Question about Mississippi Hare

[Cartman]

I was watching this cartoon last night and all of a sudden, it just struck me as confusing as to why this cartoon was banned? The black people at the beginning are not even being stereotyped. Hell, they don't even speak and the scene with Colonel Shuffel in blackface referencing a minstrel could have easily been cut out.

[billyjoelfan]

My guess it has to do with the ol' south (Kinda like SFR does) and you also right cartman thay could have cut out the sceans that thay thought were not fit to air.

I just have one question

there was an Elmer Fudd short that (I beleave) aired on kids WB sometime back that featured 'black' (slaves)? Thay parked Elmers hors(es) and sewed up some close of his from what I remember when It aired on tv thay cut (or imposed) the film in a way so that one doesnt see the (slaves) why don't thay do that with Missippi hare and also what was the name of the short

Thanks!

Billy Joel Fan

[Billy]

billyjoelfan, you're thinking of the 1940 cartoon 'Confederate Honey', which is also edited in England (And very well, I might add). The unedited version was availible on Goopy Geer's FTP, but that has been strangely down for a while..

[Jack]

Originally posted by Cartman
I was watching this cartoon last night and all of a sudden, it just struck me as confusing as to why this cartoon was banned? The black people at the beginning are not even being stereotyped. Hell, they don't even speak and the scene with Colonel Shuffel in blackface referencing a minstrel could have easily been cut out.
The black people working with cotton could easily be mistaken as slaves by sensitive people. So it isn't their looks that would offend, it is what they are doing.



Jack :confused:

[Matthew Hunter]

Well, and so what if they are slaves? Slavery happened...I see no reason why a non-stereotyped appearance by slaves to show time and setting of a cartoon is a reason not to air it. The slaves in "Confederate Honey" are a little over-the--top, but not in "Mississipi Hare". I think they are done quite tastefully.
-Matthew

[billyjoelfan]

Are thay slaves because I didn't know if thay were I just thought thay were cotton pickers on an farm thats whay I put the '?' aver the word slaves b/c I don't know if thay were interpited as slaves

BillyJoelFan

[Jack]

Originally posted by billyjoelfan
Are thay slaves because I didn't know if thay were I just thought thay were cotton pickers on an farm thats whay I put the '?' aver the word slaves b/c I don't know if thay were interpited as slaves

BillyJoelFan
I doubt they are slaves, it's just that could be interpretted that way, I suppose. Unless we find some notes or model sheets from that cartoons that refer to them as slaves, we will never know.

Or are you referring to Confederate Honey? I think they are supposed to slaves since the cartoon is about Confederate soldiers durring the Civil War.



Jack :D

[billyjoelfan]

oh sorry I ment mississippi hare

CHEERS!

BillyJoelFan!

[Daffyfan2002]

Actually, in "Missisppi Hare" the only part about slavery is at the beginning. I think CN should show this cartoon. If they're so worried about that one part, they could easily edit that out like they did on the WB.

[Brandon Pierce]

Didn't Thad (or Jack. I get the two confused once in a while) say that when WB edited the start it abrubtly showed Bugs taking cotten out of his mouth?

[lislebartman]

Oddly enough, "Mississippi Hare" underwent different edits on ABC & FOX. When ABC aired it, they exised the "Camptown Ladies" gag, the gun in the face scenes, and Colonel Shuffle being smacked by an in-drag Bugs. When I saw it on FOX, the cartoon opened with the gangplank going up on the paddleboat and BUgs pulling cotton out of his mouth. The rest of the cartoon, if I remember correctly, was intact...

[Thad Komorowski]

Originally posted by lislebartman
Oddly enough, "Mississippi Hare" underwent different edits on ABC & FOX. When ABC aired it, they exised the "Camptown Ladies" gag, the gun in the face scenes, and Colonel Shuffle being smacked by an in-drag Bugs. When I saw it on FOX, the cartoon opened with the gangplank going up on the paddleboat and BUgs pulling cotton out of his mouth. The rest of the cartoon, if I remember correctly, was intact...


Yup the FOX version was the version that aired on Kid's WB. "Mississippi Hare" is available uncut on the out-of-print LD, Bugs Bunny: Winner by a Hare, just to let you know.



Thad K

[lislebartman]

Yeah, my copy is from that laserdisc. Too bad it was never released on home video, just laserdisc... :(

[frogboxer]

I think that if "Mississippi Hare" is going to be shown on TV, it should be shown uncut. It is absurd to think that this cartoon is racist! If anyone's portrayed in a bad light in this cartoon, it's Colonel Shuffle, the rich, white riverboat gambler.

[Cartman]

If those cotton pickers had been white instead of black, then the cartoon would not be banned and would have been shown uncut.

[Jason Furness]

Originally posted by Jack

The black people working with cotton could easily be mistaken as slaves by sensitive people. So it isn't their looks that would offend, it is what they are doing.


Mississippi Hare seems to take place in the "present", so that would be in the late 1940's. If so, then those people were sharecroppers, which was like slavery, except you got paid (sorta). Also, they probably didn't whip you, but I haven't done research on that...

It's somewhat surprising how tastefully they handeled the sharecroppers. In most cartoons before 1954, any scene involving black folks seemed to bend over backwards to showcase huge, strange-looking caucasian-colored lips, picanniny hairdos, huge feet and phrases like "Dat am news!" Here, they just showed their arms.