MartinHafer CLEAN PASTURES is a play on words, as the year before this film debuted, a film with an all-Black cast, GREEN PASTURES, was released in theaters to White and Black audiences alike.This is one of the so-called "Censored 11"--Looney Toons cartoons that were pulled from the market in the 1960s because of racist stereotypes of Blacks. While the general feeling of the reviewers is that this isn't offensive or that offensive, I can see how calling Heaven "Pair O Dice" could easily offend, as showing Black men as shiftless gamblers was a common stereotype of the age. As for the people who are parodied (mostly Black jazz musicians), I don't think this was intended as offensive and I bet most of them (such as Cab Calloway and Louis Armstrong) were probably flattered by the attention. Throwing in a Steppin Fetchit-inspired character, though, is inflammatory as he is practically the poster child for the "I hate my race and will whore myself out for money" club. The bottom line is that there are elements of this film that can't help but offend. This is sad, as because with a few minor changes, this could be a more acceptable and widely enjoyed cartoon.My advice is that this and all the Censored 11 cartoons should not be shown on broadcast television unless they are shown with some sort of prologue that could explain the context and reasons they offend. Having them continue to be available on the internet (when you can find them) isn't a bad thing, however, as I am loathe to ban any sort of speech and it is an unfortunate but important part of our history. And if we eliminate EVERYTHING that might offend from our history, then we are left with,...well,...nothing!

david-2271 The cartoon opens in Harlem. People are dancing, drinking, gambling and generally making merry. Up in heaven (or Pair O' Dice as it is called here), a Black angel despairs that they are losing souls to Hades. He sends an angel (a caricature of Steppin-Fetchit) to teach people to resist temptation. Not surprisingly, he is unsuccessful.Then a group of angels (caricatures of Fats Wahler, Jimmie Lunceford, Louis Armstrong and Cab Calloway) tell the head angel that they need to update the message. The angels go to Harlem and sing "Swing for Sale." It works, and soon they are leading hordes of ex-sinners into Pair O' Dice. Even the devil begs his way in to enjoy the new swinging good news.Many modern viewers will be offended by the caricatures in this cartoon, particularly the lazy, inept Steppin-Fetchit angel. Despite this legitimate criticism, "Clean Pastures" does a commendable job of reinforcing the fact that swing music was, in fact, African-American music. No Pat Boone/Vanilla Ice rip-offs here. "Clean Pastures" presents this wonderful music in all its ethnic and, yes, revolutionary glory to a primarily White audience. This is quite an accomplishment, considering that the real musicians portrayed in this cartoon would have had to enter and exit a White club by the rear entrance, if they could get in at all! Tragically, "Clean Pastures" has been blacklisted (no pun intended). WB has refused to release it on TV or home video. It is worth tracking down however, as it deserves more respect than its current status allows it.

Coolguy-7 I realize that a lot of people find this cartoon to be rather racist. True it may seem that way nowadays, but black caricatures were a common sight in cartoons,as well as films in general, back in the 20's through late 40's. Nevertheless, I see this cartoon to be a work of art with good caricatures of famous African Americans like Louis Armstrong and Cab Calloway. I don't believe that this cartoon was intended to be a racial slur toward African Americans. It's just supposed to be humorous. I always seem to get a kick out of the ending where Heaven is full, but one person knocks at the gates and Pair O' Dice says "There's always room for one more." This "one more" turns out to be none other than the devil himself.

Robert Reynolds This is a beautiful musical short that is frowned on these days because it features caricatures of Stephin Fetchit, Cab Calloway, Fats Waller, Louie Armstrong and others. It's really too bad, because the jazz is great and it's a wonderful piece of animation. Unfortunately, the prevailing attitude these days seems to be that animation is for kids when the reality is these shorts were made for adults and children both. You'll have to dig to find this, but it's worth the time and effort. Most highly recommended.