Jump to content

The Isle of Pingo Pongo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Ser Amantio di Nicolao (talk | contribs) at 09:11, 27 August 2022 (Removing from Category:1930s animated short films in subcat using Cat-a-lot). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The Isle of Pingo Pongo
Lobby card
Directed byFred Avery
Story byGeo Manuell
Produced byLeon Schlesinger
Music byCarl W. Stalling
Animation byIrven Spence
Color processTechnicolor
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
The Vitaphone Corp.
Release date
  • May 28, 1938 (1938-05-28)
Running time
8 minutes
LanguageEnglish

The Isle of Pingo Pongo is a 1938 Merrie Melodies cartoon supervised by Tex Avery.[1] The short was released on May 28, 1938 and features an early version of Elmer Fudd.[2] This is the first of a series of travelogue spoofs, and the first Warner Bros. "spot gag" cartoon, where each vignette is punctuated by a moment of blackout.[3]

Plot

The short follows a cruise ship's trip from New York to the island, presumably located in the South Seas. The ship sails past the Statue of Liberty, who acts as a traffic cop, past the "Canary Islands" and "Sandwich Islands".

The cartoon revolves around themes of jazz and primitivism, and is set on a remote island. The central character is an early version of Elmer Fudd known as Elmer, and most of the cartoon consists of travelogue-type narration and blackout gags, many including Elmer. The inhabitants of Pingo-Pongo are mostly tall, black, and have big feet and lips. Like other cartoons at this time, the native inhabitants resemble animals and reflect stereotypes of the time. The natives are at first playing drums, then break into a jazz beat, still described as a "primitive savage rhythm," which leads the audience to connect the savage jungle to modern jazz music.

There is a running gag with the Elmer where he says, "Now Boss?", but the narrator keeps saying "Not now." That is, until the end, where the sun fails to set when he says "as the sun sinks slowly into the West". Elmer reappears and says "Now Boss?" The boss says "Yeah, now!" Elmer shoots the sun, making it sink into the West and ending the film.

Reception

Motion Picture Herald printed a letter from an exhibitor in their "What the Picture Did For Me" section: "These Merrie Melodies are as good as the Walt Disney stuff."[4]

References

  1. ^ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 71. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
  2. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 77–79. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  3. ^ Schneider, Steve (1988). That's All, Folks! : The Art of Warner Bros. Animation. Henry Holt and Co. p. 66. ISBN 0-8050-0889-6.
  4. ^ "What the Picture Did for Me". Motion Picture Herald (January 14, 1939): 58. January 1939. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Isle_of_Pingo_Pongo&oldid=1106952601"