Clean Pastures (1937)

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Admirable film.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

One of the Censored Eleven cartoons that has been out of circulation due to racial stereotypes. A few titles still have some artistic value, chiefly the jazz flavored ones.This short has an interesting censorship history. Before it was originally released in 1937, Joseph Breen, the head of the Hollywood Censor Board, objected to the short's irreverent depiction of religion. One of the guidelines for Hollywood producers was not to portray religion in a disrespectful way. Some historians have suggested that race may have been a factor in this controversy. Nonetheless this short was approved for distribution with some minor changes. Some of the animators for this short later corroborated this account. It is possible that Freleng made this for an African American audience. Phil Monroe later recalled "the only place they'd play that film was down in the Negro section"The problematic parts of this short are the then common stereotypes of African Americans, such as dice and watermelon references. Those felt too arbitrary. The caricature of Stepin Fetchit is cringe worthy to watch, although in this short he represents an old fashioned way of getting people to repent that doesn't work anymore. The redeeming part is Cab Calloway's swinging rendition of Swing For Sale, which also features Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller. I've wondered who performs their voices, because the impressions are very spot on.This is a short with a lot to enjoy, but its no surprise that the cliché stereotypes have kept it out of official circulation.

Was put off seeing 'Clean Pastures' due to its low rating and that it's one of the "Censored 11" cartoons withheld from syndication for being deemed as having offensive content.However, as somebody who also trusted those defending the cartoon, due to them being from people well-respected by myself and also as somebody who has actually enjoyed some of the "Censored 11" cartoons, 'Clean Pastures' got the benefit of the doubt with an open mind treatment. While one can absolutely understand why some would be offended or dislike it now, to me it is one of the better "Censored 11" cartoons.There are "Censored 11" with far more offensive stereotypes, such as 'Angel Puss', 'Hittin' the Trail for Hallelujah Land', 'Jungle Jitters' and 'All This and Rabbit Stew'. There are also far duller ones than 'Clean Pastures', again 'Angel Puss' and 'Hittin' the Trail for 'Hallelujah Land', and ones that forget to entertain like all three of the cartoons just listed as cartoons more offensive.Not that 'Clean Pastures' is perfect. The Steppin Fetchit-like angel character is disastrously executed. Not just because of the character being racially offensive, with an agreed "I hate my race" vibe but the character is also very obnoxious, unfunny, ineptly lazy (which is a common stereotype of the time with the portrayal of black people admittedly, but it is one that's overused, unflattering and to me it's not true either) and poorly drawn. Am not a fan of exaggerated character features usually, and 'Clean Pastures' is not an exception, the big lips for example just look gross and ugly.Most of the animation is very good indeed, much of it is beautifully drawn and meticulously detailed in the backgrounds and vibrant use of colour. The best thing about 'Clean Pastures' is the soundtrack, which is incredibly infectious (jazz is a very catchy and quite sexy style of music) and just an amazing soundtrack on its own. Regarding the issue of racism, only the Steppin Fetchit caricature is in poor taste, compared to the stereotypes of 'Jungle Jitters' for example and considering the context this is one of the tamer "Censored 11" cartoons outside of that character.'Clean Pastures' makes up for this issue by being very entertaining, especially with the soundtrack and recognising the caricatures and their roles in the story, instead of forgetting to entertain like 'Angel Puss' for example did. In fact, it is most in common with 'All This and Rabbit Stew' where there is a character that significantly brings the cartoon down but the cartoon is still very funny and clever, very like 'Clean Pastures'. As well as being one of the most energetic along with 'Coal Black and De Sebben Dwarfs' and 'Goldilocks and the Three Jivin' Bears'. The voice acting is very good.In conclusion, not a bad cartoon at all and one of the better "Censored 11" cartoons. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Just watched this, the third (in chronological order) of the "Censored 11" Warner Bros. cartoons that rarely get TV exposure anymore (unless issued on a bargain basement DVDs or VHSs of public domain stuff). In this one, Pair-O-Dice (Paradise, get it?) is low in attendance since all its potential customers are in Harlem living it up. It's not until the Stepin Fetchit-assistant angel sees one man tap dancin' and another singing like Al Jolson that he gets the idea to gather a musical group consisting of Fats Waller, Cab Calloway, and Louis Armstrong to entice a crowd. Boy, do they ever! Even with the "No Vancancy" sign, the head angel even lets Satan in! The end. Despite the stereotypical big lips on all the African-Americans, this was another enjoyable musical animated short directed by the as always talented Friz Freling. It's possible that all the people I mentioned actually provided their voices here but if they didn't, they certainly sounded enough like them to convince me! So on that note, I highly recommend Clean Pastures for animation and jazz music buffs.

I realize that a lot of people find this cartoon to be rather racist. True it may seem that way nowadays, but black caricatures were a common sight in cartoons,as well as films in general, back in the 20's through late 40's. Nevertheless, I see this cartoon to be a work of art with good caricatures of famous African Americans like Louis Armstrong and Cab Calloway. I don't believe that this cartoon was intended to be a racial slur toward African Americans. It's just supposed to be humorous. I always seem to get a kick out of the ending where Heaven is full, but one person knocks at the gates and Pair O' Dice says "There's always room for one more." This "one more" turns out to be none other than the devil himself.