A Lecture on Camouflage

A Lecture on Camouflage

Directed by	Chuck Jones
Written by	Dr. Seuss
Produced by	Leon Schlesinger (producer) Dr. Seuss (supervising producer)
Starring	Mel Blanc (as the voices of Private Snafu & Technical Fairy, First Class)
Narrated by	Mel Blanc (as the voice of Technical Fairy, First Class)
Edited by	Treg Brown
Music by	Carl W. Stalling
Release date	April 24, 1944
Running time	3 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

A Lecture on Camouflage is a 1944 American animated film directed by Chuck Jones, a Private Snafu cartoon short made for the troops during World War II.

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Transcription

Plot summary

The film

Technical Fairy, First Class gives the troops "A Lecture On Camouflage" with the aid of Private Snafu. He points that modern camouflage, if used intelligently, is both an art and a science.^[1]

The camera shifts from the Fairy to what seems to be a small boat on wheels, traveling down a road. A gunsight shaped like a swastika targets the boat. A direct hit reveals the boat to be actually a jeep, driven by Snafu. The soldier takes cover in the nearby woods, but the Fairy reminds him to cover his tracks. After doing so, it is time for Snafu to relax. He smokes under the shade of a tree. He is not alarmed when the tree asks for a light, speaking in a German accent. The Fairy has to remind him that the enemy can use camouflage too.^[1]

Snafu sneaks away, but he is being followed by enemy soldiers posing as a tree, a tree stump, and a boulder. He runs to escape and ends up at the top of an enemy cannon. He is sent flying and then seeks shelter in the shade of another tree. The effect of the shifting sun tricks him into chasing the shadow around the tree. Next, a confused Snafu seeks shelter under another shadow. It turns out to be the shadow of a German observation balloon which drops a bomb on Snafu. This concludes his story.^[1]

The camera shifts back to the Fairy, who points that to fool the enemy, one must blend in with the natural surroundings. He demonstrates by joining two topless mermaids.^[1]

Cast

Mel Blanc as Technical Fairy - First Class / German Soldier / German General

Soundtrack

"Powerhouse" (music by Raymond Scott)
"I'm Ridin' For a Fall" (by Frank Loesser)

Analysis

The gag with the enemy soldier disguised as a tree can be traced back to Shoulder Arms (1918). It was also used in Commando Duck (1944).^[1]

Sources

Shull, Michael S.; Wilt, David E. (2004), "Private Snafu Cartoons", Doing Their Bit: Wartime American Animated Short Films, 1939-1945, McFarland & Company, ISBN 978-0786481699