Confederate Honey
Encyclopedia
Confederate Honey is a 1940 Merrie Melodies
animated cartoon short directed by Friz Freleng
and produced by Leon Schlesinger
. It is a sendup of Gone with the Wind
, and features an early appearance by Elmer Fudd
in his most familiar form.
The cartoon's title is meant to evoke "Confederate money."
"), and Colonel O'Hairoil, a literal blueblood in the literally bluegrass country of Kentucky, presides over rich tobacco and cotton plantations. His black workers slowly pick the cotton one ball at a time, and when one young lad takes two balls of cotton and hands them to his recumbent father to place in the packing crate, he is warned, "Don't get too ambitious there, son."
The pride of the plantation is the Colonel's daughter, Crimson O'Hairoil, who is courted by many suitors, who leave in vain after having their horse parking ticket validated (for parking is charged by the hour). Crimson has eyes only for the "chivalrous," "hard riding, square shooting soldier of fortune, Ned Cutler." (Elmer Fudd
). Ned arrives, and is just, with some difficulty, about to ask Crimson a question, when there is an explosion—the war has started. Ned must leave to join his "wegiment." He leaves his horse in the paid lot, despite the warning of the attendant.
The war drags on. The war is picketed on the grounds that it is unfair to the Union, while civilians are equipped with blue "Union suit
s" (uniforms). An officer addresses his men, warning that the other side is pitching Stoneball Jackson, "a southpaw" against them, and if they win, they will meet the South in the Cotton Bowl. A trumpeteer sounds a call, but things degenerate into a jazz band. A nervous Confederate officer paces in a tent with information coming in by telegraph—it turns out to be race results. Ned shoots a cannon, whose ball acts like a pinball in a machine.
Meanwhile, the horse and attendant await Ned's return. The Colonel is dispirited to hear, on the radio, that "The Yanks" have won again, announced before a victory for Brooklyn (and all others rained out), and curses the Yankees.
Back at camp, Ned reads a letter and sighs. A signal rocket turns into an advertisement "After the battle eat Southern Fried Chicken at Mammy's Shack." Crimson, having promised to burn a light in the window for Ned, does so with such enthusiasm with a searchlight that she alarms Paul Revere
, who rides away giving his famous warning.
Time passes (with the horse and attendant still in the lot) from 1861 to 1865, and the war ends. Crimson looks out her window, strewn with the remains of candles. At last, Ned returns, and finally asks Crimson the question—can she validate his parking ticket? She stamps "REVOKED" across his forehead.
This is the first of three cartoons featuring the black hunter from All This and Rabbit Stew
. He appears as the slave who is waiting for Ned to pick up his horse.
A Turner dubbed version (which has the same edits as seen on TV airings) was released in the Errol Flynn Westerns Collection on the DVD release of Virginia City
Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies is the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures between 1931 and 1969.Originally produced by Harman-Ising Pictures, Merrie Melodies were produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions from 1933 to 1944. Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. in 1944,...
animated cartoon short directed by Friz Freleng
Friz Freleng
Isadore "Friz" Freleng was an animator, cartoonist, director, and producer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros....
and produced by Leon Schlesinger
Leon Schlesinger
Leon Schlesinger was an American film producer, most noted for founding Leon Schlesinger Productions, which later became the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio, during the golden age of Hollywood animation.-Early life and career:...
. It is a sendup of Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind (film)
Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American historical epic film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel of the same name. It was produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Sidney Howard...
, and features an early appearance by Elmer Fudd
Elmer Fudd
Elmer J. Fudd/Egghead is a fictional cartoon character and one of the most famous Looney Tunes characters, and the de facto archenemy of Bugs Bunny. He has one of the more disputed origins in the Warner Bros. cartoon pantheon . His aim is to hunt Bugs, but he usually ends up seriously injuring...
in his most familiar form.
The cartoon's title is meant to evoke "Confederate money."
Plot summary
It is 1861 (B.Sea., that is "Before SeabiscuitSeabiscuit
Seabiscuit was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse in the United States. From an inauspicious start, Seabiscuit became an unlikely champion and a symbol of hope to many Americans during the Great Depression...
"), and Colonel O'Hairoil, a literal blueblood in the literally bluegrass country of Kentucky, presides over rich tobacco and cotton plantations. His black workers slowly pick the cotton one ball at a time, and when one young lad takes two balls of cotton and hands them to his recumbent father to place in the packing crate, he is warned, "Don't get too ambitious there, son."
The pride of the plantation is the Colonel's daughter, Crimson O'Hairoil, who is courted by many suitors, who leave in vain after having their horse parking ticket validated (for parking is charged by the hour). Crimson has eyes only for the "chivalrous," "hard riding, square shooting soldier of fortune, Ned Cutler." (Elmer Fudd
Elmer Fudd
Elmer J. Fudd/Egghead is a fictional cartoon character and one of the most famous Looney Tunes characters, and the de facto archenemy of Bugs Bunny. He has one of the more disputed origins in the Warner Bros. cartoon pantheon . His aim is to hunt Bugs, but he usually ends up seriously injuring...
). Ned arrives, and is just, with some difficulty, about to ask Crimson a question, when there is an explosion—the war has started. Ned must leave to join his "wegiment." He leaves his horse in the paid lot, despite the warning of the attendant.
The war drags on. The war is picketed on the grounds that it is unfair to the Union, while civilians are equipped with blue "Union suit
Union suit
A union suit is a type of one-piece long underwear. Created in Utica, New York, United States, it originated as women's wear during the 19th-century United States clothing reform efforts, as an alternative to constricting garments, and soon gained popularity among men as well...
s" (uniforms). An officer addresses his men, warning that the other side is pitching Stoneball Jackson, "a southpaw" against them, and if they win, they will meet the South in the Cotton Bowl. A trumpeteer sounds a call, but things degenerate into a jazz band. A nervous Confederate officer paces in a tent with information coming in by telegraph—it turns out to be race results. Ned shoots a cannon, whose ball acts like a pinball in a machine.
Meanwhile, the horse and attendant await Ned's return. The Colonel is dispirited to hear, on the radio, that "The Yanks" have won again, announced before a victory for Brooklyn (and all others rained out), and curses the Yankees.
Back at camp, Ned reads a letter and sighs. A signal rocket turns into an advertisement "After the battle eat Southern Fried Chicken at Mammy's Shack." Crimson, having promised to burn a light in the window for Ned, does so with such enthusiasm with a searchlight that she alarms Paul Revere
Paul Revere
Paul Revere was an American silversmith and a patriot in the American Revolution. He is most famous for alerting Colonial militia of approaching British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord, as dramatized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, Paul Revere's Ride...
, who rides away giving his famous warning.
Time passes (with the horse and attendant still in the lot) from 1861 to 1865, and the war ends. Crimson looks out her window, strewn with the remains of candles. At last, Ned returns, and finally asks Crimson the question—can she validate his parking ticket? She stamps "REVOKED" across his forehead.
This is the first of three cartoons featuring the black hunter from All This and Rabbit Stew
All This and Rabbit Stew
All This and Rabbit Stew is a one-reel animated cartoon short subject in the Merrie Melodies series, produced in Technicolor and released to theatres on September 20, 1941 by Warner Bros. and Vitaphone. It was produced by Leon Schlesinger and directed by an uncredited Tex Avery, with musical...
. He appears as the slave who is waiting for Ned to pick up his horse.
Censorship
- While this cartoon is not listed as a "Censored Eleven" short, it has not been shown in full (or at all) on American television in many years due to content believed by some to be demeaning to African-Americans. When the short aired on the now-defunct Kids WB! channel, the following parts were cut:
- The shot of the sign reading, "Uncle Tom's Bungalows--$1.50 a Night and Up"
- All scenes featuring black cotton pickers.
- A shot of a slave girl putting the finishing touches on her white mistress's dress.
- The scene with the slave validating parking tickets is cropped so the viewer only sees the slave's hand.
- The scene where Elmer gives his horse to a slave valet crops out the appearance of the slave valet and is shortened to remove the part where the slave actually parks the horse.
- All three scenes of the slave waiting for Elmer to retrieve his horse.
Availability
An unedited version was released on the laserdisc set The Golden Age of Looney Tunes Vol. 3The Golden Age of Looney Tunes
The Golden Age of Looney Tunes is an out-of-print series of 5-disc laserdisc and 10-tape VHS box sets released by MGM/UA Home Video, as part of a deal with Turner Entertainment Co., a division of Turner Broadcasting System. Five volumes were released on laserdisc, but only the first volume was...
A Turner dubbed version (which has the same edits as seen on TV airings) was released in the Errol Flynn Westerns Collection on the DVD release of Virginia City
Virginia City (film)
Virginia City is a 1940 black-and-white movie starring Errol Flynn, Miriam Hopkins, and Randolph Scott, and featuring a mustachioed Humphrey Bogart in the role of the real-life outlaw John Murrell. The film was directed by Michael Curtiz...