The Spotlight:
"Hittin' The Trail For Halleluja Land" (1931, Merrie Melodies)
Because of its slightly racial undertones, this bravura Harman/Ising cartoon is rarely seen today, but it's easy to see that from the very beginning, Warner Bros. cartoons were wild, gag-filled, and unafraid to make fun of the competition. There's a lot going on here, with several subplots and more characters than the usual Harman/Ising fare. The film is set in the old South, and begins with a steamboat rolling down the river, piloted by Piggy, a rather obvious derivative/takeoff of Disney's Mickey Mouse. Cut to Piggy's girlfriend, eager to join Piggy's musical riverboat party. Faithful coachman Uncle Tom cheerfully delivers the girl to her destination, but on the way back home he falls asleep at the wheel. While Piggy and his girl have fun aboard the boat, Uncle Tom's wayward carriage hits a bump and flings him into a graveyard, where he wakes up to find a bunch of evil, musical skeletons risen from the grave. Tom quivers with fear as the ghosts threaten in song to kill him and send him straight to "halleluja land"! Uncle Tom runs away, but ends up in the river. Piggy jumps off the boat and rushes to save him, but no sooner has he left than a big, burly boat passenger kidnaps the girl. Piggy chases the boat from the riverbank, and lowers a cargo hook from a dock to save the girl, then hook the baddie. The two pigs giggle as they lower the troublemaker over a saw mill and give his behind a close shave. Funny, musically catchy and surprisingly adult, this cartoon is a forgotten treat that I urge any collector to seek out!
