Simply Perfect

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Blistering performances.

. . . Dorothy's Mom Ruby Dandridge (as Little Red Riding Hood) demands of the Big Bad Wolf after Ruby's OTHER daughter--Vivian (as Goldilocks)--has run the would-be lupine miscreant ragged during GOLDILOCKS AND THE JIVIN' BEARS. In a brilliant bit of color-blind casting Waaaay before the alleged rapist's BIRTH OF A NATION remake, Warner Bros. serves as the Branch Rickey of the movie business by going out on the limb to colorize the Brothers Grimm. One could argue that the Big Bad Wolf comes off as a potential rapist himself the way that he threatens to "eat" Goldilocks on first sight. But once the latter starts Jitterbugging the tables are turned, and the rest of the story segues into a Sadie Hawkins dance. Even "Red's" Granny horns in on the fun, as the Big Bad Wolf yearns for a sound axle greasing. Naturally, wrong-headed racist Ted Turner failed to recognize GOLDILOCKS AND THE JIVIN' BEARS for the watershed Racial Advance that it was during World War Two, and thoughtlessly consigned it to the Hellfire of the infamous "Banned Eleven" Looney Tunes!

I don't know why UA banned this cartoon from their networks, it promotes black culture. Black people did like to dance. Also, Eddie Selzer's first cartoon as producer. In fact, Freleng was a Jewish man himself, so I bet he faced discrimination too.The cartoon opens up with 3 jazz bears, who like music. They go for a walk, then, goldilocks come in. Goldilocks doesn't like the food or the bed. The Big bad wolf comes in and goldilocks dances with him. then grandma shows up and dances with the wolf, while the 3 bears play their music.It has a good musical timing, which Friz Freleng was known for. This makes him my favorite animator and director. I mean a lot of people would say Jones was better, but I like his style, but no one beats the mentor (Freleng) who taught Jones everything.

Friz Freleng's "Goldilocks and the Jivin' Bears" is one of several cartoons that usually don't get any circulation these days due to racial stereotypes (I saw it at an exhibit about Mel Blanc). In this case, the stories of Goldilocks and Little Red Riding Hood get combined to create a jazz-filled extravaganza. A really good time.It's easy to enjoy these cartoons, just as long as we understand the content. Cartoons like this one and "Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs" were intended as homages to African-American culture. And anyway, it's not as if racism has totally vanished from our culture (just look at some of the depictions of Barack Obama).Overall, a really fun cartoon.

This is a very peculiar little film that was pulled from circulation a long time ago because some found the film to be racially offensive. However, compared to many of the other films Warner Brothers pulled out of circulation for the same reason, the racist elements of this film seem very, very mild and can be forgiven due to the time in which it was made. If you don't believe me, try watching ALL THIS AND RABBIT STEW or COAL BLACK AND DE SEBBEN Dwarfs!!! In fact, although the three jazz playing characters look stereotypically exaggerated, the characters don't act stupid or lazy like in some of the other offensive cartoons. Because of this, the film is important historically and if viewed by adults I think they can take the imagery without "blowing a gasket". Would I want little kids to see it? Maybe not--or at least I'd have to talk to them and explain the context of the cartoon and the attitudes towards Black America.As far as the cartoon itself goes, it's pretty similar to MGM's SWINGSHIFT Cinderella, except that it isn't nearly as funny or well-made. Pretty typical of early 40s Warner Brothers, but not among their finer films.