Doing Their Bit: Wartime American Animated Short Films, 1939-1945 [Library Binding]

Michael S. Shull (Author), David E. Wilt (Author), Richard Shale (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1987

The golden age of animation stretched from the early 1930s to the mid–1950s, with movie cartoons reaching an extraordinarily high level of artistry and technique—far higher than today’s TV cartoons, for instance.

Nearly 1000 cartoons were produced by the seven major animation studios in the U.S. between January 1, 1939, and September 30, 1945—the immediate pre–World War II period up to the cessation of hostilities. More than a quarter of the cartoons substantially refer to the war, and thereby are invaluable in helping to understand American attitudes and Hollywood’s reflection of them.

The meat of Doing Their Bit is a filmography with extremely detailed summaries of the 260 or so commercially produced, animated, war-related shorts, 1939–1945. There is also a good bit of overall commentary on these films as a group. Two chapters wrap up animated cartoons of World War I and the general political tenor of animated talkies of the 1930s.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Important addition to the field of animation scholarship" -- Richard Shale, author of Donald Duck Joins Up.

From the first edition: "demonstrates the value of the [animation] art form to the study of 20th century American history" -- Choice

Reviews from the first edition: "invaluable" -- Classic Images --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Film historian and media propaganda specialist Michael S. Shull is an adjunct faculty member of Frederick Community College. He has formerly been a lecturer at Towson University and Mount St. Marys College. He is also the author of Radicalism in American Silent Films, 1909–1929 (2000). He lives in Frederick, Maryland. David E. Wilt is a librarian at the University of Maryland in College Park. Together they authored Hollywood War Films, 1937–1945 (1996). Wilt is also the author of The Mexican Filmography (2003). --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Library Binding: 208 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company (June 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0899502180
• ISBN-13: 978-0899502182
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,394,135 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cartoons go to war - An excellent look at WWII Hollywood, February 2, 2001

By 

Keith Paynter (Regina, Sask. Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Doing Their Bit: Wartime American Animated Short Films, 1939-1945 (Library Binding)

This book is a must for anyone interested in animation history, because it focuses primarily on Hollywood cartoons produced during the years surrounding World War II. All the major studios, from Disney to Warners produced animated cartoons that in some way or another touched on the European conflict, and stepped up production when the war approached their native soil.

The cartoons would often be morale boosters for those who had family fighting the war, and topical humor would be found in cartoons poking fun at Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito, although many would also make light of situations on the home front - women in the work force, rationing, war bonds, etc.

Complete essays discussing different periods of WWII give examples of the rise of wartime references and their eventual disappearance when the war ended. A very thorough list of cartoons is featured with plot summaries and notes of what type of topical references appear in the films.

Reading this book gives one a surprising look at the social impact of cartoons produced during these years, and since many of these cartoons contain what are considered nowadays racial caricatures, it is certain to make you look at cartoon animation in a whole different perspective from much of the tripe that passes for animation today. If you own books by Leonard Maltin or Jerry Beck, this is a perfect companion.

5.0 out of 5 stars Cartoon Heroes!, February 11, 2010

By 

Ellen J. MacWilliam (Boynton Beach, FL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Doing Their Bit: Wartime American Animated Short Films, 1939-1945, Second Edition (Paperback)

I am an avid History of Animation educator. I love reading and learning about the Hollywood studios of the 30's and 40's to see how thier studios worked and animated. This book was incredibly inspiring and informational. It has a nice range of studios depicted in the time period and how each contributed to the war effort. The book selects multiple cartoons from this era and explains the hidden use of propaganda in the shorts. It also depicts what the animators and studio teams had to go through to even work on the shorts! Absolutely amazing, greatly filled with information.

5.0 out of 5 stars Marvelous, February 8, 2009

By 

Charles daCosta "stachmann posse" (Savannah, GA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Doing Their Bit: Wartime American Animated Short Films, 1939-1945 (Library Binding)

Brilliant book. It arrived earlier than expected......and by coincidence it was the author who mailed it to me; so that's a bonus. Excellent!