March 12th, 2021 
Michael Lyons 
Anyone who thought of leprechauns as cute little creatures that bring good luck has never seen the 1951 Warner Brothers Short, The Wearing of the Grin. As it does feature leprechauns, many may consider it the perfect fare to watch as we head into St. Patrick’s Day…but it also has a darkly comedic tone that would also find the short subject at home in October for Halloween
From the brilliant mind of Chuck Jones comes this Warner Bros. outing that combines the ol’ movie plot in which a character is stranded and must knock on the door of a mysterious castle for assistance.
In this case that someone is Porky Pig, who finds himself alone on a dark road in the middle of a rainstorm, near a sign that reads, “Sure, and it’s still 12 miles to Dublin Town.” Knowing he will never make it, he seeks refuge at a hilltop castle, refusing to heed another sign that reads: “Beware the Leprechauns.”
Porky knocks on the door, which is opened by Seamus O’ Toole, the caretaker, who informs Porky that he is the only one in the castle, except for the leprechauns. Porky dismisses this and slams the door, after which he is hit on the head by a mace.
We now see that O’Toole is two leprechauns, one standing on the other’s shoulders and hidden by a long coat. They refer to each other as “O’Pat” and “O’Mike.” These names are just a few of the cultural insensitivities seen in the cartoon that, unfortunately, were inherent at the time.
The two leprechauns then take Porky up to his room. As a terrified Porky tries to escape, the cartoon takes a strange, dream-like tone as he falls down a trap door and finds himself in the “The Leprechaun Court of Shauhnessy Township, County of Rourke O’Houlihan.”
Here, Porky, charged with stealing the pot of gold, is sentenced to the “Wearing of the Green Shoes.”
These shoes are seemingly cursed, as once they’re on Porky’s feet, he immediately starts dancing a traditional Irish jig with blazing speed. Porky tries to remove the shoes, but they continue dancing and then chase him into an uber-surreal setting.
Here, in a landscape of tree-size shamrocks, giant harps, as well as over-sized Irish smoking pipes, Porky attempts to outrace the constantly jigging shoes that are coming after him. Soon after, he falls into a pot of boiling gold but is awakened by a splash of water thrown in his face.
He comes to and finds that he is back in front of the castle, and it is O’Toole who has doused him with water. Unconvinced that it’s a dream, Porky claims to be late for an appointment with his psychologist and runs off. We then see an arm appear from the lower half of O’Toole; as he smirks and shakes hands, we are left with the trope of a “Was it a dream?” conclusion.
Released on July 28th, 1951, The Wearin’ of the Grin celebrates its 70th anniversary this year and is significant not just for its unique tone but also because it would represent Porky Pig’s last theatrical short, in which he was the sole star. In future cartoons, he would be a supporting player.
In this film, Chuck Jones employs a dark, comedic tone and devilish glee, which is also seen in the film’s design, which is compelling. The backgrounds are from Jones’s regular collaborator and legendary Warner Bros artist Philip DeGuard. In The Wearin’ of the Grin, DeGuard brings a new level of creativity to the proceedings, from the horror-movie eeriness of the castle to the surreal, dream-like landscape toward the end of the film that seems like something out the mind of Salvador Dali.
The Wearin’ of the Grin could make for appropriate St. Patrick’s Day viewing. It would probably make a better pairing with the 1993 horror film Leprechaun than more traditionally-themed movies like The Quiet Man (1952).
Happy Hallowe… err,St. Patrick’s Day, everyone!
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