Private Snafu is the title character of a series of black-and-white American instructional cartoon shorts produced between 1943 and 1945 during World War II. The character was created by director Frank Capra, chairman of the U.S. Army Air Force First Motion Picture Unit, and most were written by Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel, Philip D. Eastman, and Munro Leaf. Although the United States Army gave Walt Disney the first crack at creating the cartoons, Leon Schlesinger of the Warner Bros. animation studio underbid Disney by two-thirds and won the contract. Disney had also demanded exclusive ownership of the character, and merchandising rights. Nel (2007) shows the goal was to help enlisted men with weak literacy skills learn through animated cartoons (and also supplementary comic books). They featured simple language, racy illustrations, mild profanity, and subtle moralizing. Private Snafu did everything wrong, so that his negative example taught basic lessons about secrecy, disease prevention, and proper military protocols.
Private Snafu cartoons were a military secret—for the armed forces only. Surveys to ascertain the soldiers’ film favorites showed that the Snafu cartoons usually rated highest or second highest. Each cartoon was produced in six weeks, compared to the six months usually taken for short cartoons of the same kind. (Source: Wikipedia)
Warner Brothers Shorts |
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Coming!! Snafu (1943) Director Chuck Jones |
Gripes (1943) Director Friz Feleng |
Spies (1943) Director Chuck Jones |
The Goldbrick (1943) Director Frank Tashlin |
The Infantry Blues (1943) Director Chuck Jones |
Fighting Tools (1943) Director Bob Clampett |
The Home Front (1943) Director Frank Tashlin |
Rumors (1943) Director Friz Freleng |
Booby Traps (1944) Director Bob Clampett |
Snafuperman (1944) Director Friz Freleng |
Private Snafu vs. Malaria Mike (1944) Director Chuck Jones |
A Lecture on Camouflage (1944) Director Chuck Jones |
Gas (1944) Director Chuck Jones |
Going Home (1944) Director Chuck Jones |
The Chowhound (1944) Director Frank Tashlin |
Censored (1944) Director Frank Tashlin |
Outpost (1944) Director Chuck Jones |
Pay Day (1944) Director Friz Freleng |
Three Brothers (1944) Director Friz Freleng |
Target: Snafu (1944) Director Friz Freleng |
In the Aleutians – Isles of Enchantment (9145) Director Chuck Jones |
It’s Murder She Says (1945) Director Chuck Jones |
Hot Spot (9145) Director Friz Freleng |
No Buddy Atoll (1945) Director Chuck Jones |
Operation Snafu (1945) Director Friz Freleng |
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Shorts by Other Studios |
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Few Quick Fact: Inflation (1944) Director Osmond Evans – UPA Studios |
Few Quick Facts: USS Iowa (1944) MGM Studios |
A Few Quick Facts about Fear (1945) Dierctor Zack Schwartz Studio UPA |
Seaman Tarfu (1946) Director Hugh Harman Harman-Ising Studio |