View production, box office, & company info. One gag centering on skin color, in which adults rub soot on children and polish them to “clean” them for church, was stolen from Ub Iwerks’s cartoon Little Black Sambo from the previous year. De Debbil’s gonna get you sho as yo’ born!" Then a sloppy ... See full summary ». This cartoon is a basket full of stereotypes about black people . The second article of the “Censored Eleven” series is about the Warner Brothers “Merrie Melodies” cartoon Sunday Go to Meetin’ Time (1936) – a film based around a tune by songwriters Tot Seymour and Vee Lawnhurst (who would go on to pen numerous Fleischer tunes including Hold It, Sally Swing and Christmas Comes But Once A Year – not to mention Abu Ben Boogie from Lantz). The short was released on August 8, 1936. Boxoffice (Aug 22, 1936): "When a cartoon arouses enthusiasm in a projection room of hard-boiled critics, it denotes a hit. There are mammies who put shoeshine on their son's heads, and pappies who polish their head to be all shiny and new. So kids are given black shoe polish on their heads, and their scalps are shined, and they’re followed around by a nanny in maid garb, all of which leads to their journey to the local church. With Gus Wickie. In between the first two songs, a sleepy African American’s bald head serves as a clapper for the church bell, but his laziness and sleepiness keep him from waking up inside the bell. Was the footage of the demons dancing used in another cartoon? Sunday Go to Meetin' Time features African American characters who look and act like blackface minstrel show and coon song stereotypes. Report this film. Things haven’t gone uphill. See more. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. From what I understand, this cartoon was part of a different television syndication package with a different company (Sunset) instead of AAP. On top of that, the cartoon’s premise is uninspired, and isn’t properly developed in the slightest. The boss orders some demons to "give 'em the works," but Nicodemus wakes to find the prods of pitchforks are nothing but the pecks of chickens in the land of the living. Sunday go to meetin’, good time We’ll be there early to shake some hands And get to know Sunday go to meetin’, good time We’ll look around some before the sermon, To see who’s missin’ Sunday go to meetin’, yeah Let’s get together just to spend some time, Forget the clock up on the wall, Replace the pressure with some peace of mind. The gambling with dice and the chicken-stealing were hoary ethnic generalizations by 1968. Lindvall, Terry, and Ben Fraser (1998). Big-lipped demons carry him to the Devil himself, who sings to Nicodemus that "you've got to give the Devil his due." One guy decides to sneak out and steal a chicken and gets a glimpse of what hell is like. A jazz cartoon involving a "Fats Waller"-like cat who leaves the "Uncle Tomcat Mission" for the local jazz club. Bosko is a brave little boxer who battles the champion, Gas House Harry. Other cartoons would do the same premise much more creatively and fleshed out. "[4], http://likelylooneymostlymerrie.blogspot.com/2012/04/140-sunday-go-to-meetin-time-1936.html, That's all Sheikh: Arab representation in U.S. cartoons. Very Good. One of the "Censored 11" banned from T.V. ): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh9jKKMAnFE. IMDb The GIGANTIC List of 'Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies' Theatrical Cartoons, Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography, Cartoons: Banned, Censored, Racist, WWII & Propaganda, Censored Eleven - Racist Cartoon Skeletons Lurking In Warner Bros Closet. 7 mins   In the course of his chicken-stealing attempt, he manages to knock himself out and has a nightmare that he goes to Hell. Nevertheless, Nicodemus slinks out the door, opting to steal some chickens instead. The original titles version was made available on 16mm, and the technicolor color scheme is first rate, ( my print is on Eastman LPP filmstock, likely a HQ reduction). (voice) (uncredited). Sunday-go-to-meeting definition, most presentable; best: Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes. One of the more openly-racist entries of the Censored Eleven. Freleng’s version holds up pretty well to it, considering WB’s/Schlesinger’s 1936 animation product was still a bit rough, though definitely improving! Sunday Go to Meetin' Time is a 1936 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. A black preacher with caricatured enormous lips greets his parishioners as he sings the song for which the short is named. There's even a reference to loving watermelon. The stereotype of African American lethargy appears in multiple scenes here. Hoo boy! As small as it might’ve seen, it was certainly a force to be reckoned with than completely shunned. The plot follows the misadventures of a black man in the stereotypical minstrel show and coon song Lindvall notes that mammies were "ubiquitous in films dealing with black culture".[3]. "[4], National Exhibitor (Sept 5, 1936): "One of the best in the series this, however, should not be played on the same bill with Green Pastures. I wonder if this is in Warner Brothers’ vaults. Devil Putting an animal in the same role often neutralizes that response, though I suppose not entirely given the subtext of those characterizations. 1936 I wonder, ‘What, no white people were into those things back then?’. "[4], http://likelylooneymostlymerrie.blogspot.com/2012/04/140-sunday-go-to-meetin-time-1936.html, That's all Sheikh: Arab representation in U.S. cartoons. He chases a chicken and gets hit on the head by a fence. On the way to church, a lady who has twin sons uses a brassier as a baby bonnet for them. So not only is this cartoon racist, but it lacks the imagination to be even creatively racist; it’s just tired, boring gags. Did Bugs Bunny appear in a racist cartoon during World War II? I mean, at least it’s well animated racism(?). The shiftless darky doesn't want to go to church on Sunday, escapes from his wife, runs away, is knocked out chasing a chicken, dreams he is in Hell where he is made the ball in a bagatelle (pinball) game with other things happening to him. Is it just because it was so obscure to begin with that nobody bothered to reject it? There are mammies who put shoeshine on their son's heads, and pappies who polish their head to be all shiny and new. A black preacher with caricatured enormous lips greets his parishioners as he sings the song for which the short is named. Your email address will not be published. That person’s complaints fell on deaf ears, and the film stayed in circulation and then moved on to television broadcasts in the 1950s and ’60s. Cloud, Minnesota. Nevertheless, the cartoon’s handsome animation and harmonious musical numbers could not rescue it from removal in 1968; the ethnic content was too much. It’s not as bad as Jungle Jitters but it’s still not worth digging up save as a period piece. I’m sure quite a few did but weren’t being heard fully yet. These things can be hard to rate fairly but I'll try. sunday-go-to-meeting synonyms, sunday-go-to-meeting pronunciation, sunday-go-to-meeting translation, English dictionary definition of sunday-go-to-meeting. This cartoon was the first of only three among the Censored Eleven to be reissued as a “Blue Ribbon” release (in 1944). Every character is African American, and they are given every cliche you can think of, including Mammy and Uncle Tom archetypes. Great lively song to base the story on, featuring excellent musical timing with the gags, just unfortunate that the ribbing of stereotypes was so over the top. She exclaims, "You good fo’ nothin’! Boxoffice (Aug 22, 1936): "When a cartoon arouses enthusiasm in a projection room of hard-boiled critics, it denotes a hit. Bosko enters his dog, Bruno, in a dog race. A minstrel show dandy and his gal jazz up the song as they dance their way to church. Made by fans in Auckland, New Zealand. She exclaims, "You good fo’ nothin’! This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. The depictions of blacks are grotesque but, otherwise, the animation is solid for the time. and drags him off by the ear. ", This page was last edited on 10 August 2020, at 02:50. The setting of a rural, religious African American community on Sunday morning unites both parts of the cartoon, but the parts differ in their depictions of African Americans. There’s a chance some of the voices in this cartoon are known by me, but I don’t want to list best guesses, because I know of a few fanboy types who will immediately begin blabbing the names as if they’re confirmed, and they’re not. Sunday Go to Meetin' Time is a Merrie Melodies animated cartoon directed by Friz Freleng, produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions, and released to theatres on August 8, 1936 by Warner Bros. Pictures and The Vitaphone Corporation. czarny uroczysty, wybielający się świątecznie drobny złodziejaszek uciekający przed odpowiedzialnością do kościoła, Merrie Melodies, Censored Eleven... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunday_Go_to_Meetin%27_Time. Overall, racism aside, it's a forgettable short that was pretty typical of the kinds of cartoons that were being produced at the time by Leon Schlesinger. Sunday Go to Meetin' Time is a 1936 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. Directed by Friz Freleng. La escena del infierno y la música son estupendas.El resto es bastante tremendo. Is Moreland in this cartoon too? Comment document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a57ef9a13f7e1cb482c955308151f3bf" );document.getElementById("eae6ca852c").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Christopher P. Lehman is a professor of ethnic studies at St. TMDb I doubt it was shown on tv all that often, and it also means that there were at least 12 cartoons with black lead characters. And, as usual, I’m always interested in the voices for this cartoon.