These fascinating creations were designed specifically for distribution to the armed forces and not for general public consumption. Their lead character, Pvt. Snafu ("snafu" is a military acronym for "situation normal: all f----d up") is a serviceman who endures calamities of his own making, in morality tales that were designed to educate servicemen or reinforce their training. Pvt. Snafu will do something all wrong, or take on a bad attitude, and the result will be endangered military brethren, ruined missions, or even death due to his own carelessness. In short, these cartoons were designed to teach lessons to actual soldiers during WWII while also entertaining them.
The joy in viewing them today lies in the fact that they were produced with the same production values and artistry as the standard Warner cartoons of the time, and voiced by Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and many others. Moreover, they were written by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel), and his rhyming language is completely recognizable. Seuss also designed storyboards for many of these cartoons, and his distinct visual imagination is on full display. Finally, the Pvt. Snafu films were not subject to the Production Code, meaning they could get away with some risqué subject matter, language and imagery. (They did, however, have to be cleared by the Pentagon.) In fact, author Ethan de Seife has surmised that they "may have helped to nudge Warner Bros. cartoons toward more adult-level comedy," with their numerous off-color jokes.
In The Goldbrick, Snafu is prodded by the "Goldbrick Fairy" to shirk his duties. He pretends to be sick in order to get out of drills outside in the rain; he digs a shallow trench instead of a deep one; he cheats when told to push a heavy load up a hill, and so on. Goldbricking in the army, we see, can lead to becoming dangerously out of shape, falling into enemy hands, and death on the battlefield. (This is one of the few Snafu titles in which the character dies.) Along the way, there is striking battle imagery, funny dialogue, and a glimpse of a pin-up girl's panties when Snafu's snoring puffs up her skirt on the calendar hanging above his bed.
By Jeremy Arnold
SOURCES:
Michael S. Shull and David E. Wilt, Doing Their Bit: Wartime American Animated Short Films 1939-1945
Ethan de Seife, Tashlinesque: The Hollywood Comedies of Frank Tashlin
