Includes 8 full-length, fully restored cartoons, made during the 1930s and 1940s, which were banned or censored by the Hayes Office.
UNCLE TOM AND LITTLE EVA (1930): This musical parody of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin was released by Van Beuren Studios in 1930 as Dixie Days. Official Films repackaged it with the name Uncle Tom and Little Eva for the later home movie market. HITTIN' THE TRAIL FOR HALLELUJAH LAND (1931): A canine Uncle Tom menaces characters who look suspiciously like Mickey and Minnie Mouse on a steamboat in this early "Merrie Melodies" cartoon. Hittin' the Trail for Hallelujah Land is one of the infamous "Censored Eleven" Warner Brothers has banned from television since 1968. THE RASSLIN' MATCH (1934): In 1934, Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll signed a deal with Van Beuren to bring their famous radio characters Amos 'n' Andy to the big screen in animated form. In the first of two shorts, the Kingfish persuades Andy to enter the world of professional wrestling with disastrous results. THE LION TAMER (1934): Andy agrees to become a lion tamer in the circus, thinking that the ferocious jungle beast is actually a man wearing an animal skin. But when the faux feline is replaced by the real thing, he and Amos must run for their lives. Van Beuren cancelled the series after this installment. Gosden and Correll appeared one more time on the big screen as Amos 'n' Andy in The Big Broadcast of 1936 before being replaced by African-American actors in the 1951-1953 TV series. LITTLE BLACK SAMBO (1935): Ub Iwerks, the co-creator of Mickey Mouse, produced this Cinecolor adaptation of the notorious children's book in 1935. Perhaps wishing to avoid further controversy, the animator issued three further cartoons starring the title character's dog, but not Sambo himself. JUNGLE JITTERS (1938): Another of the "Censored Eleven", Friz Freleng directs this tale of a traveling salesman trying to peddle modern contrivances to a tribe in the African jungle. SCRUB ME MAMA WITH A BOOGIE BEAT (1941): A sexy big city girl (modeled after Lena Horne) visits her old country home in this jazzy short directed by Woody Woodpecker creator Walter Lantz. This cartoon was pulled from distribution after the NAACP complained about its re-release in 1948. INKI AND THE MINAH BIRD (1943): Chuck Jones introduces us to Inki, a befuddled native boy, and the enigmatic bird he encounters in his travels. Inki eventually appeared in a total of five cartoons, but the stereotypical look of the character keeps him out of Looney Tunes television reruns today. -- Amazon.com
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