorts and films, "Swooner Crooner" marks the only occasion where the pig got nominated for an Academy Award...and it lost.Porky is operating a weird egg production factory filled with hens. However, when a crooner chicken (meant to be a parody of Frank Sinatra) shows up and sings, the hens stop working and jeopardize the farm. Considering it's during WWII and Porky is helping feed America and the troops, it's imperative that he gets the hens back to work instead of swooning as Frankie sings. So, Porky advertises to get is own crooner--and tries out some who are meant to parody Al Jolson, Bing Crosby, Jimmy Durante and Cab Calloway. While the impersonations are clever, they aren't all that funny nor would many viewers recognize the singers. I do because I am an old movie freak! As for the ending, however, it's VERY funny as well as incredibly creepy! Of all the Oscar nominated animated shorts, this is probably the weakest that year. Worth seeing but I can understand why this one didn't win.

I have loved Looney Tunes cartoons for as long as I can remember, and I could watch them all day if I wanted to. Swooner Crooner is just wonderful, and one of Porky's best for me. Porky is great value here, he can be bland when he is partnered with stronger characters but he is always endearing regardless. The animation is beautiful to watch, very crisp and vibrant in colour, while the music has so much character and nostalgic value. The songs are a treasure trove of old favourites, and are just a joy to the ear. Maybe the story is not the strongest one in the world, though it is an original one, but that doesn't matter in the slightest to me as there is never a dull moment and the whole of Swooner Crooner is relentlessly entertaining. The dialogue has freshness and wit, the gags are clever and imaginatively timed- the auditions especially are an absolute riot- and the caricatures of Frank Sinatra(the best one for me), Bing Crosby, Cab Calloway, Jimmy Durante, Nelson Eddy and Al Jolson are really fun to spot. Mel Blanc's vocal characterisations never disappoint, always a large part of why Looney Tunes cartoons work so well as a majority whole, and Swooner Crooner is no exception. All in all, wonderful and recommended with no hesitation. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Directed by Frank Tashlin, "Swooner Crooner" is an excellent Warner Bros. cartoon that takes place at a chicken farm/factory. The proprietor is Porky Pig, but he's not really the star of the picture. All of his hens are defense workers doing their part for the war effort; they show up to work every morning with their badges & lunch pails and punch in their time cards. Their job is simple: to lay eggs while being transported on a conveyor belt. But when a debonair popular-singing chicken arrives, the "young ladies" all leave their posts in order to become entranced by this one-of-a-kind hypnotist ("It's Frankie!!!"). The hens' "absenteeism" stops the whole operation, and Porky panics...until another vocalizing chicken named Bing shows up.My favorite moments from "Swooner Crooner" include the following. Aside from the excellent caricature of the Bing Crosby chicken (Hawaiian shirt, hat, pipe, & voice), there are several well-made caricatures of other chickens that Porky auditions before he meets Bing: Nelson Eddy (singing "Mommy's Little Baby Loves Shortening Bread"), Al Jolson (singing "September in the Rain"), Jimmy Durante (singing "Lullaby of Broadway"), and Cab Calloway (singing "Blues in the Night"). Frankie's emaciated body disappears behind the microphone stand as the hens all scream in ecstasy, and the popular standard "As Time Goes By" causes all the hens to happily faint. Upon hearing Bing's vocalizations, one hen lays such a gigantic mountain of eggs that her henhouse actually rises upward on top of the egg structure! "Swooner Crooner" may not exactly be the quintessential Hollywood caricature cartoon, but no matter; the chicken caricatures are quite good, and the songs are memorable. This cartoon is on Disc 2 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 3, and for an added bonus, treat yourself to a very interesting audio commentary by music historian Daniel Goldmark.