by Gary Scott Beatty, Publisher and Editor, MuskegonOnline.NET
http://muskegononline.net/0812/cartoon-0812.html
Political parties have long recognized the impact of drawings with their messages. This month we look at Make Mine Freedom (1948) and Hell Bent for Election (1944).
Make Mine Freedom. Produced by John Southerland Productions, Make Mine Freedom (below) was one of a series of media projects by Harding College to persuade against the threat of Soviet and Maoist socialism. Today, the Harding American Studies Institute (ASI) promotes going "back to the fundamental values that made this country great."
This is directed by Joseph Barbera and William Hanna, who formed Hanna-Barbera in 1957, after MGM shut down its animation studio. Hanna-Barbera was one of the first studios to recognize the value of limited animation for television, producing The Flintstones, The Yogi Bear Show, The Jetsons, Jonny Quest, Space Ghost, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? and many others.
See parallels with Occupy Wall Street or the conservative ideology today? What do you think?
Hell Bent for Election. Sponsored by United Auto Workers, Hell Bent for Election (below) is a campaign film designed to win votes for Franklin D. Roosevelt in his re-election campaign against Republican opponent Thomas E. Dewey, a crusader against alleged inefficiencies, corruption and Communist influences in New Deal programs.
This is an early production by Industrial Films, which later became United Productions of America (UPA), the most influential animation studio of the '50s. Hell Bent for Election was made in animator Zack Schwartz's apartment with moonlighters from local Hollywood animation studios, including director Chuck (Road Runner) Jones. Although UPA was overshadowed by Warner and Disney financial successes, its modernist design style in the '50s influenced studios to look beyond realism.
Defeatist hot air? Win the war? What do you think?
