Little Black Sambo (cartoon)

Little Black Sambo was a 1935 animated film, based on the controversial children's book of the same name. This film was created at the Iwerks Studio, and released by Celebrity. The film marked the first appearance of an unnamed dog, who appeared in three of Iwerks' films.

Plot

Sambo's mother is bathing him, and she dries and clothes him as their dog watches. After that, his mother warns, in dialect, "Now, go along and play, honey child. But watch out for that bad, old tiger." and the controversial line, "That old tiger sure do like dark meat." As Sambo goes out to play, the dog sneaks out the window with a fiendish idea. He uses undried brown paint on a fence for stripes and a paint brush for them on his tail. He sees his teeth, and finds a bear trap to resemble sharp teeth. He tests his appearance in a mirror and walks away, although it was an actual tiger.

Sambo is whistling, as the dog is hiding in a tree, sneaking on him. The dog follows him, until Sambo runs away. He finally hides on a coconut tree, and throws coconuts at him, until he grabs a monkey's ear, who throws him out to the ground. Then, the dog tells Sambo that he is not a tiger. Then, Sambo plays fetch, and when the dog retrieves, the real tiger appears, and chases them home. They block the door, and the tiger uses a rock to reproduce a banging sound. He creeps in the house, and they use molasses to trap him. Sambo grabs a skillet and burns the tiger, and he is chased away.

Controversy

• Due to its racial stereotypes, the film was banned from the United States after it was released. It is, however, available on video and DVD in several cartoon anthologies.

In popular culture

Clips of the cartoon was seen in Bamboozled, a Spike Lee movie about black stereotypes.

External links

• A Surviving Print of the Film