Topic: Ignorance or Sarcasm?

[Senorita Rita]

I haven't seen this short in a while, so forgive me if a few details are off. There's a scene in "Wee, Wee Monnsuer" (sp) in which the stooges enter some type of arabian palace and confront a sultan (played by Vernon Dent, I believe) and his servant. At one point, Dent gives his servant some kind of order, and he responds "Yowlza, boss!" Later on, when the sultan is knocked out, the servant rushes over to help him, saying "Oh, massa, massa."
Now I don't know about anyone else, but I though this was pretty funny. Here they were in the middle of Arabia, and this guy sounds like an extra from "Gone With the Wind" (There's a similar situation in "Some More of Samoa," in which one of the "natives" talks about turning Curly into a "po'k chop".) It was ridiculous, and in my opinion, that was its intention. I saw it as poking fun at stereotypes. I think that the Stooges expected their audience to be a *little* smarter than to think, "Yes, all Blacks around the world really do say 'yowza"'. As we all know, the Stooges films were far from PC, but most of the "politically incorrect" content stemmed from satire. Of course, there were many other films, particularly comedies of that era and other times before the civil rights movement, that were blatantly racist and ignorant, and in which ethnic "others" were reduced to stereotypes no matter what context they were in. There are also a few Stooge films which contain straight out racist material (mostly against Native Americans".)  But I don't see the segment in "Wee, Wee..." this way. I saw it as a silly but sarcastic piece of commentary. What do you think?

[BeAStooge]

I saw it as a silly but sarcastic piece of commentary. What do you think?

A combination of both ignorance and satire?  As an example, here's some items from Jules White's original MALICE IN THE PALACE script:

 - The supporting cast list is handwritten by Mr. White on the script's title page:
Sambo -  Everett Brown
Emir of Shmow -  Johnny Kascier
Guard -  Joe Palma

 - A deleted scene from the film:
(After the Emir sits down and begins reading the comic pages)
79.  MEDIUM SHOT NUBIAN AND EMIR
The Emir is lighting his hookah which rests on a small table.
Nubian (with Southern Negro accent):  Beg yo’ pahdon, Yo’ Highness, have you all seen three leapfroggers around heah?
Emir:  Drinking again, eh Sambo?
Nubian:  No Sah, Yo’ Highness… no sah!

[Pilsner Panther]

This whole subject is a really difficult one for modern audiences, since thanks to the 1960's Civil Rights movement, (some) Caucasians are a lot more understanding of the still generally lousy position of so many African-Americans in this society.

Racial humor was once very common in the U.S., and not that long ago, either. For example, when the great comic legacy of Chuck Jones is cited— as it has been often enough since his death— there never seems to be any mention of his Inki and the Mynah Bird cartoons, which starred a "Little Black Sambo" character (and the mysterious bird). I remember seeing these on TV as late as 1971 or '72, but after that, they disappeared. You certainly won't find them in any of the VHS or DVD packages that Warner Brothers has issued since then!

It was a very different time in American culture before World War II— keep in mind that from 1929 through the early 1950's, "Amos & Andy" was the most popular program first on radio, and later on television. If you ask me, that wasn't so much for racial reasons as it was because the scripts were usually first-rate and the actors were extremely funny.

But still, you had two white guys (Charles Correll and Freeman Gosden) playing black characters, and that's something that no one would put up with today. In 2004, that show certainly wouldn't make it onto a major network and attract important sponsors with a lot of money to spend on advertising— but back then, it did. One of the most popular black jazz bands on the radio and on records in the late 20's and early 30's was called "McKinney's Cotton Pickers." The fantastic Duke Ellington Orchestra sometimes recorded under the name of "The Jungle Band" just so they could have a chance to cut some records, and of course the biggest white entertainer of that era, Al Jolson, often performed in blackface.

I've been thinking of doing a Pilsner's Picks segment on racially and "politically incorrect" musical and comedy material from about 1900 to 1940. If this would offend anyone (hi there, Stooge), I won't, but it does happen to be part of our cultural history here in these now Dis-United (red-blue rather than black-white) States, and I've never found ignoring history to be a good thing, either for individuals or for the country as a whole.

Maybe I'll run a poll on whether anyone wants to hear some of this stuff... but not today. It's Thanksgiving, so all you stuffing-heads, giblet-brains, and turkey-necks, have a happy one!

 

 

[Baggie]

 Yeh have a good Thanksgiving all you American Stooge lovers. Do you all get a day off work and stuff over there when it's Thanksiving? (maybe that is the most stupid question I ever asked, but hey ho, have a good one!)

[Dunrobin]

Yeh have a good Thanksgiving all you American Stooge lovers. Do you all get a day off work and stuff over there when it's Thanksiving? (maybe that is the most stupid question I ever asked, but hey ho, have a good one!)

"There's no such thing as a stupid question - just stupid people!" - Mr. Garrison, South Park 

Yes, most Americans get Thanksgiving day off (a few stores remain open, and of course medical facilities), and a lot of us get (or take) the Friday after off too, which is why the Friday after Thanksgiving is considered the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.

Most Americans get at least the six "main" holidays off each year:
  Memorial Day - the last Monday in May (to honor those who fought and died for our country)
  Independence Day - July 4th
  Labor Day - first Monday in September (created back when labor unions were still powerful)
  Thanksgiving - the last Thursday in November, which continues the tradition established by the Pilgrims in 1621
   Christmas Day - Dec 25th
    New Year's Day - Jan 1st

They are all Federal holidays (legally established by Congress) - what you'd call "Bank" holidays.  There are probably around a dozen more, but only deadbeat government stooges tend to get all of those.   

[Senorita Rita]

Thanks for that info, BAS.

Racial humor was once very common in the U.S., and not that long ago, either. 

Well, the thing is, there's a difference between racial humor and racIST humor. A lot of the stuff from around 1970 and before was just racist, meaning its purpose was demean and simplify an entire race. But there was also humor that simply brought up the issue of race because "differences" are funny. There's nothing wrong with racial humor, as long as its smart and done in good taste. Take the stooges, for example. The scene in "Mutts To You" where Moe and Larry pose as Chinese people- racial. War-era shorts in which the Japanese are portrayed as buck-toothed "Japs"- racist. Moe and Curly's black baby in "Uncivil Warriors"- racial. The mammy-like maid in "Termites of 1938"- racist (in fact that one scene almost ruined the short for me.) It really has to be taken in context, not only of the times before racial and cultural sensitivity, but in terms of what was popular and acceptable back then. I can think of yet another stooge short in which Moe somehow gets ink on his face, and Larry gets down on his knees and says "Mammy!" Now to the average viewer, that looks pretty ignorant, but I wasn't offended by it because I knew what they were referencing (The Jazz Singer.) Despite your feelings on about *that* film, the fact is that they were making fun of a pop cultire phenomenon of the time, not Black people.