Lost Treasure: Film #149 - Peg-Leg Pedro (1938)
Viewed May 29, 2006
Peg-Leg Pedro starts out as a straightforward cutesy cartoon. A couple of adorable little kids out sailing are attacked by a pirate. With the help of their friend Nicky Nome, they defeat the pirates and find the treasure. But how can they get all that treasure home, you ask, since their ship was destroyed in the attack? Why in the back of their roomy Chevrolet, of course!
These kinds of advertising cartoons and films were comonplace back then and Chevrolet was known for using them quite agressively. As these things go, Peg-Leg Pedro isn’t bad. It has solid, fluid animation and a story that young kids would find exciting. The use of the Chevrolet would go right over their heads, but probably amused the parents of the day.
I like to watch these old info-tainment films. They show a cleverness that is lost in today’s advertising, where most commercials look the same. Peg-Leg Pedro may not be the pinnacle of the form, but it’s a good one, nonetheless.