Tin Pan Alley Cats

Having just watched his Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs, I was in for a nice surprise when I watched on Thad's Animation Blog, Bob Clampett's next cartoon that was on the "Censored 11" list: Tin Pan Alley Cats. The leading character is a black-face feline inspired by Fats Waller who chooses "wine, women, and song" over a Salvation Army-type band. From there we see lots of jazz-inspired images of various entertainers before we go to a dream sequence taken directly from Clampett's own Porky in Wackyland with some hilariously wacky additions like the "rubber band" (which would appear in the color remake Dough for the Do-Do) and caricatures of Tojo, Hitler, and a Russian leader kicking the latter (the Soviet Union being our allies at the time)! In other words, Clampett has done it again making a kaleidoscope of images that only he can conjure up! The fact that many of the scenes were reused animation didn't bother me in the least. So on that note, I highly recommend Tin Pan Alley Cats.

Bob Clampett was a highly imaginative director, with a wonderfully wacky visual style unlike any other animator/director in cartoon history and the humour in his cartoon was often thick and fast, razor sharp and inventive in visuals.

'Tin Pan Alley Cats' is not one of his strongest efforts, and many won't take kindly to some of the material and stereotypes. One can see why it's one of the "Censored 11" cartoons, but to be honest there are worse and more offensive cartoons in this small group, particularly 'Angel Puss' which was both offensive and a bad cartoon.

It is not hard to see why the material in 'Tin Pan Alley Cats' is not for the faint hearted or easily offended. As someone who isn't easily offended, even I had to admit that the characters were poorly drawn, ugly in design and with features ridiculously exaggerated (especially those lips) and that the stereotypes of black people looking, sounding and acting stupid and lazy (which is further from the truth more often than not) are crude, exaggerated to extreme and unsubtle to the point of offensiveness. The cartoon is very light on plot.

Despite all this, there is entertainment value in 'Tin Pan Alley Cats' and much of it is exceptionally made, making it somewhere around top middle of the "Censored 11" cartoons in ranking. Cartoons like 'Angel Puss' don't have the honour of having either of those things. Ugly character designs aside, the animation is extremely imaginative and rich in detail. Even greater is the incredible soundtrack which adds to the cartoon enormously and gives it such energy.

Some amusing moments are present, though the humour could have been more consistent, Clampett's distinctive style shines through loud and clear and there is a wonderfully weird surreal atmosphere that works so well within the cartoon and elevates the material to a higher level actually. The supremely talented Mel Blanc has done much better, having to provide stereotypical voices for the characters, but he does bring exuberance at least. The Four Dreamers, Four Spirits of Rhythm and Zoot Watson add a good deal.

Overall, one of the better "Censored 11" cartoons, despite being racially offensive in places. 7/10 Bethany Cox

This is a great short that is right up there with Clampett's earlier "Porky in Wackyland." In fact, the shorts are very similar in ways other than being Clampett creations. The odd characters that Porky encounters in "Porky in Wackyland" are very similar to the characters that the Fats Waller-esque cat runs across in the fantasy sequence in "Tin Pan Alley Cats."

Overall, "Tin Pan Alley Cats" is arguably one of the best shorts from the golden age of animation. They certainly don't make them like this anymore!

Merrie Melodies short, directed by Bob Clampett, notable today for being one of the Censored Eleven. For those who don't know, the Censored Eleven are cartoons that were withheld from syndication because they were considered to be too offensive due to their use of racial stereotypes and imagery. This one bears some similarities to two of Clampett's other shorts, Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs (also on the Censored Eleven list) and Porky in Wackyland. The plot, such as there is one, is about a black cat going to a night club where the music works him into such a frenzy he has surreal hallucinations. Look, the stereotypical way black people in this are drawn and speak is gross. I don't think anyone will reasonably deny that. But there is some value in this cartoon that's missing from some of the other Eleven. For one thing, the music is terrific. For another, the animation is really nice (offensive parts aside). The trippy hallucination scene is right up Clampett's alley. No one did these types of scenes better than him at that time. So see it if you're a fan of Clampett's and if you don't have a delicate stomach with regard to the offensive elements.

This is an incredibly good cartoon that has sadly been shoved into the vaults because of the fact that it caricatures pianist Fats Waller (as a cat, no less) and the powers that be are afraid this short might offend somebody somewhere. Even sadder still, Fats Waller himself is probably all too unknown these days. A great musician and one of those larger-than-life personalities that come along a few times each generation. This short reminds me in spots of Porky In Wackyland, but with better music. This is well worth the effort to hunt for. Most highly recommended.