The Complete Tales of Uncle Remus and Walt Disney’s Song of the South

“In these confusing times, it is good to renew an acquaintance with things that endure….This is an age of cultural confusion. Identity of race and race tradition is a treasure that all Americans, white or black or red, can keep in spite of the bewildering cross currents of lore and learning in our modern age. This identity, this integrity is important. Not that we can ever shut ourselves in water-tight cultural compartments. Traditions and separate cultures overlap always and everywhere in the ways of all races and nations.” Richard Chase 1955 (Forward: The Complete Tales of Uncle Remus).

If we pretend something doesn’t exist, does that make it disappear? Disney has tried hard to distance themselves from Song of the South due to “racial issues,” and now with the announcement of the reimagineering of Splash Mountain, it may be time to take a look at the true story of the Tales of Uncle Remus and how Disney came to make the story into Song of the South.

The Complete Tales of Uncle Remus by Joel Chandler Harris

About Joel Chandler Harris

The movie, Song of the South, is based on The Tales of Uncle Remus written by Joel Chandler Harris. Harris was born to a single woman in Georgia in the year in 1848. His mother was Irish, but not much is known about his father. (Remember this fact: Joel Chandler Harris did not have a father figure).

When Harris was fourteen years old, he went to work as an apprentice at a weekly paper, The Countryman, located in Georgia. The newspaper was produced on the grounds of The Turnwold Plantation. He lived on the plantation and worked for room, board, and food from 1862-1866.

However, on that plantation, he developed a relationship with the slaves. The fatherless boy listened to “African American animal stories told by Uncle George Terrell, Old Harbert, and Aunt Crissy. These slaves became models for Uncle Remus, Aunt Tempy, and other figures in the African American animal tales Harris began writing a decade later. “

Joel Chandler Harris on his porch

One older gentleman was a gardener for the plantation and it is believed that Uncle Remus was patterned after that man, but there was no Uncle Remus. There were several Black men that told him the stories of Brer Fox, Brer Rabbit, and Brer Bear.

While Harris was working at the plantation, the slaves were freed. Turner, the owner of the plantation, offered his slaves sharecropping jobs. When he left the plantation, he had useless Confederate money and few possessions. After a series of jobs at various newspapers, eventually, Joel Chandler Harris moved to Atlanta and took a job at the Atlanta Constitution.

Publishing the Tales of Uncle Remus

The first public stories of Uncle Remus were done as serials to “preserve in permanent shape those curious mementos of a period that will no doubt be sadly misrepresented by historians of the future.” In 1880, Harris published his first volume of folktales entitled Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings. He would publish six more volumes during his lifetime.

When Harris retired from newspaper writing in 1900, free from what he termed the “newspaper grind,” he left a legacy as a “progressive conservative.” This was a journalist who actively promoted socioeconomic, sectional, and racial reconciliation. 

In 1905, Harris published, Told by Uncle Remus: New Stories of the Old Plantation. In this book, Uncle Remus narrates his tales to the son of the little boy from the first book. This frail little boy is sent by Miss Sally, his grandmother, to Remus to learn how to be a real boy.

So now we know where the tales originally came from. We know that Joel Chandler Harris was a white man committed to preserving the tales of the Blacks that he encountered. Additionally, we know that Harris wanted to preserve them in story, but also in dialect. 

Uncle Remus and the little boy

Did Joel Chandler Harris Steal the Stories?

It has been said that Harris stole the stories, but I contend that Harris no more stole the stories than Aesop stole the fables or the Brothers Grimm stole the fairytales. Furthermore, it could be said that Walt Disney stole the stories that he told such as Cinderella or Snow White. However, most people would argue that the Grimm Brothers and Aesop simply recorded those wonderful tales so they would not be lost.

Consider this: “Joel Chandler Harris didn’t ‘steal’ Alice Walker’s* inheritance. It was given to him. And it was given to him as it was given to her, orally, by older people with lessons to teach speaking to younger people with lessons to learn. It was the closest thing he had to an inheritance of his own.”

Furthermore, after Joel Chandler Harris retired he dedicated his life to healing the racial divide. In a “1905 letter to Andrew Carnegie that explains as much. Regarding the impetus of the new Uncle Remus’s Magazine, Harris states that “the only ambition that I have ever had, the only line of policy that I have ever mapped out in my own mind” is to “finally dissipate all ill feelings and prejudices that now exist between the races.”

“The founding and very existence of Uncle Remus’s Magazine, Harris continues, is to encourage “the obliteration of prejudice against the blacks, the demand for a square deal, and the uplifting of both races so that they can look justice in the face without blushing.” It’s what he could never do overtly at the Atlanta Constitution, and it’s what Uncle Remus attempted to do through the Brer Rabbit tales.”

In 1955, The Complete Tale of Uncle Remus was published which include a collection of 185 tales edited by Richard Chase.

*Alice Walker wrote the Color Purple and accused Harris of “stealing the stories.” He no more stole them, than The Brothers’ Grimm or Hans Christian Anderson stole the stories they recorded for us to have. In fact, modern day historians recognize that Harris preserved these stories including the unique dialect of the time. 

picture of Brer Rabbit from the Tales of Uncle Remus

Where did the Stories of Uncle Remus Originate?

We now know that the stories have their origins in Africa. However, in Africa, instead of some of the stories centering around a rabbit, they are told through the lens of a spider. 

When Harris was writing the stories, he could not have known where they originally came from. Even 30 or 40 years ago, we could not have easily accessed that information. When Disney was exploring turning these stories into a movie, we do not know if anyone had definitive information pointing theses stories to authentic African forklore.

The Characters of the Uncle Remus Tales

When people hear the names of the animals from the Tales of Uncle Remus, they immediately think of Walt Disney and Splash Mountain. Forgotten is Joel Chandler Harris!

And when they hear the names of these animals, most people today think of racism. They do not know that the very person who recorded the stories did so in an attempt to preserve them. They also do not know that Harris fought, in the manner he knew how to change a generation’s view of the Black. Furthermore, Harris fought to end racism. 

So what do we know about the animals from the Tales of Uncle Remus? Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, and Brer Bear are the critters we encounter the most. However, there are so many other animals within the pages of The Complete Tales of Uncle Remus. 

To the average reader, it appears these tales are just wildlife critters meant to entertain. However, much more is going on. The animals themselves represent the White Man and the Black Man. Understanding that these stories were told by the slaves, who would you think represents the Black Man? The White Man?

Brer Rabbit represents the black slave. The rabbit is a trickster hero who outwits the other animals. The bear and the fox represent the slave owner. Uncle Remus, the former slave, is telling stories and educating the slave owners’ son. He is in essence teaching a younger generation to value, respect, and honor a race of people that otherwise may not have a voice.  The lesson that all the stories tell is that thinking outsmarts sheer strength. 

We know Uncle Remus was a composite of the black slaves encountered while Harris worked on the plantation, and by his own account, he was a lonely boy.  Furthermore, Harris himself is in the book. He is represented by the little white boy without a father who learns valuable lessons from the “father” figure he encounters in Uncle Remus.

Page from tales of Uncle Remus

Are the The Tales of Uncle Remus Racist?

This would depend on who you talk to. You see, Uncle Remus is telling the white boy stories that his parents would not. One of the stories touches on the origins of life. “All people were once black,” is the central theme of that story. Additionally, Uncle Remus becomes the father figure in the boy’s life usurping the authority of the boy’s own parents.

Uncle Remus helps the white boy understand concepts that he would not have learned in school or at the table with his own parents. The boy would not have been exposed to the humor, wit, and smarts of the Black man and would not have gone on to extend that influence. In many ways, Harris was like a modern day activist. Looking backwards we can see that he didn’t get everything right, but he certainly had the right motivations.

And in many ways, the racist white man would not want these stories told to his child. He would not want his children to hear about the quick-witted rabbit who outsmarts the dumb fox.

The Objections to the Tales of Uncle Remus

There have been many objections to these stories, and probably the one most repeated is that these stories are a reminder of the fact slavery existed at all. The dialect used, the plantation, the practice of slavery are within the pages of the book. People who read the stories as just stories may think the slaves within the pages were happy to be slaves. 

While those are valid points, understanding that ignoring or hiding history does not help us move forward. Which brings me to the point of Walt Disney. He never shrinked back from the opportunity to teach us valuable lessons and to bring us a world where we could hope, dream and believe in a better future.

WALT DISNEY AND THE USE OF PROPAGANDA IN FILMS

Many who do not know Walt’s history, don’t understand that he often used his films to further causes. Walt produced “propaganda films” numerous times. Propaganda is defined as “information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.” Walt definitely used his bias to promote a point of view!

In the film, Victory Through Air Power, Walt worked to convince Roosevelt and Churchill to use planes to fight. Only after watching Walt’s film, did the Allies begin to change their war strategy during World War II.

Walt again used propaganda films to further the space race. In documentaries, he explored rocketry and the push for missions to space. But at the same time, he was making fictionalized movies to garner support for our space race. Imagine what experts would have said to him at that point as he was making films to support sending astronauts into space.

Over and over Walt used the influence of films to shape and change viewpoints of the world around him. Therefore, it should not shock us that Walt made a film about a black freed slave and a little white boy who learns important lessons from his “kindly” Uncle Remus.

Walt Disney' Classic Song of the South Cover

THE HISTORY OF THE SONG OF THE SOUTH

Walt first heard the stories from the Tales of Uncle Remus when he was a boy down in the south. When he wanted to make the movie, he was advised not to. Why did Walt push ahead and decide to do it anyway?

Maybe somewhere buried in the vault along with the movie, Song of the South, are Walt Disney’s thoughts and viewpoints. But I could not find anything significant about why he felt the need to make this movie. I know that Walt employed Blacks at a time when others were not doing so. I know that Walt was a film revolutionary, but also an expert at affecting public opinion. 

Imagine in a time of segregation, having a little white boy learn valuable lessons from a Black man? I am sure that this film shocked movie goers and stretched the thoughts and views of many people.

Did you know that Uncle Remus, played by James Baskett, received an Honorary Academy Award for his portrayal of the jovial man who sang Zip-pa-Dee-Doo-Dah and sang with bluebirds sitting on his shoulder? Did you also know that James Baskett and the other Black actors and actresses did not go to the premiere of the movie? They would have had to sit in the balcony due to segregation laws.

Guess what? Walt Disney didn’t attend the premiere either. “The film had its world premiere at the Fox Theater in Atlanta, Georgia on November 12, 1946, with a huge fanfare. Walt made introductory remarks, introduced the cast, then quietly left for his room at the Georgian Terrace Hotel across the street. One of the reasons Disney did not watch the film during its premiere screening was out of respect for Baskett and the other black actors.

While the NAACP boycotted the movie because of how they said it depicted slaves, there were no slaves in the movie. They were free men and women. The movie is set after slavery has ended. Both Disney and Baskett were criticized for this movie.

Let’s look at the end of the movie. Johnny and two other children from the movie are skipping off along with Uncle Remus. They are all holding hands. I would like to think that Walt looked at this scene, portrayed in an idyllic manner, as what he envisioned the future would be like. This is a great picture – the children don’t care about color but are just happy to be together – white and black laughing and living together!

One of the biggest downfalls of the current Walt Disney Studios has been their failure to follow in the footsteps of their namesake. They have forgotten that their sole purpose is not just to entertain. Walt didn’t shy away from making films that people told him not to, and I think he would be embracing the controversy surrounding this film by coming to us on Sunday evenings and telling us why it was important to move forward! I even wonder if Walt would be making a sequel instead of hiding The Song of the South away from the public!

DVD from Walt Disney's Classic Song of the South

Sources:

https://wrensnest.org/everything-youve-heard-about-uncle-remus-is-wrong-part-4/

https://wrensnest.org/everything-youve-heard-about-uncle-remus-is-wrong-part-5/

https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/joel-chandler-harris-1845-1908

https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/uncle-remus-tales

https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/books/2016/02/21/The-forgotten-author-A-place-in-history-for-Uncle-Remus/stories/201602210025

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038969/trivia

5 thoughts on “Why Disney’s Song of the South Should Come Out of the Vault!”

  1. Asa S. Bruheim

    Your comparison to the Brothers Grimm is not a good one. The Grimm brothers collected the stories of their own culture – not the stories of people who’d been recently enslaved by people like themselves. Chandler’s Uncle Remus stories feels a bit like having a German author collect Jewish folktales right after WWII: even if s/he’d helped defend and protect Jews from nazi persecution it would still feel wrong for the stories to be published by him/her, who might feel like a representative of the oppressors.

  2. David

    I’m black and I watched this movie yesterday to see what all the hub hub was about. Frankly, I didn’t see what all the hub hub was about. There are major Hollywood movies made in the last 5 years that are more deserving of contempt due to racial problems in front and behind the camera, especially with casting. Considering that those movies were not made in the 40’s make them all the more egregious. Song of the South is a kids movie, seemingly best fitted for those 5-12, so no, I wouldn’t expect deep and dark themes and whatnot, but they MIGHT be there if you analyse closely enough or read into, and they are not negative themes. The blacks depicted were not slaves, they seem to be sharecroppers, common in the reconstruction period. Uncle Remus had agency as he could leave the plantation at anytime, and there was a reason why he wanted to go to Atlanta of all places. Some of it seems a bit distasteful through a modern lens; that the blacks seemed to unnecessarily subservient to the whites, especially at the end when the crowd was outside the house praying for the boy, or that the black kid was being led around by the white boy and girl, that the father mimicked the accent. But those are still minor grips compared to the meaning of the story, which was about the power of stories, and that a rich white kid preferred to be in the company of a poor white girl, a black boy and an old black man despite protestations. I have more of a problem with The Princess and the Frog being a token movie in its entirety, made simply because of the optics of Disney never having made a Black human animated movie despite covering every single other ethnicity. It was made AFTER all the cell animators were fired and they had to be rehired. And they blackwashed an Euro story instead of using a traditional Black story or writing an original one. AND the tradition of no black representation is recycling again with the CGI movies. Being one of the 2.5 black Disney movies ever made (I count The Lion King as 0.5), Song of the South is being buried because of pressure from who knows who, fake progressives most likely, but it seems to be par for the course, a course that hasn’t really changed even now. The deepest meaning of the movie, the power of stories, is all the more ironic and meta, considering that Song Of the South is literally about censorship. About what people choose to see in stories. About fighting for the freedom to tell and hear stories. I choose to see this movie as record of real Black oral tradition stories, about how Blacks used stories and song to effect their lives not being gloom and doom and despair and fear 24/7s. It’s not coincidence that Brer Rabbit (Ingenuity and Survival) was always escaping from captivity, at the hands of Brer Bear (Ignorance and Brute force) and Brer Fox (Malevolence and Superiority). When he returned to the Briar Patch, I see that as symbolic of Blacks choosing, and fighting, to remain in America and make it a better place. I see a movie that gave celebrity to a Black Actor as lead, that invited him into millions of peoples’ homes to see that we were fully human after all. I think he deserves full credit and respect for that, not to be hidden away in some vault.

    1. Patty Moliterno

      Thank you so much for commenting.

      I give Walt a lot of credit for pushing forward and making Song of the South. He was always moving forward. I wish he was still around and we could see how he was handling issues today!

  3. Stephanie

    White men making money off of black people suffering is probably why they hate the movie. I dont know if this is true but it seems plausable. I wish i could have seen it to judge for myself there are way worse movies out now days

    1. Patty Moliterno

      I often wonder how Walt would handle this entire situation. I also wonder if Disney would donate a portion of every film minority areas if that would change people’s viewpoint. I personally view the film through hopeful eyes. Disney had a vision for life that was special!

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