My review was written in May 1982 after a Greenwich Village screening:
Drawing mainly on Warner Bros. Cartoons dating mainly from the W. W. II era, "Uncensored Cartoons" is an entertaining, eye-opening compilation revealing a cross-section of the racist and jingoistic attitudes of that time. Though endless replaying of the "Merrie Melodies" theme and similar subject matter becomes repetitious, this package compiled by Jerry Beck is a good buff item.
Cartoons selected fall roughly into two categories: propaganda pieces caricaturing the Axis enemies; and "all-Black" cartoons stereotyping Negroes. It is this latter group which has been suppressed since initial release, and while reissue of the cartoons is likely to offend some people, they are obviously worth seeing as both sociological reminders and intrinsically funny (and musically robust) routines.
Product ranges from the sung-in-rhyme "Goldilocks and the Jivin' Bears" (by Friz Freleng) to the no-dialog no-narration post-war "Inki at the Circus" (by Chuck Jones). Perhaps the funniest and most imaginative gags are contained in Frank Tashlin's "Plane Daffy" in which Daffy Duck comes to the aid of W. W. II pigeon flying aces. Tashlin's fondness for busty leading ladies in his live-action features is reflected here in the drawing of a zoftig Hatta Mari pigeon spy.
Hitler caricatures abound in both sets of cartoons, as well as toothy, unflattering versions of the Japanese. Fantasy elements range from the jazzy dream-sequences of Bob Clampett's "Tin Pan Alley Cats" to the odd Gremlins from the Kremlin populating "Russian Rhapsody" (also by Clampett). Elaborate parodies, "Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs" (by Clampett) and "Clean Pastures" (by Friz Freleng) include caricatures of Willie Best, Cab Calloway and others, and are well-animated. Most conventional cartoon is post-war "Bacall to Arms" (by Clampett), in which an audience wolf watches and interacts with Bogey Gocart and Laurie Be-Cool in their film parody of "To Have and Have Not".
Cartoons selected fall roughly into two categories: propaganda pieces caricaturing the Axis enemies; and "all-Black" cartoons stereotyping Negroes. It is this latter group which has been suppressed since initial release, and while reissue of the cartoons is likely to offend some people, they are obviously worth seeing as both sociological reminders and intrinsically funny (and musically robust) routines.
Product ranges from the sung-in-rhyme "Goldilocks and the Jivin' Bears" (by Friz Freleng) to the no-dialog no-narration post-war "Inki at the Circus" (by Chuck Jones). Perhaps the funniest and most imaginative gags are contained in Frank Tashlin's "Plane Daffy" in which Daffy Duck comes to the aid of W. W. II pigeon flying aces. Tashlin's fondness for busty leading ladies in his live-action features is reflected here in the drawing of a zoftig Hatta Mari pigeon spy.
Hitler caricatures abound in both sets of cartoons, as well as toothy, unflattering versions of the Japanese. Fantasy elements range from the jazzy dream-sequences of Bob Clampett's "Tin Pan Alley Cats" to the odd Gremlins from the Kremlin populating "Russian Rhapsody" (also by Clampett). Elaborate parodies, "Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs" (by Clampett) and "Clean Pastures" (by Friz Freleng) include caricatures of Willie Best, Cab Calloway and others, and are well-animated. Most conventional cartoon is post-war "Bacall to Arms" (by Clampett), in which an audience wolf watches and interacts with Bogey Gocart and Laurie Be-Cool in their film parody of "To Have and Have Not".
