Old Glory

1939
5.2| 0h9m| NR| en
Details

Porky Pig balks at learning the Pledge of Allegiance until Uncle Sam appears to him in a dream and gives him a lesson in American history.

Director

Producted By

Leon Schlesinger Productions

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Reviews

Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined
SincereFinest disgusting, overrated, pointless
Sharkflei Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.
Siflutter It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.
Dawalk-1 I have mixed feelings about this Merrie Melodies short. What I mean is, I don't love it as much as I do some, certain others, but at the same time, I don't detest it either. Since it deviates from the norm of these usually comedic cartoons, it would come as both an unexpected surprise and a disappointment. I agree that not all cartoons have to be comedy-driven and this educational rather than entertaining one is alright for what it is. But regardless, many people still would expect all of them to bring the funny to them simply because it's for which they're known in most cases. It was a fair attempt at doing something different.As other reviewers have explained, Porky Pig, as a schoolboy, finds learning the Pledge Of Allegiance dull, since he can't quite get the hang of the recitation. But after falling asleep, he meets the spirit of Uncle Sam, who explains the significance of it. And we're shown some scenes that go over the history of how that came to be. Another reason why I may not frequent viewing this short on the third disc of Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 2 (other than on the special occasion of Independence Day) as much as I do several others whether on DVD or online, is because of the reputation of the two historical figures who are discussed, the very first U.S. president, George Washington and Patrick Henry, as both of them are slave owners. So the fact that they were touted as so-called great men is iffy. This is not even edu-taining, but purely educational. Like I said, I found it alright, but not among the best for me. Do I recommend this to others who may be reading this? Well, it all depends if anyone doesn't mind the break too much from the hilarity and thrill of the WB cartoons. But for those who don't have a high enough tolerance and appreciation for that, then you're all welcome to skip it.
phantom_tollbooth Chuck Jones's 'Old Glory' is an totally serious Warner Bros. cartoon which typifies Jones's early attempts to emulate Disney in its cutesy approach. Longer than the average Warner cartoon, 'Old Glory' is also notable for its complete lack of gags. A patriotic message cartoon, it features an apple-cheeked Porky Pig as a schoolboy who is bored by his attempts to learn the pledge of allegiance until the ghost of Uncle Sam explains why it is so important. Cue lots of rotoscoped animation of American history. Hardly the recipe for a laugh riot, 'Old Glory' doesn't even try to tickle our funny bone, aiming instead for a rousing effect. Being neither American or particularly patriotic, 'Old Glory' was never going to have much of an effect on me and, while I do recognise it as a handsome piece of animation, it's a misfire in the entertainment stakes. Jones would later make some far stronger patriotic propaganda films that managed to be both informative and entertaining (the wonderful 'So Much for So Little' for example) but 'Old Glory' always leaves me yelling "For the love of god, somebody drop an anvil"!
Lee Eisenberg If we're going to take "Old Glory" as a lesson, it should be a warning about the government using tragedies as excuses to practically shred the Constitution (you know what I mean). As for Uncle Sam teaching Porky Pig a lesson about what great men Patrick Henry and George Washington were, that remains debatable since both those men owned slaves. And of course the Bill of Rights originally only gave rich white men voting rights, so it's always worth noting that it has always been popular movements that brought progressive change to our country.So it's worth seeing as long as you can analyze it. And I wish that we'd kept the Pledge of Allegiance like it is here (with no "under God").
Robert Reynolds With the amount of attention being currently given to the Pledge of Allegiance and when (or even whether) it should be said, this cartoon sets forth a very direct and basic value to those words that still holds over 60 years later. Allegiance should (actually I feel that it MUST) be given freely and by choice or its valueless. This cartoon, through effective use of rotoscoping (at least it looks like rotoscoping), is an enlightening look into the value of patriotism and makes some compelling arguments in its favor. Recommended.