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Uncle Tom's Bungalow is an American Merrie Melodies animated cartoon directed by Tex Avery, and released to theatres on June 5, 1937, by Warner Bros.[3] The short cartoon is a parody of the 1852 novel Uncle Tom's Cabin and of the "plantation melodrama" genre of the 1930s.[4][5] It contains many stereotypical portrayals of black characters. The cartoon plays off Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel in that it portrays Uncle Tom as an old man, and wooden shacks and cotton fields pervade the scenery. Director Tex Avery adds his own sense of humor and "trickster" animation, giving the classic theme a modern, humorous twist.[6]
| Uncle Tom's Bungalow | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Fred Avery |
| Story by | Ben Hardaway |
| Produced by | Leon Schlesinger |
| Starring | Billy Bletcher Bernice Hansen Elvia Allman Mel Blanc Roy Glenn[1] |
| Narrated by | Tedd Pierce[2] |
| Music by | Carl W. Stalling |
| Animation by | Sid Sutherland Virgil Ross |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 8 minutes (one reel) |
| Language | English |
In 1968, the cartoon became a part of the Censored Eleven, a group of cartoons withheld from syndication by the television arm of United Artists due to the controversy surrounding their racially stereotypical content. Brief segments did, however, appear in Turner Entertainment's 1989 home video release, Cartoons For Big Kids, hosted by Leonard Maltin.
After a narrator introduces the players, Simon Simon Legree ("pronounced Seemoan Seemoan"), a greedy used slave trader, sells Uncle Tom to Little Eva (a young white girl) and Topsy (a young black girl) on layaway. In winter, Legree finds that the girls have missed their last three payments and sets out to get his money or take Uncle Tom back. The girls hide Uncle Tom upon learning of Legree's arrival and Eliza, a black woman, whisks them away and a chase ensues. In the end Legree and his dogs corner Eliza, Topsy and Eva, when Uncle Tom arrives in a car and clearly much richer than before. Uncle Tom pays Legree the money he's owed and he leaves. The narrator suspects that Uncle Tom cashed in his social security, but it is soon revealed that he earned his newfound fortune by playing craps cheating with loaded dice.
The cartoon was included in the Censored Eleven, as it was deemed offensive by United Artists, and it is currently withheld from distribution.[citation needed] However, it was exhibited once, along with other films as part of "The Censored Eleven" at the TCM Film Festival in Hollywood on April 24, 2010, as part of a classic film series, presented by Donald Bogle.[7]
On June 1, 1937, Selected Motion Pictures called the film "an interesting travesty in Technicolor of the well-known story." The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures called it "highly amusing."[8]
- Uncle Tom's Cabaña, 1947 MGM animated short also directed by Tex Avery
- Mickey's Mellerdrammer, 1933 Disney animated short
- List of films featuring slavery
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