Really Surprised!

Absolutely the worst movie.

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

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

Good cartoon.Unlike Lee Eisenberg I won't write irrelevant, completely out of the blue stuff in a review, he wrote something like everyone in his generation firmly believes Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra should be mocked as brutally as possible. Where did this come from? I don't know. Why was it worth including? I have no idea. What on earth leads him to believe that Crosby and Sinatra are today viewed alongside Stalin, Hitler and Mussolini as some of history's greatest dictators? only in Eisenberg's special little mind can this one be answered.The cartoon itself is highly recommended.The fact that it is able to skillfully blend a great mix of WW2 propaganda together with humorous parody's of contemporary entertainers at the time, All while not looking a bit dated by todays standards and reaming one of the most entertaining Looney Tune cartons and far more entertaining than most cartoons produced today alone earns it a great deal of merit.8/10 Highly recommended.