''Confederate Honey'' is a 1940 ''

Merrie Melodies ''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animated comedy short film series distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was part of the ''Looney Tunes'' franchise and featured many of the same characters. Originally running from August 2, 1931, to Septem ...

'' cartoon directed by

Friz Freleng Isadore "Friz" Freleng (; August 21, 1905May 26, 1995), credited as I. Freleng early in his career, was an American animator, cartoonist, Film director, director, Film producer, producer, and composer known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons ...

. It is a sendup of ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * Gone with the Wind (novel), ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * Gone with the Wind (film), ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind ...

'', and features an early appearance by

Elmer Fudd Elmer J. Fudd is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes''/''Merrie Melodies'' series and the archenemy of Bugs Bunny. Elmer Fudd's aim is to hunt Bugs, but he usually ends up seriously injuring himself and other antag ...

in his most familiar form. The cartoon's title is meant to evoke " Confederate money".

Plot

It is 1861 (B.Sea., that is "Before

Seabiscuit Seabiscuit (May 23, 1933 – May 17, 1947) was a champion thoroughbred racehorse in the United States who became the top money-winning racehorse up to the 1940s. He beat the 1937 Triple Crown winner, War Admiral, by four lengths in a two-hors ...

"), and Colonel O'Hairoil, a literal blueblood in the literally bluegrass country of Kentucky, presides over rich tobacco and cotton plantations. His black slaves slowly pick the cotton one boll at a time, and when one young lad takes two bolls of cotton and hands them to his recumbent father to place in the packing crate, he is warned, "Don't get too ambitious there, son." The pride of the plantation is the Colonel's daughter, Crimson O'Hairoil, who is courted by many suitors, who leave in vain after having their horse parking ticket validated (for parking is charged by the hour). Crimson has eyes only for the "chivalrous, hard riding, square shooting soldier of fortune, Ned Cutler" (

). Ned arrives, and is just, with some difficulty, about to ask Crimson a question, when there is an explosion. The

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

has started. Ned must leave to join his "wegiment." He leaves his horse in the paid lot, despite the warning of the attendant. The war drags on. The war is picketed on the grounds that it is unfair to the Union, while civilians are equipped with blue "

Union suit A union suit is a type of one-piece long underwear, most often associated with menswear in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. History Created in Utica, New York, United States, it originated as women's wear during the 19th-century United S ...

s" (uniforms). An officer addresses his men, warning that the other side is pitching Stoneball Jackson, "a southpaw" against them, and if they win, they will meet the South in the Cotton Bowl. A trumpeter sounds a call, but things degenerate into a jazz band. A nervous

Hugh Herbert Hugh Herbert (August 10, 1885 – March 12, 1952) was an American motion picture comedian. He began his career in vaudeville and wrote more than 150 plays and sketches. Career Born in Binghamton, New York, Herbert attended Cornell Univers ...

Confederate officer paces in a tent with information coming in by telegraph—it turns out to be race results. Ned shoots a cannon, whose ball acts like a pinball in a machine. Meanwhile, the horse and attendant await Ned's return. The Colonel is dispirited to hear, on the radio, that "The

Yanks ''Yanks'' is a 1979 drama film directed by John Schlesinger, and produced by Joseph Janni and Lester Persky, and is written by Colin Welland and Walter Bernstein. It stars Richard Gere, Lisa Eichhorn, Vanessa Redgrave, William Devane, Chick ...

" have won again, announced before a victory for Brooklyn (and all others rained out), and curses the Yankees. Back at camp, Ned reads a letter and sighs. A signal rocket turns into an advertisement "After the battle eat Southern Fried Chicken at Mammy's Shack." Crimson, having promised to burn a light in the window for Ned, does so with such enthusiasm with a searchlight that she alarms

Paul Revere Paul Revere (; December 21, 1734 O.S. (January 1, 1735 N.S.)May 10, 1818) was an American silversmith, military officer and industrialist who played a major role during the opening months of the American Revolutionary War in Massachusetts, ...

, who rides away giving his famous warning. Time passes (with the horse and attendant still in the lot) from 1861 to 1865, and the war ends. Crimson looks out her window, strewn with the remains of candles. At last, Ned returns, and finally asks Crimson the question—can she validate his parking ticket? She stamps "REVOKED" across his forehead.

Reception

''Motion Picture Exhibitor'' said on April 17, 1940: "By far the slap-happiest and most laugh-provoking reel of color cartoon ever put out by Leon Schlesinger (and that takes in a lot of territory). This take-off on ''Gone with the Wind'' had a projection room audience doubled up with laughter. It concerns the sad tale of Elmer Cutter, who is called to the colors before he has an opportunity to propose to Crimson O'Hairoil. He does return, however, but he doesn't get the gal who waited patiently for him. Ah, Woe! Excellent."

Home media

*Laserdisc - ''

The Golden Age of Looney Tunes ''The Golden Age of Looney Tunes'' is a collection of LaserDiscs released by MGM/UA Home Video in the 1990s. There were five sets made, featuring a number of discs, and each disc side represented a different theme, being made up of seven cartoon ...

'', Vol. 3, Side 8: The Evolution of Egghead *DVD - ''Errol Flynn Westerns Collection'' Virginia City (USA 1995 Turner print added as a bonus, censored)

References

External links

*
''Confederate Honey'' on the Internet Archive
{{Elmer Fudd in animation 1940 films Merrie Melodies short films Warner Bros. Cartoons animated short films Short films directed by Friz Freleng 1940 comedy films American Civil War films Films produced by Leon Schlesinger Films scored by Carl Stalling Films set in 1861 Films set in 1865 Films set in Kentucky 1940s Warner Bros. animated short films Blackface minstrel shows and films Works based on Gone with the Wind Animated films set in the 1860s 1940 animated short films