Bye, Bye Bluebeard (1949) User Reviews

actually, not everyone has a conscience

[lee_eisenberg · 7/10 · 18 November 2007]

To me, the line in "Bye, Bye Bluebeard" that stands out the most is the part about everyone having a conscience. As we've all seen, not everybody has one. To be certain, John Dean has written a book about this.* OK, so it makes no sense to talk about people's conscience when reviewing a Porky Pig cartoon. I just like looking for weird connections between things. Overall, I thought that it was an OK cartoon, but I don't find it particularly entertaining when they make Eastern Europeans the antagonists. Still, you gotta admit, that mouse was pretty cool.

*In case you don't know who John Dean is, he testified before the senate in 1973 and exposed that responsibility for the Watergate break-in and subsequent cover-up went all the way to the Oval Office. Nowadays, he frequently appears on "Countdown with Keith Olbermann".

Throughout the 1900s, MGM served as the Fox "News" . . .

[oscaralbert · 7/10 · 17 August 2016]

. . . of Ancient America. Since MGM was symbolized by a roaring lion (which set the standard for all the Fox blowhards from Bill O'Reilly to Sean Hannity), Warner Bros. pit Porky Pig's David against the Goliath of the great Lying Lion, Bluebeard. One of the first things Porky reveals to Bluebeard during their life or death confrontation is that his porker's IQ is north of 100, making him virtually immune to such MGM malarkey as GONE WITH THE WIND. Realizing its features cannot stand up to any critical examination, Bluebeard decides that Porky must be decapitated by guillotine before anyone else catches a whiff of his free thinking. Fortunately for Porky, he shares his home with Mighty Mouse. So after MGM Lion Bluebeard is all roared out, the felonious feline is forced to make the acquaintance of The Mouse That Roared. Mighty Mouse soon explodes the Myth of MGM's Fractured Fables. A grateful Porky is last seen treating the tiny rodent like a king, looking forward to the day when MGM will be a pebble in Warner's pocket. Isn't it about time for Warner to buy out and Defang Fox, as well?

"S-s-s-six foot, eleven inches!?" "Yes, six foot, eleven inches."

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 7/10 · 23 May 2024]

'Bye, Bye Bluebeard (1949)' starts with Porky Pig attempting to rid himself of a mouse who wants to eat some of the plentiful banquet he's tucking into, but soon morphs into something of a fight for survival as a radio announcement brings the news of a vicious serial killer on the loose. It's weird to see Porky's life genuinely in danger, especially since the short is clear that all the cartoon logic in the world won't save him if the baddie gets his hands on him, and it's also strange to have a murderer as a villain in one of these films. It feels quite nasty, in a way. That's not to imply that the piece itself is particularly scary or, even, unnerving, but its out-of-place concept certainly carries with it a strange feeling that's hard to shake. At any rate, this is still primarily concerned with being fun. It features some enjoyable moments and is told with lively animation. One of its jokes seems to have served as direct inspiration for an excellent gag in 'Barry (2018 - 2023)', unless parallel thought was at play (the two were created over fifty years apart, after all). It's an enjoyable experience overall.

"Unsanitary r-re-rodent."

[slymusic · 7 August 2009]

Directed by Arthur Davis, "Bye, Bye Bluebeard" is a well-done Porky Pig cartoon. No, I don't mean "well-done" hamburger, although food does play an integral part in this picture. It seems that Porky has no intention of sharing his supper with a mouse. But before long, the hapless pig has a much bigger problem to worry about!

My favorite moments from "Bye, Bye Bluebeard" include the following (if you haven't yet seen this cartoon, DON'T read any further). In addition to Carl Stalling's version of the title song "Bye Bye Blackbird" during the opening credits, I love the hilariously brisk version of this popular song in a MINOR key when the nervous Porky barricades his front door and locks his windows. Porky's mealtime becomes an "in-up-out-down" exercise, interrupted with a loud squeal of pain when his finger becomes a sandwich. Probably the funniest sequence in the whole short is that of the mouse plastering Bluebeard with pies and placing his head in a toaster.

"Bye, Bye Bluebeard" features a unique nemesis for Porky Pig: a six-foot-eleven heavily-accented wolf with a blue beard, but I forgot his name! The ending is very pleasing to see; Porky and the mouse ARE capable of living together quite compatibly.

Fun short with great animation

[utgard14 · 7/10 · 22 September 2015]

Radio reports of a killer on the loose named Bluebeard have Porky scared out of his wits. A mouse in Porky's home decides to use this to his advantage, donning a disguise and convincing Porky he's Bluebeard in order to get food. It works for a second but Porky quickly discovers the ruse. Then the real Bluebeard shows up...

Fun short from Arthur Davis with many amusing gags. Great voice work from Mel Blanc. The music is lively with a nice nod to the standard "Bye Bye Blackbird." Excellent animation with well-drawn characters, objects, and backgrounds. Lovely Technicolor is always a plus. There's a Tom & Jerry feeling to this one, perhaps because of the house setting and all the food, etc. Not to mention the mouse playing such a big part in the plot, which isn't common for a Porky short.

Bluebeard - The Mouse - Is The Best Character

[ccthemovieman-1 · 9/10 · 7 June 2007]

This is one of those cartoons which is much funnier seen than described. It's the little things, the sight gags of the little mouse's face and grin, Porky's reaction to bad things, and a bunch of other details that would make this review too long to describe.

Suffice to say it begins with Porky Pig against "that unsanitary rodent, that lowdown thief" - the mouse - who tries to steal food off of Porky's table in the opening scene, but winds up with Porky up against a 6-feet, 11-inch, 350-pound giant.

While the pig is muttering to himself, the radio says, "Stop! We interrupt this program with a special news bulletin. Bluebeard the killer is at large. Use every precaution to protect yourself."

Back before television, many people had their radios on all day to entertain them with music, humor, sports and all the news bulletins of the day.

Anyway, Porky is petrified. Suddenly he hears a nasty laugh and sees a shadow on the wall of a pirate and big knife. It's only the mouse dressed up as a pirate! Nonetheless, Porky is so dumb he thinks it is the pirate so he feeds him anything he wants....until the radio comes back with a height and weight description of the real Bluebeard, who happens to be under Porky's table. Mayhem ensues!

The best of the three characters is the little mouse, who is one clever little dude. He winds up coming to Porky's rescue in a neat twist. He, and the whole cartoon, can be seen on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Three.

Very fun Porky Pig cartoon!

[hypestyle · 9/10 · 14 August 2011]

This Porky Pig cartoon features the portly protagonist as he goes about an exercise routine with a twist-- as he exercises, he is also eating (naturally). At the same time, an unwanted rodent guest seeks to share Porky's food. Porky only wants to get rid of the mouse, but then comes a radio news announcement warning of notorious criminal Bluebeard-- here exemplified by a towering anthroporphic wolf with a literal blue beard and an Eastern European accent.

Lots of the typical period cartoon hijinks ensue, such as Bluebeard tying Porky to a rocket, while Bluebeard sits down to enjoy Porky's steak dinner. Only an unexpected helper arrives to set things right.

Mel Blanc's voices are hilarious, and given the animator's character designs, it lends a more hilarious tone when you notice the subtle facial reactions.

Laughs and Menacing imagery, In the Same 7 minute short? I'm In!

[lukeneedssand · 9/10 · 28 June 2021]

Always a scary cartoon for kids, and For adults it's a joy to watch. In my quest to Review every Arthur Davis cartoon (the most underrated Looney tunes director of all time) My next short to review is Bye, Bye, Bluebeard, another Cartoon I know quite well, because Bluebeard I feel like should have appeared in more shorts in my opinion, with being so menacing and so funny at the same time. The Mouse Character was Okay, but I wish Porky starred a little more in this cartoon, He's so underutilized, since his last solo cartoon without daffy was in 1951, and he's my 4th favorite looney tunes Character, behind Bugs, Sam, and Daffy. This cartoons animation is done quite well, and the Jokes and Gags and such are sure to give you a chuckle, and is a perfect pairing with other Looney tunes Cartoons to watch during the Scary Season of Halloween.

9/10.

Full of missed opportunities and completely devoid of laughs

[phantom_tollbooth · 1/10 · 4 November 2008]

Arthur Davis's 'Bye, Bye Bluebeard' is a cartoon with little to no laughs whatsoever. The script offers several promising premises only to reject them for a more predictable route. Porky Pig refuses to share his meal with a thieving mouse. However, when he hears on the radio that a murderer named Bluebeard had escaped, the mouse disguises himself as the killer in order to terrorise Porky into giving him some food. That alone is enough of a setup to sustain an entire seven minute short (indeed, it may well have been an influence on 'The Missing Mouse', a brilliant Tom and Jerry cartoon that emerged four years later, in which Jerry fools Tom into believing he is a white mouse who has swallowed a dangerous amount of explosives). However, only seconds later Porky rumbles the mouse, only for the real Bluebeard to turn up putting Porky's life in real danger. However, Bluebeard notices the mouse (still in costume) and inquires as to who he is. The mouse replies that he is Bluebeard's conscience. This clever twist could have made for an even better setup with the mouse using his ethical powers over Bluebeard to mess with the vulnerable Porky, perhaps finally saving him from any real harm. Instead, the conscience angle is written off immediately and the cartoon just peters out as the mouse sets aside his differences with Porky and rescues him, rewarded with the food he had previously been denied. It's a weak premise that emerges from a cartoon with several missed opportunities. 'Bye, Bye Bluebeard' is no fun whatsoever and it's hardly surprising that afterwards Arthur Davis didn't direct another cartoon until over a decade later.

A Porky cartoon where the mouse steals the show

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 14 June 2016]

While not one of my favourite Looney Tunes characters, Porky is always likable and watchable.

'Bye Bye Bluebeard', despite being directed by a comparatively little-known and less prolific director, is a great cartoon and in the better end of Porky's cartoons. It does peter out ever so slightly towards the end, where the story ideas are not quite as strong as before, but that's the only real thing wrong with it.

The cartoon is superbly animated, all the characters are well drawn especially Bluebeard, it looks vibrant, lush and colourful, the backgrounds are rich in detail and everything flows smoothly. The music score by Carl Stalling also leaves a positive impression, as is characteristic of Stalling there is a wonderful liveliness, terrific atmosphere, beautiful and clever orchestration, an excelling in fitting with the action and an unequalled ability to add to its impact. There is also a very unique arrangement of the cartoon's title song "Bye Bye Blackbird".

Dialogue is fresh, witty and deliciously funny, and the gags are even more imaginative and funnier, the mouse bagging almost all the best material. All three characters are strongly characterised and the chemistry is well done. Porky does fare least, he's amusing and likable but he is one of those characters who can be overshadowed by characters with stronger personalities (especially Daffy) and that is the case here. Bluebeard is imposing and quite terrifying, but stealing the show is the hilarious mouse. Mel Blanc's voice work as always adds so much to the cartoon's success, his most colourful characterisations of the mouse and Bluebeard making more of an impression than his still solid characterisation of Porky.

Overall, great cartoon and while it is one of Porky's better ones it is a case of a supporting character stealing the show, in this case the mouse. 9/10 Bethany Cox

One scene that bothered me

[Zebrafil · 9 August 2016]

Porky tied to chair seeing the Guillitine being built screaming "no not that" upset me as a kid and made this the only Loony Tune I avoided. The rest of it is very, very good but it freaked me then and now. It goes to show the odd mixed of and humor terror always enterlaced and always necessary for each other. May have bothered no one else but it stayed with me. Loved the mouse and great vehicle for Porky unlike the obnoxious black sheep and other characters in Terry Tunes he really doesn't make you feel he has some terror coming and decapitation seen pretty extreme. Bluebeard is stupid and nasty and could have been blown up for the further pleasure of the audience. Did that one bit bug anyone else?