Zippidy Doodah? Not in America, thank-you.

3/11/02

[Jethro Tull]

Oscar award winning actor, James Baskett, as Disney's version of Uncle Remus.

The NAACP acknowledged "the remarkable artistic merit" of the film when it was first released, but decried "the impression it gives of an idyllic master-slave relationship". Disney re-released the film in 1956, but then kept it out of circulation all throughout the turbulent civil rights era of the 1960s. In 1970 Disney announced in Variety that Song of the South had been "permanently" retired, but the studio eventually changed its mind and re-released the film in 1972, 1981, and again in 1986 for a fortieth anniversary celebration. Although the film has only been released to the home video market in various European and Asian countries, Disney's reluctance to market it in the USA is not a reaction to an alleged threat by the NAACP to boycott Disney products. The NAACP fielded objections to Song of the South when it premiered, but it has no current position on the movie.

[Gumlegs]

"Everybody's got a laughin' place"

I didn't say this was your laughin' place, Br'er Bear, I said it was my laughin' place.

[Constitution Day]

BannedFilms.com will give you a copy of Song of the South as a "special prize" for buying their copy of a 1950 Uncle Remus Syrup ad.

$55.95 includes the shipping of this ad, plus your "special prize".

[DonQ]

I had been able to find Song of the South at the video rental store. I think that Disney releases and re-releases all its classics (which would include Song of the South) on a very carefully planned cycle, something like 14 year intervals. So it may be that the Disney people simply stopped issuing new videos of Song of the South as part of their regular schedule to allow a demand to build up again, rather than a deliberate form of censorship. The Song of the South was, in fact, a sort of break-through for race relations, no matter how backward it looks to jaded 21st century tastes. Incidentally, the live-action story takes place AFTER the Civil War, Uncle Remus is not a slave but appears to be a free man working as a family retainer; he's free to leave. The picture provided employment for an enormous number (compared with almost any other Hollywood film of the era - except Tarzan movies) of African American performers. It shows white people treating black people with respect, speaking to them politely, etc. ... not quite the same as the equality we've now taken for granted but a very big step when the film was made!

[Jethro Tull]

Screw Disney. Click here for Zipadee-Doo-Dah

Zip a dee do dah, zip a dee eh,
My oh my, what a wonderful day
Plenty of sunshine heading my way,
Zip a dee do dah, zip a dee eh.

Mister bluebird on my shoulder,
It's the truth, it's actual,
Everything is set is factual.

Zip a dee do dah, zip a dee eh,
Wonderful feeling, wonderful day.

[DonQ]

If the holder of a copyrighted work fails to publish that work in its entirety, or otherwise as a meaningful whole, for a period of five years, the work shall fall into the public domain.

What do I think?

Well, copyright law was one of the few courses in law school I stayed awake for, and I think it's a lousy idea.

Do you have any idea what a cut-throat business publishing is? If I cannot find a publisher willing to print my book for me ... at five year intervals no less ... am I suppose to pay my own money to have some hack printer churn out a hundred or thousand low quality copies, chop up a forest to get the paper, fill up my garage and then a landfill with the copies, and have to repeat this cycle every five years!? And not just books, magazine articles ... who's gonna reprint five year old magazine articles, and reprint them again and again at five year intervals, just to protect the authors' rights? Do you want the movie studios to reissue movies again and again at five year intervals? Do you want to see the same TV shows repeated at five year intervals just to protect the copyright?

Where's the room for new material in all of this? Where's the opportunity for demand to build up for new and improved editions of old favorites?

[Caipirabob]

I just did a search on E-bay for "Song of the South" and found some 3 pages of entries including tapes, but they ranged from .01 cent starting bid through $100.00. I guess I got lucky, but I recall paying about $40.00.

The company that sells it to you can most likely have it converted. Check out their rating and look at the negatives to positives, then you can decide. There are some good deals there right now if you search based on the text above.

[elwoodp]

Add me to the list of those who loved Uncle Remus and thought he was a major factor in offsetting negative stereotypes of blacks in the Fifties.

The fact is, I would much rather have been Uncle Remus living as a freed slave in the post-bellum south than a modern-black living in the hellholes they have turned our cities into today.

[weepnomore]

Guess so. We were just saying the other day that we couldn't believe Snow White was still on the market with not only dwarves but a "Dopey" dwarf !

[verity]

...all the Disney classics ...

This was truly an age of delightful innocence.

[weepnomore]

Thanks ! Just followed your advice & found it. "Disney eBay" is obviously a different site.

[TomGuy]

The text version of Uncle Remus is public domain and probably available in book form. It is the movie (Disney version) that is not available.

Link to online text version.

[SpookBrat]

It was "laughin" place wasn't it. Not happy place. I think I'll go put the record on, no matter how bad it sounds. LOL I loved that record so much, I can't even tell you. I had looked on eBay a long time ago, for one to replace it, so my children could grow up singing those songs too. It is a hard record to find.

The stories were great. Remember the Tar Baby? Brer Rabbit was so clever.

[Landru]

"I have been in love with all the Disney classics for 35 years, and I would go out of my way to buy anything the NAACP boycotted just out of pure, mean spite."

Let no one ask why Blacks vote overwhelmingly for 'Rats year after year after year, then.
The answer to that question lies very close to home.

Spite is universally applied often & a lot.

[Jethro Tull]

#28) "The fact is, I would much rather have been Uncle Remus living as a freed slave in the post-bellum south than a modern-black living in the hellholes they have turned our cities into today."

What a great analogy you make!

Disney says NO to the charm, dignity and love of Uncle Remus and YES to trashy movies which champion gang bangers, single mothers and homosexuals.

I knew when the "media" started trashing 'Ozzie and Harriet' that we, as a nation, were in trouble.

[lsee]

but decried "the impression it gives of an idyllic master-slave relationship"

So, they'd rather a hostile master-slave relationship?

[weepnomore]

BTW, if any FReeper would be interested in selling me a copy for $20 plus that would be great. I'd also pay the price of getting it shipped.

I'm not interested in it as an investment. I just want it for my grandchildren ( & me ).

[eddie willers]

Add me to the list of those who loved Uncle Remus and thought he was a major factor in offsetting negative stereotypes of blacks in the Fifties.

Add "Amos & Andy" to that list too. Sure...George "Kingfish" Stevens, Andrew H. Brown and Lightning perpetuated stereotypes, but the eyes of this adolescent southern white child saw those characters as he saw Sgt. Bilko and his crew...or Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton...or Lucy and Ethyl. Lovable scamps who end up doing good by the end of the show and not as dangerous the people that the Klan was trying to convince me they were.

Plus, those silly characters were anchored by hard working entrepreneur Amos, who had a stable and loving family...found further moral grounding in Kingfish's wife, Sapphire and portrayed the general black population of Harlem in a very (and just plain 'folks') light. When the Kingfish would have to face the music for his latest get-rich-scheme going awry, he would be taken in by serious black policemen and face no nonsense black judges who would give stern lectures on proper conduct. (before letting them off in spite of their bellicose attorney, Algonquin J. Calhoun)

"Amos & Andy" did more to keep racism out of my heart than MLK and all the Civil Rights leaders put together.
Just a simple TV program with brilliant writing and acting and now a new generation of blacks being denied a wonderful piece of heritage....again.

[lds23]

Holy Mackeral Andy!

[weepnomore]

I don't mean an original video for $20. . .just a copy.