Is Ralph Bakshi's Coonskin (1975) Racist? Spoiler: Yes. In 1975, Ralph Bakshi’s Coonskin—a jagged, mixed-media parody of Song of the South—sparked massive protests for its depictions of Harlem, the Mob, and the LGBTQ community. Decades before Roger Rabbit, Bakshi was already blending live-action and animation to create a disturbing, distorted lens of Black America. Host Eric Trommater, joined by Erin Brown, Sila Blume, and Jennifer Trujillo, examines a film that has been a personal touchstone for Eric since childhood. We move past the simple binary of "is it racist?" to ask: Why did Bakshi make this, and what can we learn about race today? In this Episode: The Cast: Dual roles from Scatman Crothers, Charles Gordone, and Philip Michael Thomas. The Controversy: Why CORE protested the film and its near-erasure from history. The Satire: Evaluating Bakshi’s "hidden message" against the weight of his stereotypes. Connect & Support:YouTube: https://youtube.com/@worldcinehistApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/world-cinema-history/id1744483892Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4YkCJSJvngtDMhey0CNsWj?si=i143kCA8RQKhQauUICLrmAX (Twitter): @etrommaterJoin the DVD Extras Club on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistory

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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