Song of the South (1946)

The kindly story-teller Uncle Remus tells a young boy stories about trickster Br'er Rabbit, who outwits Br'er Fox and slow-witted Br'er Bear.

Directors:

Wilfred Jackson, Harve Foster

Writers:

Joel Chandler Harris (book), Dalton S. Reymond (story) (as Dalton Reymond)

Stars:

Ruth Warrick, Bobby Driscoll, James Baskett

Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ruth Warrick	...	Sally
Bobby Driscoll	...	Johnny
James Baskett	...	Uncle Remus / Br'er Fox (Voice)
Luana Patten	...	Ginny
Lucile Watson	...	Grandmother
Hattie McDaniel	...	Aunt Tempy
Erik Rolf	...	John (as Eric Rolf)
Glenn Leedy	...	Toby
Mary Field	...	Mrs. Favers
Anita Brown	...	Maid
Georgie Nokes	...	Jake Favers (as George Nokes)
Gene Holland	...	Joe Favers
Nick Stewart	...	Br'er Bear (voice) (as Nicodemus Stewart)
Johnny Lee	...	Br'er Rabbit (voice)

Storyline

Uncle Remus draws upon his tales of Brer Rabbit to help little Johnny deal his confusion over his parents' separation as well as his new life on the plantation. The tales: The Briar Patch, The Tar Baby and Brer Rabbit's Laughing place.

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Plot Keywords:

based on book | caucasian | four word title | rabbit | boy | 

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Taglines:

The Story of Brer Rabbit, Brer Bear & Brer Fox.

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Musical

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

December 1946 (UK)

Also Known As:

Uncle Remus

Filming Locations:

Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,203,111, 21 November 1986, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$63,717,040

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bob Iger, the current CEO and Chairman of The Walt Disney Company, stated that he can: ride Space Mountain as many times as he wants, dig out the still unreleased-on-home-video "Song of the South" and give it a spin if he feels like it, get a reservation at Club 33 without problems, and watch Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) a few times before its Christmas 2015 release. He said that "I have that right" as CEO of The Walt Disney Company.

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Goofs

Shadows of the mike and boom are visible in the early scene in Johnny's room.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Uncle Remus: There's other ways of learning about the behind feet of a mule than getting kicked by them, sure as I'm named Remus. And just because these here tales is about critters like Br'er Rabbit an' Br'er Fox, that don't mean they ain't the same like can happen to folks! So them who can't learn from a tale about critters, just ain't got the ears tuned for listening.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Michael Keaton/The New Joe Jackson Band (1982)

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Soundtracks

How Do You Do?
(uncredited)
Written by Robert MacGimsey
Performed by Johnny Lee and James Baskett

User Reviews

This Disney Classic Deserves To Be Re-issued!

I think it's a great shame that the 1946 Walt Disney classic, "Song Of The South," has been banned in the U.S. because some civil rights groups **15 years ago** complained that the movie was racist and they did not want it to be shown anymore. And Disney, not wanting to offend anyone, bowed down to their demands and yanked the film from public viewing in North America, where it has not been seen since. The only way you can watch "Song Of The South" now is if you still own a laserdisc player and you're willing to spring for a costly Japanese import disc, OR if you manage to track down a UK VHS copy of the film released in 1997 and have it transferred. Well, having viewed a transferred VHS copy of "Song Of The South" recently, I can honestly say that this is a marvelous Disney movie that is NOT racist and does NOT deserve to be hidden away.

While I can certainly understand the concerns of the civil rights groups over "Song Of The South," the fact that the movie is set during the turn-of-the-century South when many blacks served subservient roles is NOT a good enough reason to hide the film away from the public. This is not an issue of racism, it is simply a historical fact. Furthermore, the black characters in "Song Of The South" are all treated with respect. They are not treated badly, nor are they spoken to badly. Further still, are we going to destroy all copies of "Gone With The Wind" just because it features a black maid? Think about it.

What also upsets me about the shunning of "Song Of The South" in the U.S. is that most Americans will now never get to see anymore the marvelous performance of James Baskett as the loveable storyteller Uncle Remus (and Baskett DID win an Honorary Oscar for his fine work in this film, lest we forget). Nor will Americans ever get to see again the wonderful Disney artistry on display in "Song Of The South" that perfectly blends live action with animation (the very first film to do so, if I'm not mistaken). They won't get to enjoy the hilarious adventures of Brer Rabbit ever again. Nor will they be able to sing along with the Oscar-winning song, "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" anymore. All of this, in my opinion, is very, very shameful.

I strongly implore Walt Disney Productions to reconsider re-issuing "Song Of The South" in North America, if *only* for a limited time on home video, so anybody Stateside who wants the film can finally have it. And with all due respect to the civil rights groups who complained about "Song Of The South" back in 1986, I strongly implore them to seriously rethink the ban that they had Disney place upon the film. On the Grammy telecast this past year, just before mega-controversial rapper Eminem took the stage to perform "Stan," the Grammy president came onstage to give a little pep talk about freedom of speech & freedom of expression. He said that we cannot ban certain artists and their work just because it makes certain people uncomfortable. The EXACT same thing can be said for Walt Disney's "Song Of The South."