Swing You Sinners (1930) - A Fleischer Review

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 I found this before, but didn't review it. This had enough cursed ghosts in it that any child would probably want to turn it off. The song is typical jazz you might hear in a jazz club, but the ghosts chasing Bimbo the dog are something else. 

Courtesy of paramountcartoons.fandom.com


This is a 1930 cartoon about Bimbo trying to steal a chicken, running away into a cemetery, then getting haunted by all the ghosts in the cemetery that want to kill him. Yep, Fleischer has more cursed content to give. I found this, then realized I'd found it long before. This is the second time I've seen it. It's still a little strange, even after all the Fleischer I've taken in. 

The Good

I did find some good in this, and that was the music. I was swaying to the jazz without thinking about it. Listening to the song alone is okay (despite some of the dialogue being about Bimbo's death). If you've ever swayed along to a song naturally, you'll know the music is not the problem. The cartoon is mostly the song. Fleischer is like that, all the time, almost every cartoon. All of it is jazz or Betty Boop singing about something. No Betty Boop here, though. 

The Cursed

Most of this is cursed, minus the beginning part of him trying to get the chicken. Words can't explain how cursed the dialogue is toward Bimbo. "Permanent Shave" is not a phrase a children's cartoon could use nowadays, or "face lifted" while holding a noose. There is even a comment that there will be no body left (paraphrased). All the ghosts are trying to kill Bimbo for his chicken-chasing sins. 

If you have a child, don't show them this. It's kind of nuts that this made it to television, when cartoons were primarily aimed toward the entire family. I don't see a four-year-old watching this and not freaking out. An adult would look sideways at this. I'm 30 and I think it's rather cursed. I have to assume the people of this time period were used to a different standard of "family friendly", which is indeed the case for every different generation. 

Overall Thoughts

This one needs to be watched to be explained. It's right here for you to see for yourself. Please keep in mind that this is quite cursed. I understand how Disney's style attracted more families than Fleischer's. Put yourself in a child's place. Imagine yourself as a five- or six-year-old watching this. You'll see my point about "family friendly" quite quickly. 



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Morrow is released! This novella is the story of two women writing a family history for the Morrow family. They find a nasty secret while researching. Will they survive their internship? 

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