Sunday, September 05, 2010

The Art of War Propaganda Cartoons

When I was a kid, back at the time when the cartoons played on Greek TV were those produced by the Walt Disney or the Warner Brothers Studio and before the advance of the prevalent Japanese nonsense, I remember watching Bugs Bunny or Porky Pig taking on the Nazis or the Japanese. Being just a kid, I enjoyed the sight gags and all, but of course their propaganda value was lost on me. But now seems a good time to re-appreciate these efforts in the context of World War II and to enjoy them some more, their political incorrectness notwithstanding. Their humor is understandably crude, at least by peacetime standards.

Let's begin with a cartoon that, according to YouTube, was banned - it shows the Japanese being horrible at everything they do and does not even fail to mention what was considered a significant propaganda cue, by then, the defection of Rudolf Hess.






Here's Donald Duck going crazy in Nazi Germany - actually, it's just a nightmare describing life in a militaristic society - and, when he wakes up, he is assured to see the Statue of Liberty outside his window:





Duffy Duck is a commando - notice how the poor German soldier named Schulz is being treated by his superior officer (implying that the common German soldier really wants no part in the war) and called on by Hitler himself in the end:






And this is my own personal favorite: Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby contributing uniquely to the war effort (with many of the era's great singers auditioning):


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