Private Snafu vs. Malaria Mike (1944)

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.

. . . continues with PRIVATE SNAFU VS. MALARIA MIKE. Since MIKE's daughter refers to him as "Daddy" during this animated short's final scene, there can be no doubt about the willful ignorance of basic Birds & Bees, Facts of Life, Sex Education 101-type stuff being foisted off by Warner Bros.' team of City Slickers on Captive Boot Camp audiences including a mixture of their fellow Urbanites, along with a generous helping of Country Boys. Mankind, of course, has known since the days of the Ancient Greeks that only FEMALE mosquitoes bite, sucking up their obligatory four or five lifetime "blood feasts" to propagate their species. So what kind of Conspiratorial Scam are Hollywood's Looney Tuners trying to pull off with their wrong-headed MIKE? Given that about half of this cartoon is comprised of views of Pvt. Snafu's bare butt, having a male character so Hell-bent on drilling it strongly suggests the promotion of a Gay Agenda. Though any overt intimation of the sort would have been considered as a "Crime against Nature" during Snafu's 1940s heyday, MIKE's behavior is against Nature to begin with, so what's one violation more?

"Private Snafu vs. Malaria Mike" is another of these Snafu cartoons and it runs for almost 5 minutes. The only somewhat interesting part was when we see the tree show the symptoms of malaria. The rest of this black-and-white film was very forgettable. The title isn't true either as for the entire film it was really the other way around and Snafu did not even know about Mike trying to bite him. He was pretty lucky with not being bitten on several occasions. So yeah, even with the inclusion of legends like Jones, Blanc and Bletcher, not everyone can be a winner and I thought this was a cartoon that neither delivered in terms of comedy nor knowledge. It is only interesting for historical reasons because we see here how the army tried to get the people/soldiers aware of certain dangers. I do not recommend watching.

Another thoroughly entertaining cartoon in the very interesting Private Snafu series, and one of the better ones too. Maybe it could have been a touch longer(the Private Snafu are very short and some of them feel it) but there is very little actually to complain about Private Snafu vs. Malaria Mike. The animation is smooth and clean with the black and white still having a lot of warmth and the characters are well drawn. Private Snafu vs. Malaria Mike is vibrantly scored and does a great enhancing each action, expression and gesture, and has some very funny writing, most of it coming from Malaria Mike though Snafu's last lines are just as priceless. The visual gags are even better, yes with as usual showing the consequences of Snafu's ineptness even over simple things, they are well-timed and raise a good laugh, again mostly revolving around Snafu's ineptness. Private Snafu vs. Malaria Mike is one of the more accessible Private Snafu cartoons and not as daring for its time than others in the series(which was in a way is part of the series' charm) but there is nothing to be offended by here. The cartoon is also very educational and makes its point without preaching, whether you've heard of malaria or not. Snafu is very endearing and Malaria Mike the mosquito is a riot, you cannot go wrong with the terrific vocal talents of Mel Blanc and Billy Bletcher, two of the best and prolific voice actors of their day. To conclude, thoroughly entertaining with something to learn too and deserving of a higher rating. 9/10 Bethany Cox

The Private Snafu films were clearly made to be seen by soldiers and not by the general public. The dirty jokes, sexual innuendos and language is relatively tame today but never would have been allowed in the regular theaters due to the Production Code. But, such off-color remarks went over very well with the enlisted men and helped to illustrate important information in a humorous and memorable fashion.In this film, you see a lot of Private Snafu! As the film begins, he's swimming naked in the jungle--making him a prime candidate to get bitten by the main character, a malaria-carrying mosquito. However, throughout the cartoon, Snafu keeps getting lucky and it looks like he might just make it. But, considering it's Snafu, you can pretty much guess what will happen next.This cartoon is quite educational but funny. While not among the very best (such as SPIES and BOOBY TRAPS), it is one of the better films in the series.