If you're a fan of that stuttering cartoon character, Porky Pig, you might be interested to know that it was 75 years ago today that he made his debut in the animated short, "I Haven't Got a Hat."
He just went by the name Porky in those days. He didn't look like the Porky we know today, either. He was a rather shy young boy in his debut. Later on, he became the somewhat obese and verbose adult we think of when we hear Porky's name today.
That stutter, though, was authentic. The voice actor who portrayed Porky from 1935 to 1937 actually did have a stutter, but he couldn't control it, which led to excessively high production costs. Mel Blanc, who was hired to replace the actor, continued to use the stutter, but he used it to greater effect.
Incidentally, most of Blanc's fans may remember him as the voice of Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck or hundreds of other animated characters. But his gravestone — per his request in his will — bears Porky's famous signature line that came at the end of nearly every Looney Tunes presentation — "That's all, folks!"
But Blanc's death wasn't the end for Porky. He continued to appear in animated productions after Blanc died in 1989.
