Billy Boy

Tex Avery: [song] The theme song is Kingdom Come, or Year of Jubilo, a minstrel show tune written in 1862 by Henry Clay Work. The original song sympathetically recounts an heroic American slave revolt against the Southern plantation system, with plenty of humorous slapstick for comic relief. The tune is very catchy and rollicking, so it is not surprising that many humorous American movies, including this cartoon series as well the Christmas movie Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), employ it in their soundtracks. However, one never hears the original song lyrics sung anymore, except as part of an educational lesson or an historically accurate context in a movie. This is because, while the song expresses a commendably benevolent and progressive viewpoint, the writing style sounds quite offensive to modern ears. To wit, the very first line of the song reads "Say, darkey, have you seen de massa, wif de moustache on his face?" and it only goes downhill from there.

The windmill is originally shown next to the house but in a later shot it is missing completely. After the billy goat eats the house the windmill is now shown way in the background, not next to the house anymore.

Featured in Toon in with Me: Hello My BB (2021)