In the final shot of the film, “Tommy Turner” shrugs at the camera and exclaims, “Jeez!”
       End credits include the following statement: “Producers wish to thank for their co-operation: Mary Lee Lander; Metro Dade County Florida Office of Film and Television Co-ordination; Evinrude Motors; Porky's Sign by Acolite Sign Company; Telephone Pioneers of America – Florida Gold Coast Chapter No. 3; Fort Lauderdale & South Florida region of the Antique Automobile Club of America; Mercury Club of South Florida.”
       Production company Astral Film Productions, also known as Astral Bellevue Pathé, Inc., is credited onscreen as “Astral Bellevue Pathe Inc.” Assistant bookkeeper Céline Daignault is listed onscreen as “Celine Daignault.” Makeup artist Valli Slutsky is credited as “Aunt Valli,” while assistant makeup artist Linda Gill is credited as “Aunt Linda.”
       Various contemporary sources misspelled the title as Porkeys and Porkies.
       According to an article in the 25 May 1982 edition of Us magazine, writer-producer-director Bob Clark began writing Porky’s as a novel when he was sixteen years old, based on his childhood memories growing up in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Production notes in AMPAS library files suggested that Clark conceived the project as a motion picture when he decided to become a filmmaker after finishing college, and he completed the screenplay in 1979. According to the 22 Jan 1979 HR, Clark hoped to begin principal photography in summer 1979, with a schedule that alternated between filming and editing. However, Clark delayed the project in order to direct Tribute (1980, see entry) for Twentieth Century-Fox. An early 1980 DV article indicated that filming of Porky’s would not begin until early 1981, and the Dec 1980 Filmworld listed a start date of Feb 1981.
       As reported in the 14 Apr 1982 HR, actor John Marley had given the script to Simon/Reeves/Landsburg Prods. production chief, Mitt Goldstein, during a poker game, who then showed it to company partner, Melvin Simon. Simon purportedly liked the screenplay, but wanted to finance the film as a Canadian co-production in order to take advantage of Canada’s tax incentives. The 24 Nov 1982 Var stated that, in fall 1980, Simon “dropped the film and decided [he] was not prepared to totally finance” with Twentieth Century-Fox. He later discussed the project with Canada’s Astral Bellevue Pathé, Inc. company head Harold Greenberg, who, due to dwindling Canadian film investment, refused to make features that did not have “at least 50% equity financing coming from industry sources and a guaranteed distribution deal.” Upon realizing that the film could not be financed publicly through tax shelter money, Greenberg instead asked Fox for additional funding. Although the studio initially refused, Fox executive Norman Levy offered to cover 25%. The 14 Apr 1982 HR stated that Greenberg and Simon each fronted 37.5% of the remaining costs and received executive producer credits. According to the 15 Apr 1982 HR, attorney Arnold Kopelson provided Clark with enough development money to prepare a first draft of the screenplay, but withdrew his involvement once Simon joined the project in exchange for a percentage of the film’s profits. While Us reported that Simon contributed $4.2 million, several contemporary sources and press materials listed the final cost at $4.5 million.
       27 Feb 1981 HR production charts announced that principal photography began 9 Feb 1981 in North Miami, FL. Production notes indicated that “Porky’s” nightclub set was built inside a defunct restaurant. The 14 Apr 1982 HR stated that production concluded 17 Apr 1981, and the film received an X rating after its first test screening in May 1981. However, Us claimed that various scenes were removed or edited for nudity and language, in order to amend the rating to an R. According to a 2 Oct 1981 LAHExam brief, this included Kim Cattrall’s sex scene, which the actress re-shot in Toronto, Canada.
       The 14 Apr 1982 HR reported that the picture received positive feedback from screenings at the Glasshouse Theater in San Diego, CA, where it ran alongside An American Werewolf in London (1981, see entry) on 4 Sep 1981, and in Dallas, TX, on 18 Sep 1981. It then opened 13 Nov 1981 for test engagements in Columbia, SC, and Colorado Springs, CO. A Jan 1982 Box advertisement listed box office reports from the 2 Dec 1981 Var, claiming that the film collected more than $127,000 over seventeen days in one Colorado Springs theater and two Columbia theaters. According to the 14 Apr 1982 HR, Fox aimed to boost word-of-mouth publicity, spending $500,000 on “sneak” screenings in key markets prior to the 19 Mar 1982 national release. In total, marketing and promotional costs totaled $5 million.
       Porky’s opened 19 Mar 1982 in Los Angeles, CA, and 20 Mar 1982 in New York City. The 24 Mar 1982 LAT reported a domestic gross of $7.6 million in 1,200 theaters during its opening weekend. On 30 Mar 1982, HR stated that print advertisements were altered to boost appeal among older audiences. After two weeks in release, the 6 Apr 1982 HR reported that the film had expanded to a total of 1,159 theaters throughout the U.S. and Canada. In Jul 1982, a Fox press release announced that Porky’s had earned $100,685,055. According to the 24 Nov 1982 Var, Porky’s became the highest-grossing Canadian-financed film to date, with Astral’s profit ranging between $10-12 million. In addition, Greenberg expected to earn $10 million in pay-television sales and $6 million from free U.S. television licensing. A 9 Mar 1983 DV article reported that although SLM Entertainment Ltd. previously had a private investment deal with Fox, the company was only eligible to earn a portion of Fox’s share on the picture, amounting to less than one-third of the total profits.
       The film marked the motion picture debut of Mark Herrier.
       Conflicting information from various contemporary reviews list the runtime at ninety-four and ninety-seven minutes.
       On 11 Jun 1983, Billboard announced that Fox Video Games released a Porky’s video game for Atari, Mattel, and Coleco.
       Just weeks after Porky’s theatrical release, the 6 Apr 1982 HR announced production of a sequel titled Porky’s II: The Next Day (1983, see entry), and the franchise continued with Porky’s Revenge (1985, see entry). In 1984, however, the 19 Sep 1984 Var reported that on 13 Sep 1984, Arnold Kopelson of Film Packages Inc. (FPI) sued Bob Clark, Clark’s production company Brandywine Film Prods., and Harold D. Cohen, who is not credited onscreen. Kopelson alleged that, in Jan 1980, Melvin Simon only agreed to finance the first Porky’s film if Kopelson was not involved; although Kopelson doubled the initial $20,000 advance he granted Clark to write the screenplay, his share of the producers’ assets was reduced from 50% to 33.3%. As of 31 Mar 1984, FPI had only received 20% of the promised earnings, and Kopelson demanded he be restored to his original 50% share for Porky’s and its 1983 sequel, which amounted to $905,296 compensatory and $5 million in punitive damages. On 13 Aug 1985, DV reported that Kopelson was awarded $1,105,000. The 24 Jun 1987 Var claimed that Kopelson returned to court to request that Brandywine be banned from transferring any funds until API received compensation. A 24 Jul 1987 HR news item stated that Kopelson was granted the right to attach the assets.
       Meanwhile, a 26 Jul 1985 HR brief indicated that the band, The Crew Cuts, credited onscreen as The Crewcuts, filed a $35 million lawsuit against Fox, CBS-Fox Video, Astral, and Polygram Inc., for using the songs “Earth Angel” and “Sh-Boom, Sh-Boom,” without permission. The outcome of that dispute could not be determined as of the writing of this Note.
       According to a 26 Jun 2013 HR article, Lotano Investments obtained the film and sequel rights under production company Mola Entertainment in the early 1990s. On 20 Sep 1996, HR reported that the Toronto-based Protocol Entertainment and Los Angeles-based Valhalla Pictures acquired the motion picture and television sequel rights to the Porky’s franchise, preparing a new film for production in Toronto in spring 1997. A 15 Jan 1997 HR article stated that Protocol executives Paul Bronfman and Steve Levitan would instead executive produce a United Paramount Network (UPN) television series adaptation alongside Valhalla’s Daniel Harris and Constantino Magnatta, and Head of the Class (ABC 17 Sep 1986—25 Jun 1991) creator, Rich Eustis, who also wrote the pilot. Years later, the 1 Nov 2002 DV announced that Levitan and Bronfman were expected to produce a modern-day Porky’s remake with Enrique Cerezo, Joel Roodman, and Dan Gross’ Arclight Films, while radio personality Howard Stern would executive produce under the banner “Howard Stern Presents...” Gross reportedly spent more than a year acquiring rights to the property, and planned to begin production before summer 2003. According to the 15 Jun 2005 DV, Bronfman sold his 50% share of Protocol ownership, and would instead produce with Stern through his studio and equipment services company, Comweb Group. Six years later, the 26 Jun 2013 HR claimed that, due to the contract deal stipulations with Lotano, Mola produced Porky’s: The College Years for $1.5 million. The film was later re-titled and released on home video in 2009 as Pimpin’ Pee Wee. However, in a 2011 lawsuit, Lotano determined that Mola could not produce another sequel because Pimpin’ Pee Wee did not meet the agreed upon $10 million budgetary minimum. Although the parties reached a confidential settlement, the article stated that the status of Stern and Bronfman’s feature rights remained uncertain. As of 16 Apr 2014, neither a motion picture remake nor sequel has been produced.