Porky's Badtime Story is a 1937 Looney Tunes cartoon, and generally considered to be the official directorial debut of Bob Clampett.note
The cartoon starts with Porky and Gabby realizing they overslept and rush off to work at Peter Piper Pickled Peppers, After trying and failing to clock in without getting noticed their boss catches them and threatens to fire them if they're late again, ordering them to get to work.
Later that night, Porky and Gabby try to go to sleep early, but are interrupted by a bunch of cats next door along with a bug. Later that night, the moon comes out and its light wakes up Porky—one of Porky's attempts to close the window ends up wrecking his bed. As the night progresses, a thunderstorm occurs while Porky is sleeping in Gabby's bed. A leak in the roof disturbs Gabby, who then opens an umbrella in the house with Porky telling him that it's bad luck. Gabby ignores Porky until lightning destroys the umbrella. When Gabby remarks that he should try sleeping under Niagara Falls, the roof caves in and floods the room.
The next morning, Porky and Gabby are shown sleeping in the drawers when the alarm clock goes off. They rush off to work, but when they arrive at the building, they find out it's Sunday and thus is closed. Porky and Gabby drive back to get some sleep, the alarm clock goes off again, which prompts Porky to whack it with a mallet as the cartoon irises out.
The short was later remade in color as Tick Tock Tuckered in 1944, which has many of the same basic plot and story beats, but replaces Gabby Goat with Daffy Duck, changes several scenes, and completely overhauls the animation.
Tropes:
- Actually Pretty Funny: In both versions, Porky laughs when lightning struck the umbrella and a particularly big raindrop hits Gabby/Daffy's head.
- Adapted Out: Gabby Goat is replaced with Daffy Duck in the remake.
- Adaptation Expansion: The remake includes new material not featured in the original, like Daffy shooting the moon after the drapes pull Porky's bed. Presumably to replace the scene where Porky is annoyed by a bee.
- Adaptation Species Change: In Badtime Story, Porky and Gabby's boss is a dog. In Tick Tock Tuckered, he's replaced by a human.
- Alliterative Name: The place Porky and Gabby work at is called Peter Piper Pickled Peppers (changed to Fly By Night Aircraft Co. in the remake).
- Animation Bump: Badtime Story was Clampett's first official short, while Tick Tock Tuckered was made in his penultimate year in the studio. The difference in direction between those years is evident.
- Art Shift: At one point in Tick Tock Tuckered a recycled scene from Notes to You is used. Given the latter was a Friz Freleng cartoon, it looks distinctly different from Clampett's then-deranged style.
- Deface of the Moon: In the remake, Daffy, irritated by the light coming in through the window, shoots the moon, causing it to deflate like a balloon. Even he's surprised it happened.Daffy: Unbelievable, isn't it?
- Deranged Animation: Moreso in the remake, such as the scene where Daffy shoots the moon with a gun (animated by Rod Scribner).
- Early-Installment Weirdness: Given its one of his first cartoons, Badtime Story's animation and pacing aren't nearly as wild as Bob's later cartoons. The contrast is seen even greater next to Tick Tock Tuckered.
- Embarrassing Damp Sheets: In both cartoons, when the roof starts leaking, a puddle forms on the sheets. Gabby/Daffy notices and think that Porky was responsible, until a drip of water hit them on the head.
- Expy: Daffy fills in for Gabby in Tick Tock Tuckered and even recycles some of his grumbling. The result ironically makes Daffy closer to his later bitter incarnation in the 50s.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Porky and Gabby/Daffy's boss is a dick, yes, but he has every right to be angry with them for showing up to work two hours late.
- Mean Boss: Porky's boss in both cartoons.
- Now You Tell Me: In the remake, this is Daffy's reaction to hearing they were off on Sunday.
- Pun-Based Title: On Bedtime Story, obviously.
- Remake: Tick Tock Tuckered is one of Porky's Badtime Story, but it's not a Shot-for-Shot Remake, as there are quite a few differences between it and the original cartoon.
- Ring-Ring-CRUNCH!: Porky does this to his alarm clock in the ending. In the remake, Porky instead shoots it and it falls dead.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: The cartoon ends with Porky and Gabby/Daffy realizing it was Sunday and that they were worried about being late for nothing.
- Shout-Out:
- In the original cartoon, Porky's boss sarcastically refers to him and Gabby as the Rover Boys, a popular series of books from the time. The remake changes the line so that he refers to them as Looney Tunes' previous parody, The Dover Boys instead.
- In the remake, there's a gag involving Porky throwing a book called The Falcon (which comes back as The Falcon Returns), a reference to a short story and a popular film series of the 1940's.
- Stock Footage: While most of the animation in the remake is completely overhauled, a couple scenes are just recolored animation from the original cartoon, such as the scene where Porky's garage turns inside out. A scene from Notes To You is also used.
- Suddenly Shouting: In both shorts, upon arriving late for work, the duo are met by their boss, who seems pretty laid back at first:Boss: Well, well if isn’t The Dover Boys. And only 2 hours late, too. Oh, if you only let me know, I would have gladly bought your work out to you. *chuckles* NOW GET THIS! IF YOU’RE LATE ONE MORE TIME, YOU’RE FIRED! GET TO WORK!
- Take That!: Porky's boss in the remake is an unflattering caricature of one of the business managers of the original Looney Tunes, Ray Katz.
- Tempting Fate: Gabby/Daffy quipping in annoyance over a leaky roof that they should be sleeping under Niagara Falls. Cue the roof flooding from the leak.
- There Is Only One Bed: In both cartoons, after Porky's bed loses its box springs, he's forced to bunk with Gabby/Daffy. Then when the leaking roof ruins Gabby/Daffy's bed, they are forced to sleep in dresser drawers.
- Umbrellas Are Lightning Rods: Gabby/Daffy deals with the leak on the roof by opening an umbrella. Porky warns in both versions that it's bad luck, which Gabby/Daffy scoffs at. Then a lightning bolt strikes the umbrella."Ah, what are you afraid of?"
- Wartime Cartoon: Downplayed. It's implied in the remake that Porky and Daffy are working at an aircraft factory, what with the cartoon being release near the tail end of World War II.
