Slap Happy Pappy (1940): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1940, Slap Happy Pappy is an animation film directed by Robert Clampett, running about 7 minutes.

What it’s about. Porky runs a farm; we see him plowing the fields. But it's primarily a poultry farm; as the sign says, "For sale: Miracle eggs if it's a good egg, it's a miracle." A rabbit, doing a Jack Benny impression (Jack Bunny), paints and inspects eggs. He starts to smash and reject a black egg, but it hatches into a black baby bird doing a Rochester impression. We next visit the Eddie Cackler family, (Eddie Cantor) who have been trying without success to have a son; the next five eggs hatch, and they are again all girls. A Bing Crosby lookalike comes by with a stroller full of sons, and Eddie asks for his secret; he demonstrates by crooning to a chick, who lays dozens of eggs with boys names on them. Eddie croons to his wife, but in a higher pitch, then dances out singing the theme song to other caricatures. The egg hatches, but in answer to Eddie's question, is it really a boy? "Mmmm... could be."

Who’s in it. Slap Happy Pappy stars Mel Blanc as Porky Pig and Kent Rogers as Eddie Cackler.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.0/10, Slap Happy Pappy has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Slap Happy Pappy page.

If you liked it. Fans of Slap Happy Pappy tend to enjoy Spirited Away, Your Name., Grave of the Fireflies and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.