Horst in Translation ([email protected]) Well, these 7 minutes are not necessarily anti-smoking in general, just when it comes to young people smoking. Porky, who was still Warner Bros' biggest star around that time, smokes a cigarette and has the strangest hallucinations as a result from it. This is originally a black-and-white cartoon, even if there are colored versions out there. I thought this was neither too funny nor too smart in terms of the story, so if this cartoon is worth the watch for any reason, then it is because of its general weirdness from start to finish and several famous people from that era being included as cartoon characters, such as the 3 Stooges. Mel Blanc did most of the voice work and Frank Tashlin directed while George Manuell wrote this piece. These two may not be as known as Jones, Maltese or Freleng, but also worked on many Warner Bros. cartoons. All in all, not among the company's best. Good message, but not so great execution.

Lee Eisenberg Frank Tashlin's "Wholly Smoke" appears to be a cartoon version of "Reefer Madness". The plot has Porky Pig on his way to Sunday school when a thug gets him to take a puff from a cigar. From there, Porky experiences a sort of acid trip in which a character named Nick O. Teen shows him cigarette and cigar caricatures of celebrities of the era (The Three Stooges, Bing Crosby, etc.) warning Porky not to smoke.Like I said, it's a "Reefer Madness" kind of idea: a wholesome youth takes one puff and gets hooked. Of course, this cartoon basically got everything right while "RM" got everything wrong (it claimed that marijuana is a narcotic; in reality, marijuana is a weed). And besides, marijuana doesn't kill people, while countless people have died from cigarettes. And you don't even want to know what they put in the cigarettes. The people behind this cartoon may have not known how accurate a cartoon they made.So, it is a pretty neat cartoon. Not all that preachy, just a little bit hokey what with the Sunday school part. Mind you, there is a black-face scene.

ccthemovieman-1 Wow, who would have thought it? They made an anti-smoking cartoon in 1938! Pretty amazing....and wild, too. This Porky Pig cartoon has our favorite porker learning a lesson about smoking, especially at a young age. Too bad the message was just about kids smoking, instead all of us.Without going into the story, I was fascinated by a number of the sight gags in here like the smoke ring blowing contest; Porky's German mother, Mr. "Nick O'Teen" (who lives at 1313 Tobacco Road); the harmonizing matches; the cameo appearances of The Three Stooges, Bing Crosby, Cab Calloway, Hispanic dancers from Havana....and more.A great lesson, and a great cartoon!

F Gwynplaine MacIntyre 'Wholly Smoke' is a first-rate Looney Toon from the Warner studio's peak period. 'Wholly Smoke' has a good story, is cleverly animated, delivers a socially constructive message without lecturing, and (oh, yeah) it's extremely funny. This cartoon stands as a tribute to the sadly underrated Frank Tashlin ... and should be required viewing for all those misguided people who think that Chuck Jones was the be-all and end-all of Warners animation.In this cartoon, Porky is cast as a boy-pig rather than an adult. His mother sends him off to Sunday school with a nickel for the collection plate. On the way, Porky encounters a standard Warner Bros bully: a bowler-hatted Dead End Kid pig-boy. This kid is smoking a cigar, and there's some funny animation (with good music cues) as the cigar smoke takes various shapes. When the punk learns that Porky has a nickel, he bullies Porky into giving it up. Porky feels some peer pressure: to prove he can be tough too, Porky takes a drag on the cigar ... and collapses into a sickening jag in which he is confronted by a smoke-man named Nick O'Teen.Now comes the brilliant setpiece of this cartoon. To the tune of 'Old Man Mose' (a standby of the Warners music department), Nick O'Teen drags Porky into a nightmare reverie of anti-smoking images. Cigars resembling the Three Stooges poke Porky in the eyes. A squadron of cigarettes start marching in Busby Berkeley manoeuvres, spelling out the words 'NO SMOKING'. There's an extremely well-animated montage sequence, as the nightmare picks up speed. Eventually Porky reclaims his nickel, besting the bully and getting to Sunday school, vowing never again to smoke.'Wholly Smoke' (made during the Schlesinger unit's black-and-white period) is a visual delight, as well as funny. Even the opening credits are better-looking than usual. There is only one unpleasant (vaguely racist) gag, when Nick O'Teen's face becomes temporarily covered with soot, making him look like a blackface minstrel and prompting him to do an imitation of Cab Calloway. I heartily recommend 'Wholly Smoke' for kids and adults, and I rate it 10 out of 10. All fans of Warners animation should pay more attention to Frank Tashlin and Robert McKimson, and MUCH less attention to the monstrously overrated Schmuck Jones.