Johnny Smith and Poker-Huntas is a 1938 Merrie Melodies short directed by Tex Avery.
Plot[]
Elmer Fudd as Johnny Smith, a caricature of the colonist Captain John Smith, 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.
Caricatures[]
- John Smith
- Pocahontas
- Walter Winchell - on the radio
Availability[]
Notes[]
- The cartoon contains many historical goofs 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. But it is unclear whether the cartoon depiction displayed confusion on Hogan's part or whether it was a deliberate distortion of history.
- Since the early 2000s, this short hardly airs on American television due to prominent Native American stereotyping. It used to air on Cartoon Network throughout the 1990s, evidenced by a featured screenshot below.
Gallery[]
References[]
External Links[]
- "Johnny Smith and Poker-Huntas" at the Big Cartoon Database