Making Stars (1935)

As a history teacher and lover of films, I occasionally like watching cartoons that have been banned, as they tell us a lot about our society and how far we have come over the years. What was perfectly acceptable decades ago is now, in some cases, seen as gross and inappropriate. Occasionally, these cartoons which have been removed from screening aren't particularly offensive but often, as in the case of this cartoon, they are so god-awful it's hard to imagine that people would have laughed at and enjoyed these films! Thirteen of these cartoons have been packaged together on a DVD entitled "Cartoon Crazys: Banned and Censored" and while the print quality of many of the cartoons is less than stellar, it's a great chance to see how sensibilities have changed.

This cartoon consists of a talent show put on by Betty Boop. However, the acts are all babies and none of it is funny or interesting. While this is not too unusual for Boop cartoons, this one is definitely less interesting than usual AND has the added bonus of some amazingly gross Black stereotypes. First, there are some performing babies that look a lot like Little Black Sambo, not humans. Second, there is an appallingly gross scene of a Black child in the audience who is screaming and is only quieted when his mother gives him a huge slice of watermelon! The result is a god-awful and embarrassing mess. While I am a huge proponent of the First Amendment right to free speech, in a rare case I am happy this film was pulled from circulation--horribly dull, too many dumb baby scenes AND completely offensive don't make for especially good viewing unless you are a pedophile or Klansman.