Bars and Stripes Forever

"Bars and Stripes Forever" portrays a not-so-gritty prison full of gags. Of course, now that the United States has 2 million people in jail*, this isn't exactly a source of humor. The Attica uprising brought attention to the conditions in prisons, although it looks as though things didn't change much thereafter. In "The Big One", Michael Moore interviewed an ex-con who'd been forced to take calls while in jail. The majority of the prison population is black and Hispanic - their time behind bars tends to keep them in poverty - and large numbers of people in the '60s were imprisoned for having a single marijuana seed.

But I digress. I certainly laughed a lot at this cartoon, as I have at practically every classic Warner Bros. cartoon. Directors Cal Dalton and Ben "Bugs" Hardaway ran what had been Friz Freleng's unit during the approximately two years when Freleng directed the "Captain and the Kids" series at MGM; after MGM canceled it, Freleng returned to WB and got his old job back. Early on, Hardaway had drawn a picture of a rabbit (calling it "Bug's Bunny"), which of course became WB's most famous cartoon star.

*The country with the second highest prison population is China. Imagine that: a police state with four times the population of the US has fewer people in jail. Maybe most people over there know how to stay in line.

Weird little Merrie Melodies short about the fun times to be had in prison. No one's playing hide the soap here so don't get excited. It's basically just showing the convicts lounging around and trying to escape. The guards are on constant patrol looking for someone out of line to hit with their blackjacks. The warden's walking around like an idiot mumbling and doing a Hugh Herbert impression. By the way, I should point out the characters in this are dogs not humans. The animation is good with well-drawn characters and backgrounds and nice colors. The music is jazzy and fun. Solid voice work all around. There are a few good gags here and there but, ultimately, there's nothing special about this cartoon. It's amusing but forgettable.

This is simply a cartoonist's view of life in a big prison. The prisoners are running things pretty much, but somehow they remain. There is, of course, the incorrigible giant with the five o'clock shadow who gets away with everything. All the cliches are there. The ditsy warden. The endless calendar. The music. the escape plans. Anyway, it's fun. It also allows us to get away from the usual suspects like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck and see some other figures.

Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons. Having said that, Ben Hardaway/Cal Dalton's cartoons are generally not favourites of mine. None of their work is unwatchable as such, but nothing is exceptional either, their best efforts (so 'Hare-Um Scare-Um' and their two Egghead cartoons) being solid if not much more than that.

'Bars and Stripes Forever' is neither among their best or worst. Somewhere in the middle if ranking them. It is a long way from terrible and worth a one-time watch, but there is not a lot here that's outstanding, inspired or has an awful lot of staying power. Hardaway and Dalton's work is competent but undistinguished, lacking the visual imagination and consistent humour of the work of superior directors (a few not yet having fully refined their styles).

Will start with the good things. The animation is very well done, done in crisp black and white with meticulous in background detail, nice drawing and fluid movement. Neat lighting effects too. Carl Stalling's music is outstanding. It is as always lushly orchestrated, full of lively energy and characterful in rhythm, not only adding to the action but also enhancing it. Great use and arrangements of pre-existing music. Mel Blanc as always excels in bringing individuality to more than one character.

There are some nice lines and well timed gags, the energy is hardly non-existent and the characters are lively enough.

Story-wise, 'Bars and Stripes Forever' is very flimsy and with not many surprises. The momentum is not always consistent.

Something that could have been achieved with more gags, being a cartoon with not quite enough of them and their execution is hit and miss, and sharper timing.

In conclusion, not great but far from unwatchable. 6/10