Well, here we are, talking about a cartoon minstrel show, starring that other black cat of the movies, Krazy Kat. Are you offended yet?
The minstrel show evolved from brief skits in the 1830s to full-blown evening's entertainments by the late 1840s. They were very popular through the beginning of the 20th century, when the economics, stale formats, and the competition of vaudeville and motion pictures for poorer audiences sent it into decline. The last professional minstrels shows were done by 1910, but as with anything, nostalgia lingered for decades. Amateur shows and echoes in other media continued through 1978, when the BBC closed down its last of 20 seasons of THE BLACK AND WHITE MINSTREL SHOW. I have no doubt that it survived in high school performances even longer.
So when this cartoon came out, the form was gone but not forgotten, and its humor is directed at the form itself, with old jokes like "Why did the chicken cross the road?" and a soundtrack that features "Dixie", "At a Georgia Camp Meeting" and Stephen Foster tunes.
It's well done and now as dead as the dodo. Now, excuse me while I go listen to Sidney Bechet and friends play "At a Georgia Camp Meeting".
The minstrel show evolved from brief skits in the 1830s to full-blown evening's entertainments by the late 1840s. They were very popular through the beginning of the 20th century, when the economics, stale formats, and the competition of vaudeville and motion pictures for poorer audiences sent it into decline. The last professional minstrels shows were done by 1910, but as with anything, nostalgia lingered for decades. Amateur shows and echoes in other media continued through 1978, when the BBC closed down its last of 20 seasons of THE BLACK AND WHITE MINSTREL SHOW. I have no doubt that it survived in high school performances even longer.
So when this cartoon came out, the form was gone but not forgotten, and its humor is directed at the form itself, with old jokes like "Why did the chicken cross the road?" and a soundtrack that features "Dixie", "At a Georgia Camp Meeting" and Stephen Foster tunes.
It's well done and now as dead as the dodo. Now, excuse me while I go listen to Sidney Bechet and friends play "At a Georgia Camp Meeting".
