''Porky's Bear Facts'' is a 1941

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside its spin-off series ''Merrie Melodies'', during t ...

'' cartoon animated short directed by

Friz Freleng Isadore "Friz" Freleng (; August 21, 1905May 26, 1995), credited as I. Freleng early in his career, was an American animator, cartoonist, Film director, director, Film producer, producer, and composer known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons ...

. The short was released on March 29, 1941, and stars

Porky Pig Porky Pig is a cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons. He was the first character created by the studio to draw audiences based on his celebrity, star power, and the animators created man ...

. The voices were performed by

Mel Blanc Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908 – July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for come ...

. This short is an adaptation of the

Aesop Aesop ( ; , ; c. 620–564 BCE; formerly rendered as Æsop) was a Greeks, Greek wikt:fabulist, fabulist and Oral storytelling, storyteller credited with a number of fables now collectively known as ''Aesop's Fables''. Although his existence re ...

fable "

The Ant and the Grasshopper The Ant and the Grasshopper, alternatively titled The Grasshopper and the Ant (or Ants), is one of Aesop's Fables, numbered 373 in the Perry Index. The fable describes how a hungry grasshopper begs for food from an ant when winter comes and is ...

Plot

The attitudes of the two central characters in this cartoon short - Porky Pig and an unnamed bear - form the main plot of this Aesop fable adaptation, with Porky taking the role of the tireless, hard-working ant and the bear the role of the grasshopper, the lazy indigent who would rather do nothing. The short opens on Porky plowing his land, whistling and singing a happy, carefree song, "As Ye Sow So Shall Ye Reap," to the tune of "The Girl With The Pigtails In Her Hair". The animals similarly work hard, with several spot gags providing these examples. Porky is also shown stockpiling his basement and canning food in anticipation of leaner times. The scene then pans over to the neighbor's farm, where a lazy bear is strumming on his ukulele, the song "Working Can Wait" (a parody of the song "Heaven Can Wait") extolling the virtues of not having to work and just relax. Several animals on the farm—hens playing games, a cow reading " Ferdinand the Bull" and a mouse reading "

Of Mice and Men ''Of Mice and Men'' is a 1937 novella written by American author John Steinbeck. It describes the experiences of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant worker, migrant ranch workers, as they move from place to place in California ...

"—have taken up the lazy farmer's habits; the dog is lying asleep at his side. The months pass, and in January a fierce blizzard strikes the area. The scene shifts to the bear's shack, and he quickly realizes he has no food. After rummaging through the house to find so much as a morsel, he finds nothing in his cupboards. After describing a delicious feast, the bear's dog finds empty cans, prompting both the bear and his canine companion to hurriedly search the cans for food. They find one bean in a can, but just as they are saying grace, the mouse steals the bean. The bear cries and bemoans his fate as the dog remarks, "I wouldn't be surprised if he tries to eat me!" Just as he says that, the bear has silverware in hand and goes after the dog. The bear stalks his pet dog outside, the dog begging off ... until both walk past Porky's window and see that he and his dog have sat down to dinner. The bear and his pet knock on the door and ask to join Porky for dinner, but the pig slams the door on them, saying, "You've buttered your bed, now sleep in it!" Just as he heads back to the table, he sees the "love thy neighbor" sign at the door, and he feels obligated to invite his lazy neighbors in. The bear quickly feasts at the table. At the end, the bear remarks that he has learned his lesson and vows not to be hungry again next winter. Then, he spots spring about to arrive ... the bear sprints back to his porch, singing "Working Can Wait."

References

External links

* * {{The Ant and the Grasshopper The Ant and the Grasshopper 1941 films 1941 animated short films Looney Tunes shorts Animated films about bears Short films directed by Friz Freleng 1940s American animated films Animated films based on Aesop's Fables Porky Pig films Films scored by Carl Stalling Films with screenplays by Michael Maltese American animated black-and-white films