Black & White World: Pansy Jokes
This week we go all the way back to 1930 for an interesting proto-musical. Busby Babes and some grotesque stereotyping. Go HERE for the full curious thang – it’s Glorified!
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“Make it a pansy,” indeed.
And, of course, the “man-gal” Eddie weds at the end is Charlotte Greenwood, none other than “Aunt Ella” from the movie version of Oklahoma.
Well, they’re not “Glorifying” the American Doughnut. They’re “Glorfying” it. As our host says, We drop the first “i” and pass the savings on to you!
Maybe Glorfying is some patented process like Martinizing (speaking of cleaners)?
That’s not Louise Brooks, but she had been married to Edward Sutherland, so it may have been anintentonal nod to her.
Just … wow. Must see someday. I’ve seen (the relentlessly uninspired) Eddie Cantor in the early technicolor “Whoopee!” (1930) also with sloppy proto-Berkeley choreog, unfunny dated banter, an appalling blackface interlude and lots of aspiring cuties. But the pansy joke takes the cake. I wonder how many 1930 people got it?
They got the joke, all right. “Pansy humor” was very popular in films and plays during the late 1920s/early 1930s. In his book “The Celluloid Closet”, Vito Russo makes note of this particular clip, as well as others of the time.
The pansy is, in fact, wearing a pansy in his buttonhole. Not an easy thing to do.
Yup, lots of stereotyped “Pansies” or “Sissies” in the old movies, and radio too. A recognized comic “type”, like the eye-rolling terrified negro, or the voluble moustachioed Italian.
Love the uniforms on the doughnut gals.
Willy Pogany, one of the guys who did “Settings” (whatever those are), was the illustrator for the children’s book, The Children of Odin, one of my childhood favorites. Very Beardsley-esque.
Cantor was a vaudeville guy, and should have stayed there. His stuff worked great if you were sitting in the cheap seats of a live theater; not so hot on the big screen.
Cantor was a better singer than a comedian, but that’s not saying much.
“I looove chocolate.” Let’s not go there.
Eddie Cantor wasn’t any worse than any of today’s second-tier comic actors, e.g. W*nda S*kes. But when he debuted his TV show, George Burns is reputed to have remarked “Eddie’s had 30 years to prepare for his first TV show. He has one week to prepare for his second.”
Did Paul Lynde wear pansies?
Eddie Cantor’s comedy style was basically “I’m not very funny, and THAT is in fact funny.” A type of meta-humour refined further by countless SNL alumni.
Darn you, madCanada!! I shall nevah look at a chocolot cake the same way agayn!
I’m sorry if I come across as a pig, but that first chick-pic is awesome and proves that James and I have similar tastes. Except I like to imagine her as a redhead. I mean, if you’re gonna dream, dream, right?
John Robinson:
“…none other than “Aunt Ella” from the movie version of Oklahoma.”
That’s “Aunt Eller”.
That “shiva” is actually young teenaged Betty Grable, who danced in lot of early-30s movies.
The pseudo-Brooks has been ID’d as Mildred Dixon. She has a certain cult now… as a Louise Brooks lookalike in Busby Berkeley musicals. I didn’t say it was a BIG cult.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16804034@N00/sets/72157604775226186/
Yes, I totally remember her from “Whoopee!” She popped out of the screen for about 3 seconds. Then she was gone.