NFR Project: “John Henry and the Inky-Poo’
Dir: George Pal
Scr: Robert Monroe, Latham Ovens
Pho: John S. Abbott
Premiere: Sept. 6, 1946
7 min.
From 1942 to 1946, stop-motion animator George Pal crafted a series of cartoons featuring Jasper, a young Black boy. These creations were not welcomed by the African American community, as they were deemed to be racist.
Pal was appalled to be so designated, and he decided to do something about it. Using his stop-motion techniques, he told the story of the great Black folk hero John Henry, a steel-driver on the railroad who fought and beat a machine designed to replace him (here referred to as the Inky-Poo). The film is noticeably NOT racist – it tells John Henry’s story in an inspiring and balanced way, and does not stoop to any stereotyping.
The result was well-received, and nominated for an Oscar. It marked the continuing development of the battle against racism in America.
The NFR is one writer’s attempt to review all the films listed in the National Film Registry in chronological order. Next time: The Killers.
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