Sean Bradley, Staff Writer 

When people think of Halloween animation, the first thing that comes to mind is probably the 1966 Peanuts TV special “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” However, today I would like to introduce you to a short that’s gained a cult following in recent years titled “Swing You Sinners!”

Released in 1930 by Paramount Pictures, “Swing You Sinners!” was produced by Fleischer Studios, a studio run by two brothers, Max and Dave, that made cartoons in the 1930s for Paramount and introduced iconic characters, like Betty Boop and Popeye the Sailor. “Swing You Sinners!” was produced as an entry in the “Talkartoons” series, which was a series of animated shorts that ran from 1929 to 1932.

The short stars Bimbo the Dog, who was the studio’s flagship character until Betty Boop’s creation and who eventually became Betty Boop’s lover. Unlike the light-hearted Disney cartoons of the day, Fleischer cartoons were darker and grittier and focused on adult themes. In the case of “Swing You Sinners!,” the theme is racial injustice.

The cartoon’s title has double meaning because not only does swing refer to dancing, but it also refers to hanging from a noose. Many modern viewers have interpreted the cartoon as a metaphor for the racially motivated lynchings of the time, due to Bimbo being a dark colored character tormented and threated with hanging by white ghosts for a petty crime of chicken theft.

In an episode about the cartoon from a former podcast called “Cartoon Logic,” hosts Thad Komorowski and Bob Jacques talk a little about the cartoon’s racial element before doing a scene-by-scene analysis. In it, Komorowski refers to Bimbo as “the ultimate morphing character” because early on Bimbo didn’t have a consistent design and his look varied from each short.

It wasn’t until the production and release of the short “The Herring Murder Case” (1931) that the studio finally settled on a standard design for Bimbo: a short, round, black dog with shoes, a sweater and gloves. Many of the early Bimbo shorts often reflected the poverty and harsh experience of gaining and losing jobs during the Great Depression because in each short, Bimbo is seen working a different job. Some of these jobs seen in the shorts include construction, lumberjacking and mail carrying.

In “Swing You Sinners!,” Bimbo is cast as a poor black man, who attempts to steal a chicken out of hunger and desperation only to get caught by a policeman, whom he escapes only to end up in a cemetery where he’s reprimanded and threatened with death by ghosts and demons for his crime.

During the cartoon’s climax, there are references to lynching. “Cartoon Logic” host Bob Jacques notes the lyrics, “For making chicken elope, you’re at the end of your rope. So, just give up all hope! Swing, you sinners! We’ll stretch you like a giraffe, maybe cut you in half. Just to give us a laugh! Swing, you sinners!”

Interestingly, in his debut short “Hot Dog” (1930), Bimbo, who’s cast as a womanizing white man, gets away with his crime of harassing women by entertaining the judge and jury with a banjo rendition of W.C. Handy’s “The Saint Louis Blues”. The shorts “Swing You Sinners!” and “Hot Dog” are two good animated companion films in understanding how race was a determining factor in the outcome of crimes in America. 

Despite the cartoon’s dark theme, the animation and music are still worthy of praise. Upon initial viewing, one might not think that most of the animation was done by rookie animators. However, that is the case. In 1930, many of the Fleischer’s top animators left for opportunities in Hollywood; and out of desperation, the Fleischers promoted many assistant animators to full animators as well as hired experienced animator, Grim Natwick, to train the new crew.

The results are quite impressive. Natwick, in particular, was responsible for designing and animating the hordes of scary ghosts and monsters that chase Bimbo into hell during the cartoon’s climax. Each monster design is strange and unique in its own bizarre way. The short’s dark, gray tone backgrounds also give it an eerie, spooky vibe.

Regarding the music, the cartoon’s title is a pun on a song, “Sing, You Sinners,” by W. Franke Harling and with lyrics by Sam Coslow, which first appeared in a 1930 Paramount film, “Honey.” The song is heard over the cartoon’s opening titles and climax. Several famous jazz musicians, including Bob Effros (trumpet) and Tommy Dorsey (trombone) can also be heard playing on the soundtrack.

In recent years, the cartoon has gained a cult following. Many of the cartoon’s visuals as well as other 1930s cartoons inspired the look of the popular video game Cuphead. Additionally, in March 2024, a new 4K restoration of the cartoon was shown at a Fleischer Studios retrospective hosted by the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.So if you’re looking for a spooky film for your Halloween watchlist this year, consider “Swing You Sinners!” Additionally, if you’re interested in seeing and learning more about the history of the cartoon, feel free to join the Classic Cartoons Club on Halloween for a screening of spooky, Halloween-themed cartoons in Holroyd Hall Room 190 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.