"The Pygmy Hunt" with The Captain and the Kids - (1938)

Okay- get ready to label me politically incorrect with this posting of the next cartoon in The Captain and the Kids series from MGM studios. I said I was going to post all 15 and I really am going to do that. The Christmas one is special- it's in color. But this one is in black and white; in more ways than one.

The title alone should kind of warn you. I mean "Pygmy Hunt"? Well, the Captain has a safari business and boasts that “He brings ‘em back alive.” He has every species of animal in his menagerie except for a Pygmy. Now there’s a thought; a Pygmy is considered an animal in this cartoon. But let’s see what happens here.

The Captain follows his hound into the jungle trying to pick up the “scent”; on the way the dog is slightly confused and it takes him a while to figure out just what the Captain is looking for. Then, when he finally does encounter a real Pygmy he is completely outwitted mentally and a poor match physically. The Captain is of no real help as he has been relying on his hired help for so long that he is clueless.

Even when their luck changes and the Pygmy is trying make a quiet getaway by “passing” as one of them; they manage to screw that up and wind up with a full scale rebellion on their hands. The cartoon closes out with the Captain and his friends being driven from the land by thousands of angry Pygmies.

Looking at it closely it is easy to see who comes up short here. The white colonialist is portrayed as ignorant and the natives are the ones who win in the end. Kind of like what was happening in real life; or about to; when this cartoon was made. By the time the Second World War was over, colonialism was dead, never to return as it once was. 

You have to wonder about the people who wrote this cartoon; and then wonder again at the people who have only viewed it as politically incorrect for all these years. As with most things, the meaning is subjective not only to the context of both the time and place when the cartoon was made, but also to the interpretation of the historical winds associated with them. It’s just a thought.

"Cleaning House" - The Captain and the Kids (1938)

Here we go again with the Captain and the Kids. This time the whole family gets in on the action as Mama tries to get the house cleaned up a bit. If she’s expecting any sincere help from either the Captain or the Kids, she’s going to be sorely disappointed.

As the children fool around and try to convince Mama that they are the two little angels she thinks they are, the Captain is busy trying to do as little work as possible. This proves to be harder than “factually” working, and when faced with the 2 choices; working or faking it; he decides to fake a heart attack instead. Mama is beside herself with concern, but the boys are wise to the Captains trick.

Dr. Quack; from Dr. Quack and Stork; is summoned and turns out to be an imitation of W.C. Fields along with a little mannequin who is unmistakably Charlie McCarthy. That’s what I like about these old cartoons; they take license to poke fun at other entertainers of the time. And guess what? Nobody sued one another over it. There was still a sense of humor in the entertainment world.

Anyway, Dr. Quack hurries over and Dr. Stork follows with a Bundle of Joy, thinking a baby is coming. Mama slams the door in Dr. Stork’s face- she doesn't want any more kids, thank you. Meantime the boys have gotten the Captain into bed just in time for Dr. Quack to check him out. What follows is a series of antics all designed to get the Captain to admit his slacking and beg for relief from Dr. Quack.

Dr. Stork gets past Mama and delivers the baby; who turns out to be the Charlie McCarthy mannequin; the Captain is horrified that he has had a child. He confesses all to Mama and she puts him to work doing everyone’s chores. The boys never do get “found out” in this one. The cartoon closes out with everyone but the Captain eating dinner to the strains of “There’s No Place Like Home.”

"Old Smokey" - The Captain and the Kids (1938)

These cartoons are new to me so I will be posting all 15 of them; one each Saturday as I discover them. I watch one a week and then post it. Hey, don’t knock it - if you were doing this blog every day you’d be strung out for ideas, too!

This week’s episode actually doesn’t feature the kids at all. It’s the story of a man and his horse. When Smokey, the local fire department horse, is replaced by a new fire engine he is heartbroken. He leaves the firehouse with an old man and pulling the old hand pump tuck. His future looks bleak.

The Captain meantime is busy with polishing his new engine, thinking he is the luckiest guy in the world. Then the first fire call comes in. Rushing to the scene the Captain loses control of the rig and the truck is severely damaged.  Smokey; who meanwhile is plodding along with the old man; smells the fire and hauls himself; the old man; and the pump truck to the fire, putting out the blaze with a torrent of water.

The Captain; taking a page from the Little Red Lighthouse, realizes the value of loyalty and service, quickly reuniting with hid old partner. This is only the 3^rd of the 15 Captain and the Kids cartoons I have seen. I like them, not only for the fact that they are new to me, but also because of the quality of the animation and the presence of a coherent plot, capped off with a moral lesson.