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The Dr. Seuss name often translates to tall red-and-white striped hats, cats, grinches, wockets in pockets, and towers of turtles.
But Who-ville and green eggs and ham aside, Ted “Dr. Seuss” Geisel produced a body of adult work that was accused of being propagandist and racist. And it’s that side of Dr. Seuss that will be explored tonight at MADCAP Theaters when Dennis Nyback’s “The Dark Side Of Dr. Seuss” rolls into Tempe.
More event details and a video of Seuss’ Private Snafu after the jump …
A film archivist, historian, Portland educator Dennis Nyback has toured his cartoon programs in Arizona before. Before it closed its doors, he showed his “Bad Bugs Bunny” program at Chandler Cinemas, and later brought his “Fuck Mickey Mouse” and a program spotlighting Chuck Jones’ work to MADCAP.
Nyback, a sprightly man prone to singing while introducing his cartoons, is a walking encyclopedia of animation history. His programs feature a wealth of cartoons in 16mm prints, many of which remain unavailable on DVD and haven’t been shown on TV in decades.
The programs’ collective unavailability is often due to the controversial and deeply politically incorrect content: Cartoons like “Coal Black And De Sebben Dwarves” and “Tin Pan Alley Cats” can still drop jaws in disbelief, half a century after they were made.
“The Dark Side Of Dr. Seuss” will be screening at 7 and 9 p.m. on Thursday, November 11th at MADCAP Theaters. Tickets are $10.
