Just after the first peace time draft got under way, shortly
before we were drawn into the Second World War, there was a plethora of movies
and music which swept the land, all of which chronicled the
adventures/misadventures of the new recruits. Abbott and Costello immediately
come to mind with their series of movies, “In the Army” and “In the Navy.” Like
all good entertainment of the time, these films featured lots of swing music
and dancing. So it goes with this cartoon from 1941, produced by Walter Lantz.
With his usual deft hand, Mr. Lantz created a wonderful
record of how America viewed the idea of a draft, as well as the coming war in
the months before Pearl Harbor. Poking fun at the regimentation required of
Army life, the cartoon lampoons the highly regimented life of the average
draftee as he is pushed, prodded and prepped for battle with the enemy. The beauty of it all is that he did it using animated toys rather than real draftees. It kind of underscores the feeling unreality which usually precedes the coming of miltary conflict. The part which makes it look like fun.
This was one of the last of the cartoons concerning the war
which were designed to make us laugh at ourselves. In just a few short months
after the release of this cartoon the attack on Pearl Harbor would affect
everything about the American way of life; even the cartoons. They, too, were casualties
of the war as they became tools of propaganda, designed to inflame passions and
beat the enemy.
Art can be used for good, and it can be used for evil. And
it’s not always the artist who creates the evil. Sometimes, art is merely a
reflection of who we are at the time. In this cartoon, we were still innocents.
Wouldn't it be nice if that it were still so?
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