Kristopher Kolumbus Jr.
| Kristopher Kolumbus, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Merrie Melodies (Porky Pig) series | |
| Directed by | Bob Clampett |
| Produced by | Leon Schlesinger |
| Story by | Warren Foster |
| Voices by | Mel Blanc |
| Music by | Carl Stalling |
| Animation by |
Norm McCabe Izzy Ellis |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 13 May 1939 (USA) |
| Language | English |
| Preceded by | Thugs with Dirty Mugs |
| Followed by | Naughty But Mice |
Kristopher Kolumbus Jr. is a 1939 Looney Tunes animated cartoon starring Porky Pig in the role of Christopher Columbus. The short was directed by Bob Clampett, with animation by Norm McCabe and Izzy Ellis and music by Carl Stalling. Voice acting was performed by Mel Blanc.[1]
Plot
The cartoon is set in 1492, when astronomers thought "the world was flat as a pancake." Porky Pig (as Christopher Columbus) proposes to Queen Isabella of Spain to travel the world and prove that it is not flat. When the queen doubts whether the world is round Porky throws a baseball into the horizon, then waits for it to return back from the other side. As he catches it in his hand it turns out it has stamps covered over it, which proves it has been through parts of the United States and China. The Queen is convinced and gives Porky enough money to make his voyage.
Porky addresses his crew that they are going to travel the Atlantic Ocean, but they are seemingly scared. When Porky asks them: "Why fellas, you ain't scared to go, are you? What are you men or mice?", they transform into mice and run off. Porky now decides to make the voyage on his own, navigating with the help of arrows pointing to America in the sky. After an encounter with some sea serpents he finally discovers America where he is greeted by the Native Americans. They travel back with him to Spain, where they perform a jitterbug dance in front of the queen. At one point Her Majesty orders the dance to stop, only for her to join in. At that note the cartoon irises out.
Notes
The joke where Porky proves the world is round by throwing a baseball into the horizon, then waiting for it to return back from the other side and show to the queen that it has stamps covered over it to show it has been through parts of the United States and China was later re-used in another Warner Brothers cartoon, namely Bob McKimson's Hare We Go (1951), which stars Bugs Bunny meeting Columbus.[2]
When the Indian chief greets Porky he says "How DO you do?", which is a reference to the catchphrase of radio comedian Bert Jordan's comedy character "The Mad Russian". This joke was often made in a lot of Looney Tunes cartoons.
The scene where the Indians dance has re-used animation from an earlier Clampett cartoon, Sweet Sioux.