The Old Mill Pond

Hugh Harman directs this cartoon in which pond life, mostly frogs, puts on a radio broadcast that looks like a show at the Cotton Club.

It features froggy caricatures of various well-known Black entertainers of the period, including Cab Calloway, Fats Waller, 'Bill "Bojangles' Robinson', Louis Armstrong, Stepin Fetchit, Ethel Waters and The Mills Brothers. While the vocal talents do imitations that are not spot on, there's little doubt that this is as good as Harman and Ising got in this period, with their color work, character design, and background work rivaling Disney's Silly Symphonies, aided by interesting Dutch Angles.

Harman and Isings 'Old Mill Pond' is a true masterpiece of the art of animation. The consummate skill and artistry that characterise this duos work is nowhere more in evidence than in this cartoon. It is a shame that so many people can see only offence in what is, and was always intended to be, a light hearted piece of entertainment that in no way sought to denigrate black people. If anything it is a tribute to the infectious humour and musicality of the black race. I have not been able to view this confection for many years as the 'race commissars' in England have deemed it too offensive to be shown in multi racial Britain. If anyone knows where I can obtain a copy I would dearly love to view this masterpiece again. I think those who routinely look for messages and intent that were never intended in these cartoons, which are, after all, sixty years old, should try to lighten up and remember that the world is a very different place today, but that does not mean that anyone has the right to censor what is viewable from the past.

So, what can one say about a cartoon that appears to have all the racial sensitivity of a Klan meeting yet respectfully presents tributes to some of the period's greatest African-American Jazz performers? "The Old Mill Pond" is an Academy Award-nominated cartoon which, because of its use of the racial stereotypes of the time, now seems uncomfortable and offensive to many people today. However, rather than using those stereotypes to mock or lampoon the characters, "The Old Mill Pond" is a celebration of some of the premier Jazz performers of their era. At a time when African-Americans were either marginalized or completely ignored in most American films, this cartoon at least makes them the focus of attention and showcases the music of performers who might otherwise be lost to history. Significantly, a number of the reviewers of this film on IMDb are, themselves, unfamiliar with the identities of some of the artists shown. (For the record, the female singer depicted performing "Jungle Rhythm" with the Cotton Club back-up dancers is Ethel Waters, distinguished by the sizable gap in her front teeth.) The caricatures of the performers are not egregiously offensive and are on a par with the Warner Brothers' cartoons depiction of, for example, Frank Sinatra as a beanpole with an Adam's apple or Jimmy Durante as, essentially, a nose followed by a vestigial body. The one exception would be the inclusion of Stepin Fetchit, in all his foot-shuffling glory, in the "Hold That Tiger" number. It should be noted, however, that this presentation is merely a literal recreation of Stepin Fetchit's own screen persona which was, itself, a caricature. (It should also be noted that Lincoln Perry, who created the character, was the first black actor to receive a screen credit and the first to become a millionaire. He may not have been politically correct but he knew his audience.) As animation, however, "The Old Mill Pond" seems a little flat. To today's audiences, used to computer-generated 3-D images, it will certainly seem dated. More importantly, it pales in comparison with the avant garde surrealism of contemporaneous Max Fleischer "Betty Boop" cartoons such as "Minnie the Moocher." Still, it is meticulously drawn, with humor and respect for its characters. While it may not benefit from performances of the actual artists it portrays, it is still one of the few cartoons to depict a number of musical performers who might otherwise be unknown to today's audiences and deserves its place in history.

I just saw this cartoon for the first time and recognized the caricatures of famous black entertainers... Cab Calloway, Bessie Smith, (not Josephine Baker or Sophie Tucker, who was white), Thomas "Fats" Waller, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Stepin Fetchit (notwithstanding) Louis Armstrong and the chorus girls are out of the famed "Cotton Club" in Harlem. True... stereotypes are there, but this was the way it was... and these cartoons were meant as adult entertainment at your local cinema before the main feature.

Harmann & Ising cartoons tended to be more "cutesy" and more upscale, (after all... we are talking about M-G-M) than the standard animated short done over at Warners, Paramount, Universal, Fox, RKO or lowly Columbia. Even Disney's very early Mickey Mouse had loads of barnyard humor before Uncle Walt cleaned him up just before he went "Technicolor".

Disney had some cartoons with caricatures of black entertainers as well... for example, 1937's Silly Symphony "Woodland Cafe". But we have to remember that these films are part of a certain time and place. 50 years from now... clips of the Simpsons, Family Guy, and South Park will be also scrutinized, analyzed... and even vilified by future viewers.

Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons.

Know Hugh Harman for his cartoons that have a cute approach with a lot of sentiment. There have been times where this approach has been done sweetly and charmingly, there have also been other times where it can be too cutesy and cloying. 'The Old Mill Pond' is one of the former for me. It is cute and charming, but there is not as much cutesy sentiment as other Harman cartoons and it's more humorously entertaining than most.

'The Old Mill Pond' caricatures famous musicians of the time, and much of the caricatures are done with respect. They are stereotypes and not all are subtle, but personally found nothing to be offended by (there are far worse, more blatant and more insensitive inclusion and writing of stereotypes in animation). A large part of the fun was recognising the caricatures and this is one of not many caricature cartoons where none went over my head.

Animation is rich in detail for design and backgrounds, vibrant in colour and crisp. Composer for the prime-era 'Tom and Jerry' cartoons and regular Tex Avery composer Scott Bradley provides a lush and atmospheric music score. The songs are just awesome and performed with such liveliness.

Characters here engage and despite their appearances are not too cutesy. They are not personality-deprived either. Pacing is energetic enough if needing a little more extra kick in some parts.

For all those outstanding qualities they are not quite enough to disguise that the story is one that is immediately forgotten by the viewer quickly and it's best to keep it that way. There's nothing new about it, not much of one at all and it's not hard to tell where it's all going to go.

With all that being said, 'The Old Mill Pond' is a nicely done and underrated cartoon. 8/10 Bethany Cox