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 the last of the Warner Bros. "Censored 11" cartoons I've seen on Thad's Animation Blog and what a cartoon to watch as the final entry since it has hot jazz music performed by the title character animals, the Big Bad Wolf from Red Riding Hood (who's off riveting), Goldilocks wearing out the Wolf from jitterbugging with him, likewise with the returning Red Riding Hood and her Grandma (with voice by Dorothy Dandridge's mom, Ruby). In fact, the story starts with the instruments that the bears are playing (clarinet, piano, and bass) all literally getting red hot from rehearsing too much! So they all take a walk while both the Wolf and Goldilocks go inside. While nearly all of the characters have African-American features, only the piano-playing bear has the stereotyped face, voice, and characterization (of the Stepin Fetchit kind). And with Friz Freling at the helm, you know you're in for an animated musical treat. In fact, Goldilocks and the Jivin' Bears seems like one of the least offensive of the "Censored 11" cartoons I've seen here. It's certainly way better than the worst one, Angel Puss. So on that note, I highly recommend this short for animation buffs and jazz music lovers.

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.