"Hog Wild Hamton": Your Thoughts

[Speedy Boris]

Continuing my effort to keep the WBC alive with topics about specific cartoons from the Silver Age library, this time we have the Season 2 TTA episode "Hog Wild Hamton", directed by one of my favorite modern cartoon directors, Rich Arons.

Written by: Paul Dini, Bob Carrau
Storyboards by: Rusty Mills, Jim Fletcher, Enrique May
Gags by: Greg Reyna, Enrique May, Rich Arons, Rusty Mills
Directed by: Rich Arons
Animation by: Akom

First off, it's interesting that, to my knowledge, this is the only episode of TTA to actually have a "gags by" credit. Not sure why that was put here for this one cartoon, but since this episode has a lot of winner gags, I'll allow it.

The basic plot is that Hamton's folks are out of town for the weekend, so Plucky takes advantage of the opportunity by throwing a party at Hamton's empty house. Act one mostly involves Plucky devising methods to do it, like writing messages on the cafe mirror in soda, placing signs on Hamton's back, and blatantly shouting "PARTY AT HAMTON'S!" Plucky's crazy, scheming side and total disregard for what Hamton wants really shines through here, and it's hilarious.


So act two is the party, and we get lots of little sketches like playing Spin the Bottle, complete with Babs having to kiss a disgusting tall guy with colossal lips; Plucky acting as DJ and accidentally playing Barry Manilow, and what is perhaps my favorite recurring bit, Egghead Jr. coming over to the house and telling them to keep the noise down.
Of course, Plucky will have none of that and tells him to get lost. One of my favorite gags in the cartoon is Plucky slamming the door so hard that it becomes convex and actually bounces Egghead into the street. And of course, his repeat appearance, where he touches a pressure point on Plucky which causes him to lose control of his body, was great too.
None of this phases Plucky, though, and he keeps having the party. The noise gets to Egghead so much that he pushes a missile-launching button, obliterating Hamton's house. All this while "1812 Overture" blares in the background.
So now Hamton is petrified about his parents' reaction to his irresponsibility (even though Plucky was basically the cause of it all), and in turn come some of my favorite gags in the cartoon. Yes, most are essentially just puns, like the above-captured "I'll be hog-tied!", but they're executed well enough.

Two that aren't puns, though, and which I find a great insight into what Hamton considers sadistic torture, are his parents forcing him to listen to the Emergency Broadcast Signal and eating chocolate cake in front of him.

Plucky comes up with an excuse for why the house was destroyed: Aliens land on it and then subject him and Plucky to experiments. But honest Hamton can't bring himself to lie when his parents get back (who seem oddly calm about the house not being there!). Thankfully for Hamton, they don't slaughter him, because they're just happy that he has friends at all, let alone enough for a party. But just before Hamton gets punished for destroying the house anyway, Ed McMayhem (a great caricature of Ed McMahon) shows up, informing them that they won a brand new house.
Deus ex machina ending? Sure, but it worked, especially since we find out that Hamton's been entering the contest a LOT from earlier in the episode.

Anyway, with the plot synopsis out of the way, what are your thoughts? I thought it was one of the funnier episodes of season 2, right up there with "Buster and Babs Go Hawaiian", "Kon Ducki", and "ACME Cable TV". There are very few gags that miss, because the comic timing in this one is quite good. 22-minute plots usually are hit or miss in TTA, but this one had enough material to not get drawn out or boring.

The animation by Akom is rubbery, much like Kennedy Cartoons, but things are helped by the character models not constantly changing, which KC had a tendency to do. And the elasticity only helps the sight gags from being too stiff or uninteresting.

Your thoughts?

[Tinytooncrazy]

Its one of my favs like the refs to the old loony tunes namely egghead and the instant martins

[Martianinvader]

Someone once said this especially cartoonish cartoon was a response to Ren and Stimpy, but that's actually impossible: the first episodes of R&S began airing in August of 1991 and "Hog Wild Hamton" aired one month later. Even still, it feels very Spumco-esque, especially with the military guys towards the end of the party that look like the human characters on R&S.

My favorite Egghead gag is his final one, where all the missile does is touch a "pressure point" on the house. They had fun with this episode.

[Fifi Fanatic]

As I recall, this is, in fact, the third episode of season 2. The first two being the field trip (with "Slaughterhouse Jive") and "Elephant Issues".... after two straight days of THAT I'm sure fans were especially glad to get this episode on day 3!

A "gags by" credit seems entirely appropriate here, as there are gags-a-plenty all over the place. Like Martianinvader said, this is one of those episodes that you can tell they had fun doing.

So many highlights here I'm not even sure where to start.... The whole "spin the bottle" bit.... Egghead Jr. and his use pf pressure points (the final one being on none other than Ed McMayhem!).... The return of the "Jump for Justice" quartet.... Plucky firing up Hamton's stereo and geting "Barry Manilow's Greatest Hits" (It's Hamton's stereo, what did ya think was gonna be on it?).... Plucky's whole "alien abduction" story.... And Gogo had a couple of moments too: "I brought the dips!", and sure enough, we see three "dips".

And let us give a special salute to Johnathan Winters and Edie McClurg as Hamton's parents. (Upon seeing that the house is gone: "Honey, I believe those pesky gophers are back.").

One of my absolute favorite episodes.

[Speedy Boris]

Originally Posted by Fifi Fanatic

As I recall, this is, in fact, the third episode of season 2. The first two being the field trip (with "Slaughterhouse Jive") and "Elephant Issues".... after two straight days of THAT I'm sure fans were especially glad to get this episode on day 3!

Actually it was the fourth; "Pledge Week" was the first that aired in season 2, followed by "Going Places" and the now-infamous "Elephant Issues". If you read old alt.tv posts about TTA (or better yet, on the TTA Reference Guide, where a lot of them are put in one place), you can see how a couple people remarked how refreshing "Hog Wild Hamton" was after a string of preachy and less-than-stellar episodes.

And Gogo had a couple of moments too: "I brought the dips!", and sure enough, we see three "dips".

My favorite Gogo gag in the cartoon was when Elmyra grabbed him and his head turned into Elmyra's, and she drops him in disgust.

[buttbadger]

got that one in french on two tapes!!

It's a funny one, even if Feef's appearing not really often, on the Acme Loo's cafeteria and on the party, holding something which looks like a quiche lorraine and...
Ok ok i stop with Fifi

I see that Egghead Jr. don't really change his name in the french version "Tête d'Oeuf Jr."

It's one of my non-featuring-Feef-fav-episode

[Fifi Fanatic]

Originally Posted by Speedy Boris

Actually it was the fourth; "Pledge Week" was the first that aired in season 2, followed by "Going Places" and the now-infamous "Elephant Issues". If you read old alt.tv posts about TTA (or better yet, on the TTA Reference Guide, where a lot of them are put in one place), you can see how a couple people remarked how refreshing "Hog Wild Hamton" was after a string of preachy and less-than-stellar episodes.

Ahh. Thanks for setting me straight there. Fourth episode, not third.

Originally Posted by Speedy Boris

My favorite Gogo gag in the cartoon was when Elmyra grabbed him and his head turned into Elmyra's, and she drops him in disgust.

Oh yes. That was hilarious! I guess Elmyra even repulses herself. XD

Originally Posted by buttbadger

It's a funny one, even if Feef's appearing not really often, on the Acme Loo's cafeteria and on the party, holding something which looks like a quiche lorraine and...
Ok ok i stop with Fifi
It's one of my non-featuring-Feef-fav-episode

I was tempted to say something like that myself. I'm glad there's another Fifi lover here to pick up my slack.

Nute Gunray: "This is getting out of hand. Now there are two of them."

[Jonny Mack]

Originally Posted by Martianinvader

Someone once said this especially cartoonish cartoon was a response to Ren and Stimpy, but that's actually impossible: the first episodes of R&S began airing in August of 1991 and "Hog Wild Hamton" aired one month later. Even still, it feels very Spumco-esque, especially with the military guys towards the end of the party that look like the human characters on R&S.

I can tell you John K's pilot, "Big House Blues" was circulating (under the table) like wildfire throughout the animation community as soon as it was finished in Oct. 1990. I saw it long before it went to air - in Chicago! Aarons (in LA) had undoubtedly seen it around the time Tiny Toons went into production.

[Brainatra]

Thought this episode was fairly funny, especially seeing the "Jump for Justice" guys return and Plucky's "boy are you gonna get it" line...

[Artayes]

Great episode! Fowlmouth appeared in this episode!

[Speedy Boris]

While this is bumped, thought I'd ask: Has anyone listened to the Bruce Broughton Cartoon Concerto CD? It has this whole episode's soundtrack without sound effects and voices. It's pretty cool, and similar to the Looney Tunes Golden Collection music-only tracks. It only makes me appreciate the TTA music more, and I can recall various parts of the episode simply by the music.

My favorite musical section is when Hamton imagines his parents eating cake in front of him (very tense music there). The Ren & Stimpy-style stock music with the Ed McMayhem scenes works nicely, too, especially since it opens and closes the episode, making it feel like a symphony.

[Calamity]

I love it,plucky's trick was so funny.