During war-time, it’s okay to ridicule the enemy. Of course, when the war’s over, the ridicule becomes really out of place. Bugs Bunny stopped nipping anyone from the Land of the Rising Sun, Popeye didn’t tell anyone in Japan they were saps, and Tokio stopped being a jokio.
Tokio Jokio was Norm McCabe’s last directorial effort for Warner Bros. It would appear he had left the studio and was in uniform when this cartoon was released on May 15, 1943 as his credit is “Cpl. Norman McCabe.” (The city was spelled “Tokio” back then).
The short is supposedly a captured Japanese newsreel and is full of unflattering, tired stereotypes. It starts out with a parody of the Pathé newsreels with the rooster crowing. Except the rooster turns out to be a Japanese vulture in disguise.
“Cock-a-doodle do, prease,” says the vulture, who then rubs its hands (?) together as the Japanese flag appears in the background. (The deal is Japanese people are polite and pronounce the letter “l” as “r,” so they say “prease” instead of “please.” Try to control the laughter).
The music behind this scene is “Fou So Ka.” You can hear it below, from a Victor recording in the U.S. Library of Congress.
The Japanese national anthem, “Kimi Ga Yo,” is under the opening credits.
Don Christensen gets the revolving story credit. Izzy Ellis is the credited animator, though I suspect Art Davis, Cal Dalton and John Carey also animated, with an uncredited Dave Hilberman providing layouts.
McCabe and Christensen don’t leave their ridicule for the Japanese. Hitler and Mussolini show up as losers as well.
One of the worst Looney Tunes of all time. Seven minutes feels twice as long. Even if it wasn't full of racist stereotypes, it would be bad for its lame spot gags. The only one that -sort- of works is the submarine that launches early, with the men still working on it underwater. But even that is only smirk worthy, not really laugh out loud funny.
ReplyDeleteMy problem with TJ isn't the stereotypes, it's that the insult gags are on the level of kindergarten taunts (You're dumb! You stink!). There were plenty of blunders by the Axis powers that could have been legitimately ripped on.
ReplyDeleteI do like the captured newsreel concept with the fake film scratches at the beginning - which they unfortunately abandon immediately afterward. And a couple of the jokes show some promise , such as the aforementioned submarine bit, and the one with the apprehensive kamikaze pilot likely has a ring of truth to it (you can't tell me all those guys willingly "volunteered").
The rest of the short is head-shaking imbecilic, though. You want a good, funny propaganda cartoon, watch Der Fuehrer's Face instead.
I think the only joke I really enjoyed was Hitler receiving a "Wish You Were Here" postcard.
ReplyDeleteNot funny, just nasty.
ReplyDeleteAlso a rare appearance by Rudolf Hess...noted as being in a concentration camp! Plus a reference to General Homma, the general that defeated MacArthur in the Philippines in 1942. Plus a "Nippified" Ed Thorgerson of Fox Movietone News. Plus the supremely ironic Yamamoto reference, since he was dead by the time the cartoon came out. Much to chew on for World War II buffs.
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