Mickey's Mellerdrammer
Encyclopedia
Mickey's Mellerdrammer is a United Artists
film released in 1933
. The title is a corruption of "melodrama", thought to harken back to the earliest minstrel shows, as a film short based on a production of Uncle Tom's Cabin
by the Disney characters.
In Mickey's Mellerdrammer Mickey Mouse
and friends stage their own production of Harriet Beecher Stowe
's anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin
.
During the 19th century Uncle Tom's Cabin
was a best selling novel, but most Americans became familiar with the story through stage plays or musicals known as Tom Shows
. Mickey's Mellerdrammer is an early 20th century animated version of the 19th century Tom Shows
.
Mickey Mouse
, of course, was already black, but the advertising poster for the film shows Mickey dressed in blackface
with exaggerated, orange lips; bushy, white sidewhiskers made out of cotton; and his now trademark white gloves.
, Minnie Mouse
, Goofy
(known then as Dippy Dawg), and the rest of the gang present their own low budget light hearted rendition of the 19th century Tom Shows
for a crowd in a barn converted into a theater for the occasion.
Horace Horsecollar
plays the white slave owner Simon Legree, whip and all. Minnie plays the young white girl Eva. Mickey plays old Uncle Tom
with cotton around his ears and chin, and the young slave girl Topsy. Clarabelle Cow
plays the slave woman Eliza. Goofy
plays the production stage hand.
The cartoon opens with Mickey and Clarabelle Cow in their dressing rooms applying blackface
makeup for their roles.
The cartoon is much more focused on the Disney characters' efforts to put on the play, than an animated version of Uncle Tom's Cabin
. The cartoon contains many images of Mickey and his gang using makeshift props, as light hearted sight gags.
The cartoon closes with the characters coming out for a bow, and Horace Horsecollar's character is pelted with rotten tomatoes. When Goofy shows his face from behind the stage, he is hit with what appears to be a chocolate pie, leaving him in what appears to be blackface
.
was one of several Disney films to use ethnic and gender stereotypes. The gags displayed in the short were common in Hollywood films at the time the short was made. These gags do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the filmmakers. However, by today's standards, those types of gags are regarded as racist.
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
film released in 1933
1933 in film
-Events:* March 2 - King Kong premieres in New York City.* June 6 - The first drive-in theater opens, in Camden, New Jersey.* British Film Institute founded....
. The title is a corruption of "melodrama", thought to harken back to the earliest minstrel shows, as a film short based on a production of Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War", according to Will Kaufman....
by the Disney characters.
In Mickey's Mellerdrammer Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
and friends stage their own production of Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe was an American abolitionist and author. Her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin was a depiction of life for African-Americans under slavery; it reached millions as a novel and play, and became influential in the United States and United Kingdom...
's anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War", according to Will Kaufman....
.
During the 19th century Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War", according to Will Kaufman....
was a best selling novel, but most Americans became familiar with the story through stage plays or musicals known as Tom Shows
Tom Shows
Tom Shows were stage plays and musicals based on the 1852 novel Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. The novel depicts the harsh reality of slavery...
. Mickey's Mellerdrammer is an early 20th century animated version of the 19th century Tom Shows
Tom Shows
Tom Shows were stage plays and musicals based on the 1852 novel Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. The novel depicts the harsh reality of slavery...
.
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
, of course, was already black, but the advertising poster for the film shows Mickey dressed in blackface
Blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...
with exaggerated, orange lips; bushy, white sidewhiskers made out of cotton; and his now trademark white gloves.
Plot
In Mickey's Mellerdrammer Mickey MouseMickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
, Minnie Mouse
Minnie Mouse
Minerva "Minnie" Mouse is an animated character created by Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney. The comic strip story "The Gleam" by Merrill De Maris and Floyd Gottfredson first gave her full name as Minerva Mouse. Minnie has since been a recurring alias for her. Minnie is currently voiced by actress Russi...
, Goofy
Goofy
Goofy is a cartoon character created in 1932 at Walt Disney Productions. Goofy is a tall, anthropomorphic dog, and typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled fedora. Goofy is a close friend of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck...
(known then as Dippy Dawg), and the rest of the gang present their own low budget light hearted rendition of the 19th century Tom Shows
Tom Shows
Tom Shows were stage plays and musicals based on the 1852 novel Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. The novel depicts the harsh reality of slavery...
for a crowd in a barn converted into a theater for the occasion.
Horace Horsecollar
Horace Horsecollar
Horace Horsecollar is a funny animal cartoon character created by Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney. He is an anthropomorphic horse, one of Mickey Mouse's best friends. Horace first appeared as Mickey's plough horse in the cartoon "The Plow Boy" in 1929...
plays the white slave owner Simon Legree, whip and all. Minnie plays the young white girl Eva. Mickey plays old Uncle Tom
Uncle Tom
Uncle Tom is a derogatory term for a person who perceives themselves to be of low status, and is excessively subservient to perceived authority figures; particularly a black person who behaves in a subservient manner to white people....
with cotton around his ears and chin, and the young slave girl Topsy. Clarabelle Cow
Clarabelle Cow
Clarabelle Cow is a Disney fictional character within the Mickey Mouse universe of characters. Clarabelle Cow was created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks in 1928. Clarabelle is one of Minnie Mouse's best friends and is usually depicted as the girlfriend of Horace Horsecollar, although she has also...
plays the slave woman Eliza. Goofy
Goofy
Goofy is a cartoon character created in 1932 at Walt Disney Productions. Goofy is a tall, anthropomorphic dog, and typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled fedora. Goofy is a close friend of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck...
plays the production stage hand.
The cartoon opens with Mickey and Clarabelle Cow in their dressing rooms applying blackface
Blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...
makeup for their roles.
The cartoon is much more focused on the Disney characters' efforts to put on the play, than an animated version of Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War", according to Will Kaufman....
. The cartoon contains many images of Mickey and his gang using makeshift props, as light hearted sight gags.
The cartoon closes with the characters coming out for a bow, and Horace Horsecollar's character is pelted with rotten tomatoes. When Goofy shows his face from behind the stage, he is hit with what appears to be a chocolate pie, leaving him in what appears to be blackface
Blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...
.
Controversy
Over the years many scholars, film critics, parents, and the socially conscious have been critical of Disney for the portrayal of non-whites, non-males in a negative image. Mickey's Mellerdrammer and its use of blackfaceBlackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...
was one of several Disney films to use ethnic and gender stereotypes. The gags displayed in the short were common in Hollywood films at the time the short was made. These gags do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the filmmakers. However, by today's standards, those types of gags are regarded as racist.