Frank Nelson narrates this sub-minimally animated shaggy dog story of a cartoon, produced for Republic Pictures during the brief period when they tried to do such things.
The producer-director-writer of this cartoon, Leonard Levinson, primarily earned his living as a writer for radio throughout his career. For some reason he managed to talk the management of Republic into backing a series of four "Jerky Journeys". In this one we learn of three Indian maids named Minnie, whose mother runs a cigar store, and of the occasion on which Watha-Hia came to town. The repetitious narration are supposed to suggest a burlesque of Longfellow's "Song of Hiawatha", but mostly it comes off as as akin to someone who tells a long pointless joke, occasionally digging an elbow into your ribs to ask you "Get it?"
Although some real animation talent is involved, this is one for completists.
The producer-director-writer of this cartoon, Leonard Levinson, primarily earned his living as a writer for radio throughout his career. For some reason he managed to talk the management of Republic into backing a series of four "Jerky Journeys". In this one we learn of three Indian maids named Minnie, whose mother runs a cigar store, and of the occasion on which Watha-Hia came to town. The repetitious narration are supposed to suggest a burlesque of Longfellow's "Song of Hiawatha", but mostly it comes off as as akin to someone who tells a long pointless joke, occasionally digging an elbow into your ribs to ask you "Get it?"
Although some real animation talent is involved, this is one for completists.
