Category: Technical Fairy First Class

Snafu’s little buddy, who wants to keep his pal safe. (And isn’t afraid to tell him when he’s being an idiot.)

Posted on

A couple more Private Snafu shorts: Coming Snafu/Gripes

Coming!! SNAFU

“This…is Snafu.”

Directed by Chuck Jones. Released in 1943.

It’s the first short with Snafu! The goofiest soldier in the army. He’ll walk right off a dock if he’s not paying attention. It’s really more of a trailer than anything else, but we are told of what we can expect from Snafu. (Who has freckles in this short and his voice is slightly different. Still Mel though) You can find him in the infantry, tying his pack the wrong way or in the air corp towing a plane to its location. But he thinks about a stripper the whole time and doesn’t notice all the trouble the plane is being dragged into. Don’t worry though, his imaginary girlfriend’s breasts are censored, as is her naval. (Was my brother a part of this?) Naturally, his actions land him in jail. We are told of some of his coming attractions before we end, like “Spies”, “The Goldbrick”, and also…

Personal Rating: 2. (It really is just a trailer, but it at least makes garners interest)

Gripes

“If I ran this army, boy, I’m telling you. I’d make a few changes. That’s just what I’d do.”

Directed by I. Freleng. Released in 1943

Poor Snafu. He joined the army for fun and what does he end up doing? K.P. Specifically, scrubbing pans, peeling potatoes, and sweeping the floor. All at the same time. And there’s so many vaccinations. Even his tattoo is poked in the butt. He’s unhappy and wishes he could be in charge of things. Enter Technical Fairy First Class making his debut here. He uses his magic to promote Snafu to the highest position and Snafu couldn’t be happier. He spoils the men there and lets them have anything they want and lets them hang out with their girlfriends whenever they want. It’s a pretty nice life for awhile. But there is a war going on and the Germans are being a bit more serious. They are coming our way with bombs! Snafu tries to rally his troops, but they don’t listen to him anymore and he is left to fend for himself. Since he can’t win, he digs a hole and hides himself, but the bombs are equipped with shovels and end up finding their target. Luckily for Snafu, it was all a dream. And luckily for America, he’s happy to go back to his work.

Personal Rating: 3

Posted on

3 Private Snafu Shorts: The Goldbrick/The Home Front/Censored

And they’re all directed by Frank Tashlin! Hope you’re not sick of the guy yet. Don’t worry, we’ll be taking a break after this post.

“The Goldbrick” Released in 1943

“I do believe I’m putting on weight.”

Snafu is sleeping when he is woken up. (What else would he be doing if he was woken up?) He is naturally unhappy about this, and wishes to not have to get up for drills. A sprite named Goldie shows up and he lets Snafu in on some secrets of avoiding work. If you fake an illness, you can spend a day in bed with a hot nurse by your side. (Who must suck at her job if she can’t tell he’s faking.) When digging a trench, Goldie advises him to dig just enough for his head, and he’s earned a well deserved nap. Instead of pushing a load up a hill, have someone help while you sit on the load and push.

Soon, Snafu is lazy and out of shape. This comes back to bite him when he’s actually on the field. Deciding to goldbrick since that’s all he knows, he limps towards a convenient hospital. It’s a trap of course, and he ends up smashed by a hammer. He’s okay though and gets out. More trouble is out there, as an enemy tank chases him down. He digs a trench, but as he only ever digs enough for his head, his rear sticks out and the tank crushes him. He’s dead. (Snafu dies quite a few times in his shorts.) Goldie then reveals that he was really Japanese the whole time. (Remember: we were enemies. Japanese people do not look or sound like that.) But Snafu will be remembered, thanks to his 22 karat goldbrick grave.

Personal Rating: 3

“The Home Front” Released in 1943

“I didn’t know you cared.”

This short begins with Snafu in a very cold location. He complains because that’s what he does. He figures that all his loved ones are enjoying themselves back home. His dad is playing pool, his mom is playing bridge and gossiping, and his grandpa is being a pervert at a burlesque show. Worst of all, his sweet Sally Lou is no doubt dating someone else. (Isn’t that just how women are? If you leave them, they replace you.) Out pops good ole’ Technical Fairy First Class. He has a TV and lets Snafu see how much “fun” his family is having.

Turns out, that Snafu is the black sheep of the family, as the rest are working real hard. His dad’s building tanks, his mom’s planting a victory garden, and gramps is reinforcing battleships. And dear sweet Sally Lou? She joined the W.A.C.s. (I hope you feel like a dope, Snafu.) He tries to give her image a  kiss, but since she’s not really there, he kisses the fairy instead. (Hey, he lived this time. He’s coming home, Sally!)

Personal Rating: 3

“Censored” Released in 1944

“Mail this for me!”

Snafu is trying to send the lovely Sally Lou a letter. (A wimpy, short, dumb, lazy, man gets a hot chick? It’s plausible, but not fair.) Only one thing is preventing him from getting to the postbox: The censor. He/She/It catches Snafu and shreds his letter to nothing but “Greetings” and “Farewell.” On a train, Snafu tries again and this time folds it into a paper airplane. Tossing it outside does not work, as the censor has a net. The note is returned to Snafu as paper dolls. On the ship to his next destination, he tries again with the help of a dove he has in his pants. (Not one word about that.) The assistant censor, (a hawk) catches the bird who points out it was not his plan. (He’s some sort of stool bird!) The letter is beaked this time.

Snafu is getting desperate to talk to M.L. and luckily for him, his pal Technical Fairy First Class agrees to send it after Snafu tells him it’s safe. He and his girl use a code when speaking. The note delivers and Mary gets itttttt… I never thought I’d see this much skin when I decided to start reviewing shorts. (Yes, I know these shorts were for the armed forces, but she’s not even wearing a bra!) Even though he’s asked her to keep quiet, she goes on to tell her mother who goes on to tell more people. Eventually, through use of the telephone game, the Japanese here of it too and prepare an ambush at Bingo Bango island, where the U.S. is heading to. Unaware of the dangers, Snafu and the others land only to get blown up. Turns out it was all a dream. (Three shorts today. 1 death, 1 live, and 1 both.) Turns out T.F.F.C never sent the letter. Having learned his lesson, Snafu censors it himself.

Personal Rating: 3

Posted on

Private Snafu Double Feature: Rumors/Snafuperman

Sorry for lack of post yesterday. Will be going on a brief hiatus for about two weeks. Now without ado…….

RUMORS

“Sounds harmless enough. Innocent stuff.”

This short starts up in the latrine. Snafu is there, and one of his friends mentions that the day is “nice for a bombing.” Snafu thinks about this. Here we see the birth of a rumor. All it needs is to be released into another ear. Snafu tells another soldier that he’s heard they’re in for a bombing. (Okay? He heard the guy say point blank it was a nice day for a bombing, not that it was happening. I just feel Snafu should have heard it in passing for me to believe him twisting the story so asininely.)

The rumor gets bigger and bigger and begins to multiply. Soon, it becomes sentient. (I just want to point out that these rumors are the stuff of nightmares. And it’s awesome.) They soon catch up to Snafu, and they escalate even more and more. They’ve now grown into ‘all the allies giving up’, to ‘us losing the war’. But if you know the history books, then you know we “won”. However, Snafu and the rest of the camp are quarantined with “Rumoritis” leaving him stuck in there with those monstrosities.

Personal Rating: 4

SNAFUPERMAN

“Enemies of democracy: Beware!”

While the rest of the camp is keeping busy, Snafu is busy screwing around. He tells his comardes that studying is a waste and that action is all that’s needed. In comes a sprite known as Technical Fairy First Class. (What a mouthful.) He decides to put Snafu’s money where his mouth is, and turns him into a superhero. Snafu takes a bomb addressed to Adolf and leaves for Berlin. Since he did not take a map, he almost drops it on the capitol. (He couldn’t tell he never left the continent?) T.F.F.C. brings it back, before it can do lasting harm.

Later, Snafu sees a tank and rips it open. Only to find it’s an American tank. (While he should have known that, what was the tank doing here?) Then a mess of messerschmits come along and drop their bombs. Snafu grabs them all and sets them down safely. Turns out they were delayed reaction bombs, and they blow up sending him to the infirmary. (Snafuper doesn’t mean invincible.) There, he yells for T.F.F.C. to bring him a field manual. (Aww, he learned his lesson.)

Personal Rating: 3

So next time, I’ll be talking about something I’ve wanted to talk about since I started the blog. See you after the break.