Q: Hey, where have you been? I haven't seen you since last year.
A: I have a life outside of this blog. I go to work, I deal with family problems, I have to put up with the crap accumulating from the outside world, and I have creative blocks just like every other writer and content creator on and off the Internet. Now, I’m back and ready to do things differently for my blog. Some of these are changes for changes’ sake, but most are just, “I was bored with how things were going, and I need to use the tools I acquired in order to make this a more creative and engaging blog.”
Q: What tools? Are you going to use A.I.?
A: Yes and no. While I do have a handle on fixing and revising my writing myself (since it’s one of the few things I’ve learned from the American public school system that’s actually useful in my daily adult life), there will be times I have to use A.I. for research, feedback, and brainstorming. It’s not like I’m novel or screenplay writing with A.I. (which, in the name of full disclosure, I will do, but, as with here, it’s mostly for research, brainstorming, and feedback since four years of majoring in writing for film and television has stated that my fiction writing is good, but not good enough for major mainstream publication without some outside help and practice. I just want to be the best I can in fiction writing and keep up with the times). I’m not going to use A.I. video and images on The Censored Cartoons Blog, mostly because I can easily find and create screenshots and video clips for my work.
Q: So, what’s up with the Censored Cartoons Blog? Is it still going?
A: Yes. Probably not as frequently as promised, but it’s not going to be shut down or abandoned like so many promising blogs and websites (or the last time I did a cartoon blog. It was a Wordpress blog called "Saturday Morning Hangover"). I am aiming to make this a Saturday morning thing, since I grew up when Saturday morning cartoons were still around and often included the Warner Bros. Cartoons (though I also grew up when Cartoon Network became a basic cable channel and Warner Bros. cartoons, as well as Hanna-Barbera and MGM [now owned by Warner-Discovery], were on regardless of day or time), but don’t be surprised if you see a post on Sunday or between Monday and Friday. My advice is to subscribe to the blog, so you don’t miss out.
Q: That’s good to hear. Are you going to start today?
A: I am.
Q: What’s today’s cartoon?
A: I’m not going into the individual entry today. I’m going to do a batch of cartoons. Today, I’m going to look into The Censored Eleven, plus “Goin’ to Heaven on a Mule.”
Q: What is The Censored Eleven?
A: The Censored Eleven are eleven Warner Bros. shorts pulled from distribution in 1968 by United Artists (former owner of the A.A.P library) due to pervasive caricatures of Africans and African-Americans that are considered offensive, both by the standards of 1968 and now (especially now).
Q: There are a lot of Warner Bros. shorts that have outdated caricatures of Africans and African-Americans. What makes these eleven shorts so special?
A: I’m sure there are animation historians out there who know the answer to that question, because I don’t. I’m guessing these are the ones that are so packed with outdated stereotypes of Africans and African-Americans that merely editing them isn't an option. If you don't believe that, then it was probably a random decision.
Q: Are you seriously going to cover cartoons with stereotypically black characters on Black History Month? What the hell is wrong with you?
A: Nothing. If anything, covering how Africans and African-Americans were/are depicted in media is a good thing to cover on Black History Month. It shows what we as a people have/had to put up with just to fight for equality and better representation. I'd like to see high school and college classes pull this off.
Q: Okay, I apologize. So, which shorts are part of the Censored Eleven?
A: Ah, you’ve come to my favorite part of the FAQ. The following shorts that are officially a part of the Censored Eleven (complete with date, director, and brief summary) are:
- “Hittin’ the Trail for Hallelujah Land”: One of Harmon and Ising’s early, near-plotless musical cartoons from 1931 featuring Piggy (a short-lived possible prototype of Porky Pig, but really a clone of Bosko and Mickey Mouse, given when this short was released) as a river boat captain whose boat is the stage for a band of black musicians and dancers. Piggy's girlfriend is assisted by her reliable servant, Uncle Tom, who gets lost in a graveyard filled with dancing skeletons. This is the only Censored Eleven short shown in black and white.
- “Sunday Go to Meetin’ Time”: The first color Censored Eleven short. A Friz Freleng one-shot musical, showing black people in a poor, Southern town getting ready for Sunday church service, except for a man named Nicodemus, who would rather spent Sundays shooting craps. It’s getting so that his wife (who has no time for shiftless, lazy men like himself) has to drag him to church, but this time, Nicodemus bails so he can steal chickens. He almost succeeds, but ends up getting hit on the head and goes to Hell where The Devil goes over his worldly misdeeds.
- “Clean Pastures”: Another Friz Freleng one-shot musical featuring African-American caricatures, themes of vice and virtue, and how Freleng uses the Christian notions of Heaven and Hell in his cartoons. This one (which I can only assume is part of a short-lived animated series about black people and Heaven, or, as it’s called here and in “Goin’ to Heaven on a Mule,” “Pair-O-Dice”) from 1937, features St. Peter worrying about black people’s souls in Harlem (which, according to this short, is its own country rather than a city in New York) and doing what he can to recruit new souls. When sending a Stepin Fetchit-esque Gabriel angel as a recruiting officer fails, the other angels (caricatures of jazz musicians Cab Calloway, Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong, and Jimmie Lunceford) decide that a hot jazz number called “Swing for Sale” works better in making Heaven a happenin’ place to be.
- “Uncle Tom’s Bungalow”: We take a break from musical numbers and Friz Freleng with this spoof of the Harriet Beecher Stowe novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, directed by Tex Avery and released the same year as (and right after) “Clean Pastures.” As with most Tex Avery spoofs of the time, expect a lot of fourth-wall breaking, some (now-considered) hokey gags, and a dig/plug at the parent studio (“My body might belong to you, but my soul belongs to Warner Bros.”). Tex Avery also did “Uncle Tom’s Cabana,” but that’s an MGM cartoon where the title character tells his many children the story of how he created a nightclub with his white showgirl girlfriend, Little Eva (played by the same sexy nightclub singer from “Red Hot Riding Hood,” “Swing Shift Cinderella,” and other shorts cut from “Red Hot Riding Hood”’s cloth) to pay off his debts to Simon Legree. If you want my opinion, “Uncle Tom’s Cabana” is funnier, but “Uncle Tom’s Bungalow” serves as a rough copy of Tex’s later brilliance when it comes to parodying serious works (or works that people take seriously).
- “Jungle Jitters”: We’re back to Friz Freleng and his black stereotype cartoon, and what a cartoon to return to. This one (and another I’ll get to later) is not considered the best of what’s already a very problematic lot. This one, released in 1938, centers on a dopey salesman who tries to peddle his wares in a African cannibal colony where the natives want to literally have him for dinner (read: eat him) and the colony’s white queen wants to marry him. It’s not as good as it sounds (and it definitely could have been with better writing), but, apparently, the Latin American Spanish-speaking world likes it, because it has aired in that region.
- “The Isle of Pingo Pongo”: Continuing with the Africans as primitive natives stereotype, we have this Tex Avery cartoon -- his first travelogue spoof (but not many would know it since it doesn’t air on television nor is it available on official release) where an ocean liner explores the splendor of the title island location. Fun fact: this was submitted for an Academy Award nomination in 1938, but wasn’t picked. I can’t imagine what would happen if this was nominated and won. Would it have changed the course of animated cinema history or not? Discuss.
- “All This and Rabbit Stew”: Another Tex Avery Censored Eleven short (released three years after “The Isle of Pingo Pongo” [1941]), and this one is packed with a lot of things that would shock casual Looney Tunes fans. This is one of Tex Avery’s last cartoons after he got fired from Warner Bros. Studios (then called Leon Schlesinger Studios or, more informally, Termite Terrace) because of creative differences over the ending to “The Heckling Hare”; it plays out like “A Wild Hare” (Tex Avery’s seminal cartoon that first pairs Bugs Bunny with Elmer Fudd) with Elmer as a slow-witted black man and ends with Bugs beating him in craps and stealing all his clothes; and, despite being banned, is actually in the public domain (joining “Hittin’ the Trail to Hallelujah Land” and “Jungle Jitters,” meaning that the rest are still under copyright, despite Warner Bros. not wanting anything to do with these cartoons), and has been shown in clips in other media: the Spike Lee joint Bamboozled (which is about offensive African-American stereotypes, so it would make sense to have it there as part of the film’s theme), a music video on the PBS kids’ show Shining Time Station, and the made-for-DVD/Blu-ray documentary King Size Comedy: Tex Avery and the Looney Tunes Revolution. This is also the only Censored Eleven short starring an established Warner Bros character (Bugs Bunny) and the only one a part of another list of WB shorts that have been banned because of racially insensitive content: The Banned Bugs Bunny 12 (which I will touch on later).
- “Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarves”: One of only two Bob Clampett cartoons that are a part of the Censored Eleven (and both released in 1943), and the only one that most fans would consider the best of the lot, despite its outdated content (there’s also WWII-era Japanese bashing, some fleeting bashing of little people, and references to wartime rationing and military service). This is basically Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (the Disney version that was insanely popular at the time and still is, judging by the many rip-offs, parodies, homages, and a much-despised live-action remake coming soon) if Snow White was a doe-eyed, pig-tailed, mini-skirted Jezebel, her Evil Queen stepmother hoarded rationed products like coffee, rubber, and sugar and called a hitman service to take out her stepdaughter after seeing her dance with the Prince, whom the Queen requested from the Magic Mirror; the Prince was a zoot-suited coward who had dice and gold teeth as part of his grille; the Seven (or Sebben) Dwarves were in the Army instead of gem miners; and it ended with Dopey getting Snow White to wake up instead of the Prince, which is odd, because, in the actual Disney movie, Grumpy was beginning to like Snow White near the end and, according to Walt Disney himself in this behind-the-scenes documentary I found at the library years ago, Bashful was the one who was secretly in love with Snow White. Though Dopey did come back for seconds and thirds when Snow White was seeing the dwarves off to work, so maybe Bob Clampett was onto something...
- “Tin Pan Alley Cats”: Part two of Bob Clampett’s hot black jazz duo of shorts. This one doesn’t get as much love as “Coal Black…”, but it is a fascinating watch, if not for the fact that this is a better remake of “Porky in Wackyland” than the 1949 short, “Dough for the Do-Do.” In this short, a Fats Waller-esque cat is off to a night filled with wine, women, and song at the Kit Kat Club (where a group of conservative religious protesters are gathered outside, trying to guide anyone going in on the path of righetousness. Some things never change…), where a trumpet player sends the Waller cat out of this world and into Wackyland.
- “Angel Puss”: The only Censored Eleven cartoon directed by none other than Chuck Jones, and probably his most hated pre-1948 short (there are others, but this is somewhere in the top 10 or 20), but not because it’s slow, boring, and trying too hard to be like Disney. This one is hated because of outdated racial stereotypes, cat murder, and gaslighting, three things that will trigger anyone and everyone in this day and age (but so does a stiff breeze and a differing opinion). In this 1944 short, a young black boy is paid to drown a cat, but gets cold feet because he doesn’t want to hurt animals, but there aren’t a lot of job opportunities for him because of his age and race, so it’s this or nothing. Fortunately, the cat about to die breaks free from the sack and loads it with rocks to make it look like he’s in there, then spends the rest of the short dressed as a ghost and scares the poor black boy for kicks.
- “Goldilocks and the Jivin’ Bears”: The final Censored Eleven short (and the first Warner Bros cartoon to be produced by Eddie Selzer, Leon Schlesinger’s replacement following Schlesinger’s retirement), a Friz Freleng one-shot short combining Goldilocks and the Three Bears with Little Red Riding Hood, both with a hot jazz sensibility. You can tell this was Friz Freleng’s attempt at being Bob Clampett, but Freleng’s and Clampett’s directing styles are too different. Freleng doesn’t do wild and raunchy like Bob Clampett does wild and raunchy. If any other director could have done “Goldilocks and the Jivin’ Bears,” I’d have gone with Frank Tashlin. Tashlin's wild and raunchy is a bit more restrained (unless it's "I Got Plenty of Mutton," but even that didn't go to Bob Clampett levels of raunchiness. The ram's horns going erect is as close as it's going to get), but can easily be mistaken for Clampett at first glance.
Q: Where does “Goin’ to Heaven on a Mule” fit in to all of this?
A: It fits in to all of this because, if you’ve ever seen the cartoon (willingly or otherwise), you’ll know that it has everything a Censored Eleven cartoon is notorious for, but, sadly, it wasn’t included into the syndication package that had the Censored Eleven on it. Personally, I’d gladly trade out “Hittin’ the Trail to Hallelujah Land” for “Goin’ to Heaven on a Mule,” since the former cartoon isn’t as heavily stereotypical as the others. "Hittin' the Trail to Hallelujah Land" feels like one of those shorts that could have aired on television with little to no cuts in the past (think from the 1960s to around the early 1990s) before getting phased out due to changing times and stricter censorship measures in children's/family entertainment.
Q: Which Censored Eleven cartoons should I watch? Should I even watch them?
A: No one’s forcing you to. I think that's the one thing people forget about these shorts: you don't have to watch them if you don't want to. If you feel that the racial caricatures are too much for you (whether or not you know the historical context behind them), then you can skip them over (including “Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarves”). If you know these were made during a different time, are curious about old school animation, are a fan of old school animation, would rather watch something from the past because the present stuff is severely lacking in political incorrectness, or are doing media research (either for school or for fun), then, by all means, indulge.
Here’s a quick list I made as part of the original idea for this post called, “White People’s Guide to Watching the Censored Eleven” (a lot of points are repeated from earlier, so consider this a quick summary):
1) Watch "Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarves," maybe "Tin Pan Alley Cats" and "Hittin' the Trail to Hallelujah Land" (since the latter isn't that offensive).
2) Unless you're morbidly curious, avoid "Jungle Jitters" and "Angel Puss," as they are considered the worst/most offensive of the lot.
3) You have to see "All This and Rabbit Stew" at least once, since it's a Bugs Bunny cartoon that has never seen airtime or official home media release.
4) The rest really depend on personal preference, how deep your curiosity is, or how badly you want to punish yourself:
a) "Clean Pastures" is worth watching because of the "I Got Swing for Sale" sequence (or if you want to learn about the jazz musician caricatures in the short, like Cab Calloway, Jimmie Lunceford, and even Louis Armstrong). The Stepin Fetchit caricature will put you off, but he's there for story reasons (St. Peter being so out of touch that he would assign the Stepin Fetchit angel the task to try and save the souls of late 1930s Black America, which, according to the opening montage, is filled with such vices as dancing girls, booze, hot jazz, and gambling).
b) "Uncle Tom's Bungalow" has its moments, but you have to be familiar with the actual story, "Uncle Tom's Cabin", to get it. That being said, the "My body might belong to you, but my soul belongs to Warner Bros." line is funny and it's nice to see something from back then have a positive portrayal of an interracial friendship (Eva and Topsy). Tex Avery would later direct "Uncle Tom's Cabana" during his MGM years, and that's funnier than this.
c) "Goldilocks and the Jivin' Bears" is pretty average (though it has good music and the black caricatures aren't that offensive, since they're mostly animals), so you won't be hurting anyone's feelings if you decide to pass on it.
d) Besides the title song and "You Got to Give the Devil His Due", "Sunday Go to Meetin' Time" is best enjoyed as research for a college essay about the correlation between African-American and religion and how this is depicted in American media. "The Isle of Pingo Pongo" is also good for a college essay about travelogues and their effects on how America view other countries, specifically those considered "exotic tropical paradises."
5) "Goin' to Heaven on a Mule" is not a Censored Eleven cartoon, but due to content and unavailability on American television (Nickelodeon, back when it held the rights to air Warner Bros. cartoons, had the rights to air this, but Standards and Practices vetoed against it) does qualify, in my opinion.
6) None of the other cartoons banned for outdated racial caricatures ("Africa Squeaks," "Kristopher Kolumbus, Jr.," the World War II shorts filled with Japanese caricatures and references to Hitler and Nazis, any cartoon that has Native American caricatures, etc) are part of the Censored Eleven. Some bush-league Internet critics will try to refute this claim, but don't listen to them.
7) The most important rule: Watching these cartoons is entirely optional. If they don't appeal to you for whatever reason, don't watch them.
Q: Are there any other studies or reviews about The Censored Eleven (and "Goin' to Heaven on a Mule")?
A: Anthony's Animation Talk and The Hick Critic at least try to study, analyze, and review the shorts, despite being white and feeling very uncomfortable about the subject matter. If book-reading is your thing, the essay "Darker Shades of Animation: African-American Images in the Warner Bros. Cartoons" by Terry Lindvall and Ben Fraser from the essay anthology Reading the Rabbit: Explorations in Warner Bros. Animation is a good read.
Q: Are any of these cartoons available on official home media? Where can I watch them?
A: As of this writing, The Censored Eleven aren’t available on any official home media. It came close to being available between 2010 and 2011, but, like all, major studios these days, they backed out due to backlash. As mentioned before, “Hittin’ the Trail to Hallelujah Land,” “Jungle Jitters,” and “All This and Rabbit Stew” have fallen in the public domain in the United States and are easily available on public domain videos, while the rest will have to wait until later in the 21st century to approach public domain status. However, all is not lost. There are video sites and bootlegged physical media distribution centers that have most, if not all, of the shorts.
Q: So how are you going to end this blog post?
A: Same way I always do: with links to the uncut and uncensored versions of the cartoons I was just talking about. Here is a playlist of The Censored Eleven from Archive.org, and here's the video for "Goin' to Heaven on a Mule" (it's part of a playlist for every Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies short ever made between 1929 and 1969. The video and audio quality isn't as good, but some day, someone will have the guts to remaster it, whether or not it gets an official release).
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