Jungle Jitters

1938
4.8| 0h8m| en| More Info
Released: 19 February 1938 Released
Producted By: Leon Schlesinger Productions
Country:
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

Starts out with a tribe of African cannibals imitating Native Americans. After this, they do the new Warner Bros. Looney Tunes theme "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down." Then a sloppy stuttering salesman knocks on their doors, and they bring him in and put him in a pot of boiling water. The queen of the tribe wants to see the man. She falls in love with him. They get married, but when the salesman sees he has to kiss the bride, he decides he'd be better off being dinner for a tribe of hungry cannibals.

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Leon Schlesinger Productions

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Reviews

BroadcastChic Excellent, a Must See
Stoutor It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.
Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
Matho The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.
Dawalk-1 Although this may not be the most racist cartoon ever made, I agree that this isn't among the best. But the thing that gets me is this: The other black-themed cartoons that make up the Censored 11, and other racist cartoons from the Golden Era of American Animation are banned but some of the more modern cartoons such as Family Guy, which also make racial (or racist) jokes are not and they're given a pass to keep that alive? Why? I inquired about this in a thread on another site, but I forgot the reason. Even as much as I don't care much for the cartoons that target racial (or racist) stereotypes toward my own race (black), what's the point in banning them if negative, ethnic, stereotypical jokes are allowed on Family Guy? Political incorrectness hasn't really been done away with at all. As much as I love some of those Golden Era Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts, they haplessly also have a negative side to them and in the WB cartoons' history. Negative, racist, stereotypes aside, that's not the only reason to detest this cartoon. Other than the very few, funny moments like the reference to The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down when the cannibals form a carousel with the tent, there isn't much else to it. I concur the backgrounds and animation quality are better than the characters themselves. These one-off characters, including the salesman, the African natives, and the queen aren't the most intriguing ever. As much as I don't care much for the character designs of the African natives with their black-face look, I know that unfortunately, in most cases, that was the way of the world back then, when too much ignorance towards minorities was rampant. This is one of the less funny LT or MM shorts. Back in the early half of the 20th century especially, there were cartoons that poked fun at various races a lot, yes, true. But does that make them right? And are they any fun? Well, maybe not, if you're a part of the race that's being targeted. And I believe that right there is where the problem lies. Why so many people have a problem with this kind of cartoons, with generalizations toward everyone within that race that aren't true about everyone in that race. The artwork with the backgrounds may be one of the few bright spots about this. I can't state much else about this that the other reviewers who gave lower rated reviews about it have stated, as I'm on their side on the same issues. The two, only reasons I'd ever recommend this are either for historical purposes or to be a completist. And to the reviewer who actually likes this, at least somewhat, and doesn't care for almost any LT/MM shorts, all I can say about that is he has no taste or crappy taste when it comes to real entertainment, so what does he know?
bugssponge The film is now withdrawn from distribution due to stereotypes. Since it is in the public domain, it can be handed down to anyone to distribute. Turner owns the original negative to the cartoon.Turner said he would never air these cartoons again on his networks. However, a station in Costa Rica aired it in 1995.The cartoon isn't offensive at all, but the cannablism is a bit creepy.There is a salesman but the black people want to eat him. He then sinks in the soup, preferring to be burned than eaten alive.6/10, but it is one of Friz Freleng's earliest cartoons and he would be awesome in the 40s-70s.
Electrified_Voltage "Jungle Jitters" is one of the eleven cartoons, all from the 30's and 40's, that were put on a list in 1968 called the "Censored 11", and banned from television, as they were considered too racist. Nonetheless, I was born eighteen years later, and I remember watching this one a lot on video as a kid, and enjoying it. However, I was entertained by just about everything I saw on TV or video at the time, and I no longer find this animated short very amusing.The cartoon begins with an African tribe doing various things, including dancing, drumming, and riding on a merry-go-round. However, their fun is interrupted when someone comes to their doors. It turns out to be a silly door-to-door salesman (one with a dog's face) on the other side of the wall. As this salesman waits for someone to answer, members of the tribe look down at him from above, and he doesn't realize that this is a tribe of cannibals who want to eat him for dinner! When I watched this cartoon as a kid, I obviously never thought of it as racist, as that word wasn't even in my vocabulary at the time. Right now, I can understand the controversy, but that's definitely not my main problem with the short. Yes, it does portray Africans as cannibals, but it has been nearly seventy years since it was made, and I don't think there's any point in getting worked up about it now. What is my main problem with "Jungle Jitters"? Well, if you ask me, it's simply not very funny. The only part that makes me laugh is when the salesman knocks on the doors, and tribe members keep opening and closing them. I probably don't get a lot of the gags simply because they are out-of-date, and I would probably have a better understanding of the cartoon if I knew more about the era in which it was made.Nowadays, this 1938 animated short can cause different reactions from viewers. Some could find it appallingly racist, while others may think those people are overreacting, and defend the cartoon by saying it's not THAT offensive, and/or that the stereotyping is not all that one-sided. So, there's obviously a lot of controversy among those who are familiar with "Jungle Jitters" over whether banning it was a wise decision or not. However, if the cartoon were 100% politically correct, I don't think too many people would be talking about it anymore, as I don't think it has anything else that could give it much recognition these days. While some could still find it amusing, I would say it's probably too dated to have wide appeal today.
ccthemovieman-1 I have to laugh at the typical liberal reviewers here, the PC Police types who want to ban anything which remotely might offend a minority. Talk about Nazi mentality! Excuse me, but the white character in this film is the most stupid idiot of them, more than the natives from Africa....yet you don't hear a peep out of the "reviewers" about that. I am referring to the "utensil salesman," the guy with the freckles, straw hat and buck teeth. Of course, all the lily- white Libs only see what they want to see. Cartoons exaggerate all characters, all races, all animals, fish, birds, anything!In this story we have a bunch of cannibals (who I guess, should wear three-piece suits to make the PC Police happy), who want to eat the salesman. The humor comes in when they try out his strange objects for sale, such as a vacuum cleaner. We see a guy who screws two lights bulbs in his ear, puts a shade on head, and he's all set for some reading! Good stuff, clever, and similar to cartoons I've seen over several decades involving all kinds of people and animals.Those who saw this cartoon in the late '30s would "get it" more than people today, with the references to Clark Gable and Robert Taylor, the parody of a radio personality of the day "Elmer Blurt," and the popular song, "Too Marvelous For Words" (or something like that).Lighten up, and enjoy the cartoon for its humor and nothing else. If it's hilarious: great, if the jokes are lame, move on. I found it pretty humorous and enjoyed this Looney Tunes effort. Those who are "Looking For Comedy in PC World,"to paraphrase a recent Albert Brooks movie, apparently don't laugh much.

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