''Goldilocks and the Jivin' Bears'' is a 1944

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

'' Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Friz Freleng and produced by

Eddie Selzer Edward Selzer (January 12, 1893 – February 22, 1970) was an American film producer and publicist who served as head of Warner Bros. Cartoons from 1944 to 1958. He served in the US Navy and fought as a Golden Gloves boxer. He won a boxing exhibi ...

. The short was released on September 2, 1944. Because of the

racial stereotypes An ethnic stereotype, racial stereotype or cultural stereotype involves part of a system of beliefs about typical characteristics of members of a given ethnic group, their status, societal and cultural norms. A national stereotype, or nation ...

of black people throughout the short, it is withheld from circulation, one of the so-called "

Censored Eleven The Censored Eleven is a group of '' Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoons originally produced and released by Warner Bros. that were withheld from syndication in the United States by United Artists (UA) since 1968. UA owned the dis ...

" shorts. It is the only Censored Eleven short not to be produced by Leon Schlesinger as he had sold the studio to

around the release of this cartoon.

Plot

The Three Bears, a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

trio, are enjoying a hot jam session when their instruments catch fire. After consulting a storybook, they find that they must go out for a walk to let the instruments cool off. Across the street (in a house with a neon sign saying "GRANMA'S"), the

Big Bad Wolf The Big Bad Wolf is a fictional wolf appearing in several cautionary tales that include some of '' Grimms' Fairy Tales.'' Versions of this character have appeared in numerous works, and it has become a generic archetype of a menacing predatory ...

is expecting

Red Riding Hood "Little Red Riding Hood" is a European fairy tale about a young girl and a sly wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th century European folk tales. The two best known versions were written by Charles Perrault and the Brothe ...

's arrival. Instead, he receives a telegram that says Red Riding Hood will be late because she is "working at Lockheed as a

riveter A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed, a rivet consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite to the head is called the ''tail''. On installation, the rivet is placed in a punched o ...

." The frustrated wolf looks out the window and sees Goldilocks entering the Three Bears' house. (Unlike the other characters, Goldilocks is drawn as an attractive young woman.) Because there is a "food shortage" going on, the wolf decides to pursue Goldilocks. Inside the Three Bears' house, Goldilocks tries all the beds and lies down in the best one, only to find the wolf in bed with her. The wolf chases Goldilocks through the house until the Three Bears return. Finding Goldilocks and the wolf struggling in the living room, they shout "Jitterbugs!" and begin playing a dance tune. The wolf and Goldilocks dance the

jitterbug Jitterbug is a generalized term used to describe swing dancing. It is often synonymous with the lindy hop dance but might include elements of the jive, east coast swing, collegiate shag, charleston, balboa and other swing dances. Swing danc ...

until the wolf is exhausted and flees to Grandma's house. Red Riding Hood returns to find the wolf in Grandma's bed, but the wolf is too tired to eat her. So he attempts to make Red leave, claiming she came too late for their segment and his feet are sore from the dance. However The Three Bears rush in, shout "Dere's dat jitterbug!" and resume playing. This causes Grandma to burst out of a cupboard and jitterbug with the wolf, who turns to the audience and says, in a Jimmy Durante voice, "''Everybody'' wants to get into the act!"

Reception

Motion Picture Herald The ''Motion Picture Herald'' was an American film industry trade paper published from 1931 to December 1972.Anthony Slide, ed. (1985)''International Film, Radio, and Television Journals'' Greenwood Press. p. 242. It was replaced by the ''QP Heral ...

'' (Oct 7, 1944): "When hot swing hits the old nursery tales it cuts some strange capers. Here, three bears go to town in modern musical style leaving the way clear for a blackfaced Goldilocks who proceeds to sample the beds. In comes the wolf, weary of waiting for Little Red Riding Hood and on the prowl for other game. The bears return and Goldi gives the Wolf quite a workout, while Red Riding Hood and Grandma arrive in time to keep him on his feet." ''Motion Picture Exhibitor'' (Sept 6, 1944): "This hilarious burlesque on fairy tales has the three Jivin' Black Bears going to town with some red hot music... With rhyme, colored dialect, swell music accompaniment, this is tops. Excellent."

Notes

* This cartoon was re-released into the Blue Ribbon ''Merrie Melodies'' program on December 1, 1951. Because the short credits

on re-release, the original closing title card was kept. It is the only cartoon in the Censored Eleven that does not survive with its original titles, as the original titles for " Sunday Go to Meetin' Time" and "

The Isle of Pingo Pongo ''The Isle of Pingo Pongo'' is a 1938 '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoon supervised by Tex Avery. The short was released on May 28, 1938 and features an early version of Elmer Fudd. This is the first of a series of travelogue spoofs, and the first War ...

" are known to exist.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Goldilocks And The Jivin' Bears 1944 films 1944 animated films 1944 short films 1940s animated short films Short films directed by Friz Freleng Merrie Melodies short films Censored Eleven Films based on Goldilocks and the Three Bears Films based on Little Red Riding Hood American parody films Fairy tale parody films Films scored by Carl Stalling Vitaphone short films Animated films about animals Animated films about bears Animated films about wolves 1940s Warner Bros. animated short films 1940s English-language films

Plot

Reception

Notes

See also

References

External links