Directed by Bob Clampett before he discovered his seasick sea serpent, this Porky Pig cartoon spoofs both of the haunted house basic plots – a house that’s really haunted and a house that only seems to be haunted because of a series of circumstances. Porky is a cop investigating strange sounds coming from an abandoned house. The first thing Porky encounters is a pair of shoes walking across the floor – a frog has gotten into each one. Then the “real” ghost shows up, voiced by Pinto “Goofy” Colvig, who sings a chorus of “Jeepers Creepers” from Warner Bros’ Going Places, with ghostly new lyrics, while doing spooky things like diving into a 1930s washing machine and coming out through the wringers.

Now, Porky’s so scared he can’t remember how to get out of the house but everywhere he goes, upstairs and downstairs, the ghost is behind each door he opens. Then he jumps into the arms of a rescuer – who turns out to be the ghost. Porky finally escapes to his patrol car outside. As he gets away, it backfires, giving the ghost a black face. The ghost in blackface does a Rochester impression saying, “My oh my! Tattletale gray!” All Warner Brothers cartoons are now owned by Turner’s ultra-politically correct Cartoon Network (they threw away all the Speedy Gonzales cartoons despite their popularity in Mexico), so if this one ever shows up on TV, the ending will probably be excised.

"Porky Pig cartoons" available on video and on DVD from Amazon.com

Jeepers Creepers (1939)

It’s rare that two things come out the same year with the same title, apparently unaware of each other. This one’s a 69 minute Roy Rogers movie. Starting in 1938, Roy appeared in low-budget but very popular b/w Westerns churned out for the weekend matinee crowd. Roy made nine of them in 1939, but this was not one of the best. Bad guy (Thurston Hall) discovers coal on the Weaver Ranch and proceeds to acquire the land in underhanded ways. Roy ends up as second banana to Leon Weaver, Frank Weaver, and June “Elviry” Weaver. Followed by the much superior movie “In Old Caliente,” which re-teamed Roy Rogers with Gabby Hayes

Roy Rogers’ availability on video and on DVD

Not to be confused with Buck Rogers in the 25th Century!

There was also a recent movie about a demon called “Jeepers Creepers,” which has a cult following. It had a sequel, but I doubt there will be a third “Jeepers Creepers” movie unless it’s of the low budget strait-to-video/made-for-cable variety.
"Jeepers Creepers" availability on video and on DVD from Amazon.com

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© Bill Laidlaw. All Rights Reserved. Where’d you get those peepers?