"Autograph Hound" question

[ThePeterNetwork]

So I was watching my Chronological Donald DVD, and I saw this cartoon where Donald disrupts a movie studio trying to get celebrity autographs. Before the short, Leonard Maltin explained that not only the celebrities were caricatured, but so were their ethnicities as "cartoon stereotypes", particularly the caricature of black actor Stepin Fetchit.

I could probably search IMDB to get some background about Stepin Fetchit, but I figure you TTTPers could tell me why he was such an inspiration to Hollywood cartoonists of the 30's and 40's?

[Paul Penna]

I could probably search IMDB to get some background about Stepin Fetchit, but I figure you TTTPers could tell me why he was such an inspiration to Hollywood cartoonists of the 30's and 40's?

He had readily-identifiable, unique and even extreme characteristics. Plus his screen persona was funny to begin with. Ready-made for caricature. Another example is Ned Sparks. Who was he? Did anybody ever go to a film just because he was in the cast? But any movie goer of the 30s seeing his "I never go anywhere, I never do anything, I never have any fun" caricature in a cartoon would know exactly who it was, even if they couldn't dredge up his name to save their souls.

[Bugsmer]

On the Internet, there isn't a lot of information about him. However, I' ve found these two sites that will shed a little light on a now almost unknown man.

http://articles.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g1epc/is_bio/ai_2419200390

http://www.rotteneggs.com/r/show/se/353786.html