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Two. “Put Down the Mint Julep, Mr. Disney ”
- University of Texas Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
The picture, “Song of the South,” appears to give different people extremely different impressions. R. E. Bowles, letter to editor, Washington Post, December 31, 1946 R. E. Bowles noted in a 1946 letter to the Post that Song of the South’s debut was generating heated responses in the pages of numerous newspapers. Despite the film’s own claims to “simple truths,” Song of the South, he or she wrote, was generating a wide range of critical reactions to its theatrical debut. As one of the earliest known audience responses to Song of the South, Bowles could not have imagined just how prescient this observation would ultimately prove. Disagreements over the film had only just begun. Yet, in one respect, Bowles’s observation was not quite accurate: the response to Song of the South then was primarily negative. While some people were less critical than were others, few were unconditionally positive. One such person was Bowles, whose enthusiastic interpretation of Song of the South attempted to create a space for contrarian opinions. Over subsequent decades, responses to the film would become much more complicated. Increasing nostalgic affective attachments, migration into other media formats, and changing historical contexts would further muddle its politics. Both critical perceptions and textual versions of Song of the South would later change. But none of this was an issue in 1946. The film premiered at the Fox Theatre in downtown Atlanta on November 12. It was a large, three-day affair, with more than two dozen Southern reporters invited to cover the event. Walt himself had left for Atlanta several days early to attend. The day before Song of the South’s theatrical debut, the city was treated to a large parade, featuring giant floats of various Disney characters.1 The night of the film’s premiere, Two “Pu t Dow n t he M i n t J u lep, Mr. Disn e y ” Postwar Racial Consciousness and Disney’s Critical Legacy in the 1946 Reception of Song of the South “Put Down the Mint Julep, Mr. Disney” 63 Disney was interviewed on the Vox Pop radio program from the Fox Theatre, along with Georgia Governor Ellis Arnall, Atlanta Mayor William B. Hartsfield, descendants of Joel Chandler Harris, and the film star Gene Tierney (who did not appear in the film).2 Also on hand were stars Ruth Warrick, Bobby Driscoll, and Luana Patten, along with actors and actresses who provided the voices of Donald Duck (Clarence Nash), Snow White (Adriana Caselotti), Pluto/Goofy (Pinto Colvig), and Jiminy Cricket (Cliff Edwards). As was eventually noted by many, Georgia’s enforced segregation prevented Song of the South’s two African American stars, Baskett and McDaniel, from attending the festivities —something that even few Northern newspapers at the time made a point to mention.3 Song of the South’s eventual underperformance at the box office was not for lack of promotion. According to a studio advertisement at the time, Song of the South was sold throughout the country in “four-color ads in 75 of the biggest Sunday newspaper magazines and supplements in the country . . . saturating America with one of the most comprehensive campaigns on record! . . . including the most intensive and widespread music promotion ever devised.”4 This campaign did not necessarily help Song of the South’s ultimate box office performance, but the music promotion paid off. According to Variety, “Sooner or Later” and “Zipa -Dee-Doo-Dah” had already cracked the list of “Top 30” radio songs during the week of November 8–145 —just before the film was released. It is an oddly appropriate historical irony that “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” technically debuted and found immediate success even before the theatrical release of Song of the South, since today the song is still remembered and referenced more so than the film that featured it. Unlike its soundtrack, however, Song of the South generated harsh critical reviews, offended many audiences, and garnered underwhelming box office returns. Despite later assumptions to the contrary, Song of the South was a commercial disappointment. In addition to the above promotional costs, the final production tab on the film itself ran over $2 million .6 The film essentially broke even when it later grossed $3.4 million.7 This was not a fiasco by any measure, but it was almost $2 million less than even Walt Disney had privately hoped.8 In any case, it was certainly not enough to reenergize the studio, or to pull it out...