Detouring America
| Detouring America | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Fred Avery |
| Story by | Jack Miller |
| Produced by | Leon Schlesinger |
| Starring | Robert C. Bruce Mel Blanc (all uncredited) |
| Music by | Carl W. Stalling |
| Animation by | Rollin Hamilton |
| Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures The Vitaphone Corporation |
Release dates | |
Running time | 7:57 |
| Language | English |
Detouring America is a 1939 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Tex Avery.[2] The short was released as early as August 12, 1939.[1]
Plot
[edit]A tour of the United States, with recurring checks on the progress of the human fly climbing the Empire State Building. Also featured are jokes and gags on the Everglades, the Wyoming prairies, Alaska, a California prospector, Sioux Indians and a Jerry Colonna-esque (literal) Texas cow-puncher.
Home media
[edit]- LaserDisc – The Golden Age of Looney Tunes, Volume 5, Side 2 (USA 1995 Turner print)
- DVD – Each Dawn I Die (USA 1995 Turner print added as a bonus)
Censorship
[edit]- Two scenes are excised from the cartoon when aired on Cartoon Network and Boomerang United States television networks due to ethnic stereotyping against Native Americans and Inuit. They are:[3]
- The scene with a poor, black hitchhiker at the North Pole, who sings "Carry Me Back to Ol' Virginny". Then, an Eskimo sends him back by taking him all the way back to the Virginia state line.
- The scene with an Indian mother dealing with her dopey, oversized, adult son she's carrying on her back.
Notes
[edit]- ^ Archived from an August 17 article, this is based on the fact that new cartoon shorts would typically premiere in theaters on Saturdays.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Detouring America - Earliest Known Date". The Idaho Statesman. August 17, 1939. p. 8. Retrieved November 15, 2025.
- ^ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 91. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
- ^ "The Censored Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies Guide: D".
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