Tokio Jokio
| Tokio Jokio | |
|---|---|
| File:Tokio Jokio title card.jpg Original black and white title card | |
| Directed by | Cpl. Norman McCabe |
| Produced by | Leon Schlesinger |
| Animation by | I. Ellis |
| Color process | Black & White |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures The Vitaphone Corporation |
Running time | 7 minutes (one reel) |
Tokio Jokio is a 1943 Looney Tunes short directed by U.S. Corporal Norman McCabe. It's a propaganda film made during World War II mocking Japan in the style of a supposed Japanese film journal broadcast. Mel Blanc supplied all the voices.
Plot
The cartoon begins with a rooster who is about to crow. When he does however, he changes into a vulture with glasses and buck teeth, while rubbing his hands. Behind him the rising sun of the Japanese Rising Sun Flag appears. The voiceover says: "Cock-a-doodle-doo, prease!", in a further emphasis that this vulture is Japanese.
The first segment is "Civilian Defense". The voiceover proudly presents the Japanese air raid siren system, which turns out to be two Japanese wearing kimono's taking turns in pricking each other in the anus with a needle, a possible nod to the obscene Japanese hand gesture, kancho. Then a listening post is shown, which is literally a pole with key holes in it, and an aircraft spotter, which is literally someone painting spots on a plane. The camera then moves to the fire prevention headquarters which have burned down to the ground. The surprised voiceover exclaims: "Son of a gun. Too rate!"
Then a lesson about incendiary bombs is given. The text states that one should never approach incendiary bombs for the first five seconds. A small Japanese man with an umbrella appears, reads the text, checks his watch (which is decorated with nazi swastikas) to count the seconds and then roasts a sausage above the dynamite stick. Then he explodes and reappears out of the explosion pit without his face, but his glasses and hat still in the same place.
The second segment is "Kitchen Hints", which stars Admiral Hideki Tojo as a cook. Tojo explains how a delicious Japanese club sandwich is made: a bread ration card is sliced in two, a piece of a meat ration card is put in between, then it's eaten and afterwards Tojo hits himself over the head with a club. With a large hump on his head he then starts playing with his lips.
The third segment is a style show which shows the new Japanese victory suit: no cuffs, no pleats, no lapel and ...no suit! A small Japanese is shown at this conclusion, shivering in his underpants in the snow, while trying to warm himself to a candle.
Then "Red Toga San" brings us the highlights of today’s Japanese sports, while talking out of an iris. Suddenly the iris fades out and his teeth get stuck into the circle. Then they clatter to the ground. The Japanese "king of sport" is shown in his baseball outfit. Suddenly he spots a fly, which he tries to kill with a fly swatter, but misses and spins around in a circle. The fly grabs the swatter and clobbers him down. Afterwards it takes his golden cup and flies away.
The fifth segment shows us personalities who made headlines that week. A skull is seen in the title which changes into the face of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto sitting at his desk. He introduces himself and then leaves his desk, while walking on crutches to look bigger. He tells the audience that he "will dictate peace time in the White House." An editor's note covers the screen informing the audience that: "this is the room reserved for admiral Yamamoto." When the card is removed an electric chair is shown and Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2 (Chopin) is quoted.
Then a certain general Hama is shown, who, according to the voice over, demonstrates "Japanese coolness and calmness during air raid attacks." Hama does however exactly the opposite and runs around in panic before ducking into a tree trunk. When he sticks his head out of the trunk, a skunk does the same. Disgusted by the smell of the Japanese he ducks and reappears with a gas mask on his head.
"Flashes from the Axis” is the next segment. A donkey called Lord Hee-Haw (a caricature of the American-British radio broadcaster and nazi collaborator Lord Haw Haw) brays loudly before announcing that "the Führer had just received a postcard from a friend vacationing abroad". Adolf Hitler is shown reading the message: "Wish you were here" and then turns the card around to see the picture. It depicts Rudolph Hess in a prison camp. Hitler looks up in amazement and wiggles his nose. The next shot shows the "celebrated" ruins of ancient Rome and then cuts to Benito Mussolini sitting on a modern Roman ruin, titled "Ruin nr. 1"
The next segment focuses on the Japanese navy achievements. A large submarine is shown "three weeks ahead of schedule", according to the voiceover. Indeed, they are still working on it while it sails under water. When the submarine sails out of sight a small worker hurries behind it, only to stop when a giant crash is heard and the entire crew is apparently dead. He freezes, takes his hat off and the Last Post is played. Then he shooks his shoulders and returns the way he came. After this, a group of Japanese submarine sailors are shown using "intricate and technical machinery", which are actually pinball machines, gambling machines and a viewmaster.
Then a Japanese military is shown inside a torpedo on a dangerous mission. The voice over tells us the pilot doesn't care about the danger, but when he asks him if he has anything to say the pilot exclaims: "No, nothing, except...: "RET (LET) ME OUT OF HERE!", apparently stuck in the torpedo.
The final scenes are again literal interpretations of certain marine boats and air force planes. A plane is shot into the air with a large catapult, another plane is shown with a tricycle landing gear (actually a small man riding a tricycle attached to the plane), an air craft carrier is presented (which carries remains of crashed planes) and a mine sweeper (a boat with two hands operating a broom to sweep mines away). When this ship accidentally explodes a buoy is dropped in the sea with the note: "Regrettable incident please". Then the cartoon irises out.
About the cartoon
The cartoon was intended as a propaganda film against Japan. Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941 and as a result the US had declared war on the country. This explains why the cartoon represents the Japanese in a very hateful, nowadays even considered racist way. All the Japanese are represented wearing big glasses, having bucktooth and grinning and rubbing their hands in a very sinister way. Their stereotypical politeness is mocked by their continuous use of the words: "please", "regrettable" and "honorable". Also, their language is spoofed by adding many "Ooo's" at the start of every sentence and replacing the letter "r" with the letter "l" and vice versa.
Furthermore the Japanese are represented as being incompetent, weak, cowardly and primitive. Although the jokes are generally aimed at Japan, the cartoon also pokes fun at Lord Haw Haw, Rudolph Hess, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, who interestingly enough are represented as specific persons instead of a whole race or nationality.
See also
- The Ducktators (another World War II propaganda cartoon by Norm McCabe)
