Terrific interview, thanks Drew, thanks Claire. There was so much to savor here, but I especially liked Drew’s last words about what we need to do to make sure we don’t return to the 1950s. It’s up to us to act.
So glad you liked it Nell--and on your advice, I joined a state-wide effort to get 75,000 signatures to put a resolution on the ballot toe re-enfranchise former felons. You are just right that acting locally feels very concrete and achievable.
I'm so glad to hear that, Claire. Maybe you'll devote a segment to acting locally and how good it feels--as opposed to feeling powerless before what occurs nationally and far from home.
The "I Like Ike" animation was done by Seamus Culhane Studios, then at the top of its game with its "New AJAX, the Foaming Cleanser—buh buh buh buh buh buh" spot, so "I Like Ike" should not be mistaken as a generic example of bland political advertising of the time. It was from a top-of-the-line shop. Herbert Brownell chose wisely.
In those days we really didn't want to get into the weeds about Red China and Korea and Alger Hiss and Carol Bundy's grandfather, I forget his name—we wanted to move past all that!
We don't even see Adlai, except for some fool loping along on a donkey in silhouette. It's an ideas-free commercial.
Of course there is plenty to pick apart here, particularly if you're a Bob Taft conservative or a Henry Wallace progressive: and it will all come down to issues, issues, issues. But the whole point of "I Like Ike" was *avoidance* of issues.
Not having a "multiracial" cast in the animation? This needs some dissection. First, few animators could draw nonwhites without extreme caricatures. So we wouldn't want to do that. Second, the target audience was basically those folks you see caricatured in the animation. You might say we were still in the 'Babbitt' mindset of 30 years before, and you would be right. The commercial was aimed at Average Americans.
Terrific interview, thanks Drew, thanks Claire. There was so much to savor here, but I especially liked Drew’s last words about what we need to do to make sure we don’t return to the 1950s. It’s up to us to act.
So glad you liked it Nell--and on your advice, I joined a state-wide effort to get 75,000 signatures to put a resolution on the ballot toe re-enfranchise former felons. You are just right that acting locally feels very concrete and achievable.
I'm so glad to hear that, Claire. Maybe you'll devote a segment to acting locally and how good it feels--as opposed to feeling powerless before what occurs nationally and far from home.
Great idea.
Drew Faust is enjoyable.
The "I Like Ike" animation was done by Seamus Culhane Studios, then at the top of its game with its "New AJAX, the Foaming Cleanser—buh buh buh buh buh buh" spot, so "I Like Ike" should not be mistaken as a generic example of bland political advertising of the time. It was from a top-of-the-line shop. Herbert Brownell chose wisely.
In those days we really didn't want to get into the weeds about Red China and Korea and Alger Hiss and Carol Bundy's grandfather, I forget his name—we wanted to move past all that!
We don't even see Adlai, except for some fool loping along on a donkey in silhouette. It's an ideas-free commercial.
Of course there is plenty to pick apart here, particularly if you're a Bob Taft conservative or a Henry Wallace progressive: and it will all come down to issues, issues, issues. But the whole point of "I Like Ike" was *avoidance* of issues.
Not having a "multiracial" cast in the animation? This needs some dissection. First, few animators could draw nonwhites without extreme caricatures. So we wouldn't want to do that. Second, the target audience was basically those folks you see caricatured in the animation. You might say we were still in the 'Babbitt' mindset of 30 years before, and you would be right. The commercial was aimed at Average Americans.
Cheers!
Thanks so much for this great contribution, Meg!