Mother Goose Goes Hollywood

I am not one for "political correctness" and don't think any film should be banned just because it offends. However, because of some offensive imagery of Blacks in this cartoon, you're not likely to find it except on the Internet. However, before you rush off to find it, I warn you--not so much because of the racially insensitive material (and it is offensive) but because the movie itself is pretty insipid and unfunny. Just a couple years earlier, Disney made a similar film that was littered with cartoon images of famous actors (MICKEY'S POLO TEAM), but it was a good bit funnier and more likable. Plus, this time it all seems a bit more forced. If you do see this cartoon, don't see it because it's anything special--see it because it's a good case of a film that has been shelved because of changing tastes and mores.

This was a wonderful idea for a Disney (or non-Disney)cartoon. It was very creative to portray the latest Hollywood stars as characters from the classic nursery rhymes. I was reading someone else's comments and they mentioned that understanding this short's humor would take a lot of knowledge of the Hollywood stars of the 30's. I do agree with them. Many of those stars were unknown to me, but I could identify quite a few of them. Let's see! There was Katherine Hepburn portrayed as Little Bo Peep. W.C. Fields is portrayed as Humptey Dumpty with the puppet Charlie McCarthey making clever jokes about him. In the nursery rhyme about the seesaw, there was Edward G. Robinson and Greta Garbo going up and down. Simple Simon was portrayed by Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy was the pieman. The scene at the beginning is humorous where Mother Goose takes the place of the MGM lion. Then, there is a disclaimer that reads: ANY RESEMBLANCE TO ACTUAL PERSONALITIES PORTRAYED IN THIS PICTURE, LIVING OR DEAD, IS PURELY COINCIDENTAL.

I wasn't really sure what this had to do with "Mother Goose" but once it got going it was quite an entertaining little series of characterisations of Hollywood stars doing things from nursery rhymes or just having a darned good time. I'm sure I saw Katharine Hepburn, Edward G. Robinson, Laurel & Hardy, the Marx Brothers and Charles Laughton in this sing-along and some of the animation hits the nail on the head - especially Laughton and Hepburn as as very adaptable "Little Bow Beep". It's essentially a celebration of animated caricatures and though entirely forgettable, passes ten minutes with a lively score easily enough.

This was a rather boring cartoon where we see caricatures of famous Hollywood actors during the Golden Era. No plot and not much laughter - just appearances of a bunch of actors.

Donald Duck makes a cameo appearance, which I thought I was the highlight of the cartoon, along with the pie-in-the-face of the Bo-Peep character.

Grade D+

This Disney animated short puts Hollywood stars of the 1930's into roles from Mother Goose stories. For example W.C. Fields is Humpty Dumpty and the Marx Brothers are the fidlers three. I'm sure much of this film's humor depended on a knowledge of the stars of the day. Today it's just not as amusing. Still, the animation is wonderful. Donald Duck does make a cameo appearance. The version Disney shows on TV has obviously had pieces edited.