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Johnny Smith and Poker-Huntas

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Johnny Smith and Poker-Huntas
Directed byFred Avery
Story byRichard Hogan
Produced byLeon Schlesinger
StarringMel Blanc (uncredited)
Bernice Hansen (uncredited)
Tex Avery (uncredited)
Edited byTreg Brown (uncredited)
Music byCarl W. Stalling
Animation byPaul Smith
Virgil Ross (uncredited)
Irven Spence (uncredited)
Sid Sutherland (uncredited)
Production
company
Leon Schlesinger Studios
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • October 22, 1938 (1938-10-22)
Running time
8 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Johnny Smith and Poker-Huntas is a 1938 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies series directed by Tex Avery and written by Rich Hogan.[1] The short was released on October 22, 1938 and features an early version of Elmer Fudd.[2]

Plot

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In the cartoon, Prototype-Elmer Fudd plays Johnny Smith, a caricature of the colonist Captain John Smith, who arrives on the Mayflower to be met by some sarcastic Native Americans as he makes his escape with Poker-Huntas, a caricature of Pocahontas, and makes off to England with her to raise a family.

Historical accuracy

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The cartoon contains many historical distortions apart from the anachronisms normally expected in such a deliberate farce. The real Captain Smith, who arrived in present-day Virginia in 1607, was totally unconnected with the Mayflower, which disembarked at Massachusetts Bay in 1620. No actual romance ever existed between him and Pocahontas, who married John Rolfe.

References

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  1. ^ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 78. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
  2. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 77–79. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
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