A Guide To Censored Looney Tunes and Merrie
Melodies
"The Censored 11"
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| Cartoon titles in red
are
either new or updated
entries!! |
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"The Censored 11" are eleven cartoons that are considered "racist" or
"too
politically incorrect" by today's standards. This list was created in
1968 by
United Artists (then owners of the A.A.P. library) and is of cartoons
withheld from distribution by the current distributor. Ted Turner
refused
to allow any of them to be transmitted on television or released on
home videotape or laser videodisc.
"Hittin' the Trail to Hallelujah Land" (Harman and Ising; 1931)
An early Merrie Melodie featuring Piggy as a river boat
captain whose boat is the stage for a band of black musicians and
dancers.
Piggy's girlfriend is assisted by reliable servant, Uncle Tom.
"Sunday Go to Meetin' Time" (Freleng; 1936)
Nicodemus'
woman tries to show to him the virtues of righteousness, and drags
him away from his dice game to the Lord's house, but he is soon again
stealing chickens. A hit on the head by a farmyard fence helps him to
see the error of his ways.
"Clean Pastures" (Freleng; 1937)
Caricatures
of
popular black musical stars of the day (Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong,
Cab Calloway, and Jimmie Lunceford) are seen as angels in heaven, where
they
"liven things up" by playing "Swing For Sale".
"Uncle Tom's Bungalow" (Avery; 1937)
An early
Tex Avery parody of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Uncle Tom: "My body may belong to
you, but my soul belongs to Warner Brothers."
"Jungle Jitters" (Freleng; 1938)
A dopey
traveling
salesman knocks on the door of the hut belonging to a group of cannibal
African natives, who would love to have him for dinner.
"The Isle Of Pingo Pongo" (Avery; 1938)
Tex
Avery's (and Warner Brothers') first travelogue parody. An ocean liner
leaves port in New York for Pingo Pongo ("the pearl of the oyster
islands"). Several Zulu native caricatures. Egghead is the running gag
and
in the finale shoots down the Sun!
"All This and Rabbit Stew" (Avery; 1941)
Yes, even a Bugs Bunny cartoon is on the "Censored 11" list. In this
cartoon, Bugs is being hunted by a slow-witted black hunter with a weakness for
gambling.
"Coal Black and De Sebben Dwarfs" (Clampett;
1943)
Bob Clampett's jazzy parody of Disney's Snow White with a
cast of
black characters.
"Tin Pan Alley Cats" (Clampett; 1943)
A Fats
Waller cat goes into the Kit Kat Club for some wine, women, and song
("What's de motta with dat?") and is blasted out of this world by a wild
trumpet solo. Fats lands in a Technicolor version of Porky Pig's
Wackyland.
"Angel Puss" (Jones; 1944)
A black boy is
paid to
drown a cat, but the cat has other plans and, as a "ghost", heckles the
boy.
"Goldilocks and the Jivin' Bears" (Freleng; 1944)
Freleng's
version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears with an all-black cast. The
Three Bears are now jazz musicians.
Availability
Note please that a few of these cartoons are available on DVD and videocassette releases from small distributors and are all not authorized by either Warner Brothers or Turner Entertainment. They are somewhat difficult to find, but some of them can be ordered from Facets.org or the Cult Film Website.
All images (c) Warner Bros.
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