Back When Cartoons Were Allowed To Be Funny

[maildude]

Here's another TerryToon...this one with Dimwit Dog. It's a man's job all of a sudden to bring up baby, and that proves a tough order for Dimmie. His baby is a handful...well, two hands full if you add in wash time and feeding. With his wife away at the hospital, what's he gonna do??? After all of the fracas, Dimwit learns a lesson about fatherhood...until news from the doctor drives him to do something that wouldn't make it into cartoons today. So here it is...Daddy's Little Darling.

 

[maildude]

Sure. Nowadays you have your edgy cartoons like South Park and Archer...on cable T.V., with warnings and within adult-oriented theme times...but, back in the day, it was rare to see cartoons during peak viewing times and away from Saturday mornings. That is, until The Flintstones debuted in the 7-9 time slot. Also in those days, cigarette makers were allowed to advertise as sponsors on the tube. And they did so. Like right here:

 

[maildude]

For the same reasons as with other old cartoons I reckon, Droopy cartoons prior to 1970 are gold. Here's a good one, with lots of Wild West violence, Native American stereotyping, and Droopy's inimitable drawl. Enjoy Homesteader Droopy from 1954.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152116431842552

 

[maildude]

If there was anything more fucked up than Archie on Saturday mornings, I can't think of it...well, maybe Lidsville. The worst thing about this headless, smirky, homogenous pile of crap was that there wasn't a single person of color in it. Except for Chuck...and they threw him on the football team. It was like South Park for Republicans. Here's Archie Andrews For Mayor. May God have mercy on your soul.

 

[maildude]

Wow. I forgot about the rib-ticklingly funny but stereotypical goodness of Speedy Gonzales. Here, he tries to thwart Sylvester's job and get cheese for his hungry compadres. Classic. Maybe offensive. I don't know. Just watch it and you decide.

 

[maildude]

How's come George Of The Jungle sounds like a stereotyped Native American, and the Boondocky tribesmen sound like stereotyped New York City cab drivers...the native ones, anyway. Never mind. Here's George saving a couple of important white folks from being eaten by a big, hungry gorilla.

 

[konchaa]

These days, it is all about being PC. When something is over-done, it becames fake. There isn't much fun to be had nowadays. Sad!

 

[maildude]

Whoo...boy! Here's a snippet from the early '70s...a time when you were allowed to be as culturally offensive as you wanted to be...unless you got noticed by the Nixon administration. This clip is from the 1972 film Fritz The Cat...an animated adventure featuring Fritz and his run-ins with counter-cultural chaos. Even today's Adult Swim is out of its league. Enjoy!

 

[maildude]

You guys know Ralph Bakshi don't you? He's the cat who was responsible for Wizards and Heavy Metal. Anyway, back when he was starting out, he animated a 1966 tromp known as The Mighty Heroes. It's bizarre even by today's standards, but it does comply with the ideals at the time for kiddie Saturday morning fare...to a degree. So here's an episode of the TerryToons franchise in all it's Vietnam-era goodness (you'll get the reference when you watch it). Enjoy The Drifter.

 

[maildude]

Back in the Seventies, a lot of progressive things were starting to happen...born mainly out of the struggles of the Sixties. One of these was the creation of the first predominantly African-American animated Saturday morning cartoon, Fat Albert And The Cosby Kids. Created from the experiences of popular comedian Bill Cosby and his life growing up in Philadelphia, the show had a rough go getting going at first, but with the positive subject matter coupled with the works of several noteworthy animators and producers, it became a hit for fledgling studio Filmation. Let's forget Cosby's later troubles for just a sec, and watch the first episode.

 

[maildude]

Here it is! Southern Fried Rabbit. This is the one where Bugs insensitively wears blackface and begs Yosemite Sam not to beat him. Don't worry, though. Abe Lincoln comes around right after and straightens Sam out. Well, actually, it's Bugs dressed as the Prez. He did things like that.