Rumors

Very entertaining Private Snafu cartoon made for use by the U.S. military during World War II. This one's directed by Friz Freleng with a script by Dr. Seuss and Phil Eastman. Here we see Snafu learn a lesson about gossiping and the unintended impact it can have. He takes one comment from another G.I. about "bombing weather" and tells it to another, changing the meaning and tone of the original comment to something more sinister. Then that soldier tells another, who tells another, and so on, with each telling growing more and more exaggerated until the final result is a widespread panic about a Japanese invasion of the U.S. It's a fun short, possibly the best in the whole Snafu series, with lots of wacky Dr. Seuss touches and great black & white animation. The scene where Snafu is chased up a telephone pole is terrific stuff.

Friz Freleng's 'Rumours' is an excellent Private Snafu cartoon that warns against spreading panic-inducing rumours during wartime. Produced, as were all the Snafu shorts, to be shown to military audiences as entertaining instructional films, 'Rumours' is extremely imaginative and crams tons of ideas into its very brief lifespan. When Snafu starts a rumour about a bombing, it escalates into an eventual rumour that America has lost the war. This is illustrated brilliantly by way of a long, rubbery piece of baloney and several strange, fictional creatures who come back to haunt Snafu with ever more terrible news about his country's military. 'Rumours' is inventive, fast paced and funny, all of which help to overshadow the rather laboured, "don't badmouth the military" message. It stands up as one of the best of the Private Snafu shorts.

Rumors (1943)

*** (out of 4)

Fun entry in the series has Private Snafu hearing a brief comment regarding a bombing so his over-active brain thinks that something must be about to happen. He tells one soldiers about the bombing and soon rumors are spreading all over the place. This War Department short is another good entry in the series as once again we're treated to some excellent animation and there's Mel Blanc's once again terrific vocal work. Fans of Daffy Duck will also notice the same voice being done during one sequence here. For the most part this here is one of the most entertaining in the series because the spreading of the rumor was done in a very fun and creative way. Director Friz Freleng certainly knows how to "spread" the rumor and there are some nice laughs throughout.

Many of the Private Snafu cartoons are very enjoyable, being very well-made, entertaining and educational with good morals and interesting historical and instructional material. Even when inept, Snafu is still very much endearing and fun for a vast majority of his cartoons.

'Rumors' is up there with the best Private Snafu cartoons, certainly one of the most entertaining and most creative. In hindsight the message may be a little on the laboured side, but still makes its point without being preachy or patronising. It warning against rumour spreading and its consequences if done is educational and come to think of it is still very much relevant now.

As usual, 'Rumors' is very well-animated though with fluid character designs, detailed and not sparse backgrounds and lively colours/shadings. Carl Stalling always did write outstanding music for the many cartoons he scored for and that is true for 'In the Aleutians', the orchestration is very lush and the pacing is characteristically lively.

The narration entertains, resonates and teaches and doesn't fall into the trap of over-explaining or being over-used. Snafu endears and amuses even when so inept at what he does, while the writing is classic Dr Seuss and gets increasingly wilder, more creative and at times more nightmarish the bigger the rumours get. The voice acting is suitably zesty.

Overall, great and one of the best Private Snafu cartoons. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Rumors is a memorable entry in the wartime series of instructional cartoons starring "Private Snafu." The films were aimed at servicemen and were directed, animated and scored by some of the top talent from Warner Bros.' Termite Terrace, including Friz Freleng, Chuck Jones, and Carl Stalling. The invaluable Mel Blanc supplied the voice for Snafu, and the rhyming narration for many of the films was supplied by Theodor Geisel, i.e. Dr. Seuss. The idea was to convey basic concepts with humor and vivid imagery, using the character of Snafu as a perfect negative example: he was the dope, the little twerp who would do everything you're NOT supposed to do. According to Chuck Jones the scripts had to be approved by Pentagon officials, but Army brass also permitted the animators an unusual amount of freedom concerning language and bawdy jokes, certainly more than theatrical censorship of the time would allow -- all for the greater good, of course.

As the title indicates, this cartoon is an illustration of the damaging power of a rumor. The setting is an Army camp. Private Snafu sits next to another soldier in the latrine (something you won't see in any other Hollywood films of the era) and their casual conversation starts the ball rolling. We observe as an offhand remark about a bombing is misinterpreted, then exaggerated, then turned into an increasingly frightening rumor that sweeps the camp. The imagery is indeed vivid: the brain of one anxious soldier is depicted as a percolating pot, while the fevered speech of another is rendered as steamy hot air, i.e "balloon juice." A soldier "shoots his mouth off," cannon-style, and before you know it actual baloney is flying in every direction. Winged baloney, at that. Panicked soldiers tell each other that the Brooklyn Bridge has been pulverized, Coney Island wiped out, enemy troops have landed on the White House lawn, and the Japanese are in California. The visuals become ever more surreal and nightmarish until at last the camp is quarantined for "Rumor-itis" and Private Snafu has been locked up in a padded cell.

This is a highly effective piece of work. The filmmakers dramatized their theme with wit and startling energy, and the message is still a valid one. In recent years we've seen that catastrophic events (real or imagined) can breed all kinds of wild rumors that spread more rapidly than ever, thanks to advances in mass communication. Because the technology has improved, the Private Snafus of our time are able to broadcast their own balloon juice via e-mail, cellphones and blogs. Consequently, Rumors is a rare example of a World War II era educational film with a message that doesn't feel at all dated; in fact it may be more timely than ever.