Private Snafu vs. Malaria Mike (1944)

To me, this movie is perfection.

Nice effects though.

Let's be realistic.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

. . . 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.

This is one of the Private Snafu series of training films done by Warner Brothers during World War II under a contract with the US Army. There will be spoilers ahead:Malaria Mike is a mosquito (voiced by Billy Bletcher) and he's seen first critiquing his "Wanted" poster. He then spots Private Snafu, who is foolishly bathing in the nude at dusk. Mike makes a number of attempts to bite Snafu, with failure only a matter of dumb luck, as Snafu has naturally violated the protocols to avoid contracting malaria. There's a marvelous scene with a tree which has the misfortune to be bitten by Mike.Then Snafu is seen getting ready for bed and deciding not to use mosquito repellent, though he is initially saved by his mosquito netting around his sleeping area. Given that this is Snafu, the worst soldier in the army, it's pretty much a given that he'll do something profoundly stupid and in gross violation of regulations. He manages to leave his fundamentals outside the netting while ogling a pin up girl and Malaria Mike strikes while the iron is hot, so to speak. The closing sequence is hilarious, so I won't spoil that here.This short is available on various DVDs and also online. It's well worth tracking down. Recommended.

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.