MGM Cartoon - Swing Wedding (1937)

A Hugh Harman/Rudolf Ising Production. This is the second of two cartoons featuring 1930's African-American celebrities caricatured as frogs (unless you count their appearances in a handful of MGM Bosko cartoons). The other one was the 1936 Oscar-nominated "The Old Mill Pond". However, unlike its predecessor, this one actually has a story to go along with all the musical numbers. The celebrities caricatured throughout this cartoon include Cab Calloway, Ethel Waters, Stepin Fetchit, Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Bill Robinson and the Boswell Sisters. A few words of caution, some might find the content of this cartoon to be racially offensive. But, in defense of the people who originally worked on this cartoon, no harm was intended. In fact, the characterizations in this cartoon are very tame compared to what you'd see in several other cartoons of the 1930's. To some, it might not be so noticeable since the celebrities are all portrayed here as cartoon frogs. While this cartoon is politically incorrect by today's standards, it actually aired quite a few times on TCM several years ago when TCM would show cartoons to fill time between movies.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• MGM
• cartoon
• Happy Harmonies
• Hugh Harman
• frog
• swing
• jazz
• Cab Calloway
• Ethel Waters
• Fats Waller
• Louis Armstrong
• Stepin Fetchit
• Bill Robinson
• racist

[srw6666]

watch very carefully from about 7' 27" to 7' 30"; the dude breaks his trumpet, then shoots up with one of the valves like a syringe and then gives us a wink!

[Clonetos]

Its interesting that this cartoon is a bridge between the songs "minnie the moocher" and "the ghost of smokey joe" all which have and star cab calloway its nice to see it all in one package at last

[MesmerEyesMakeup]

@srw6666 omgosh!!!!

[obestly]

Those frogs represent black people with their big lips and their love for jazz music

[pablo71153]

YO VI ESTE VIDEO , HACE APROXIMADAMENTE 50 AÑOS , Y TODAVIA LO ENCUENTRO ENTRETENIDO JAJAJAJ

[moxie96]

I think the latest disney movie the princess and the frog was slightly inspired by this cartoon but of course not so blatantly racist and stereotypical but for some people the new cartoon was in the same place as these cartoons saying we didn't step far enough away from it and I agree it took far too long for a black disney princess to exist

[handal1973]

Africa no celebration !

[Ariachan8D]

Who dat say who dat when I said who dat?xD

[AlaricaX]

thank you so much for posting! one of the reasons i love youtube!

[plasius]

i want to go to a freak'n swing wedding!!! 

[Kartoonkid95]

7:28 HE TOOK HEROIN

[Kartoonkid95]

YOWZA