Molly Moo-Cow and the Indians (1935) User Reviews

It's pretty easy to see why Molly wasn't destined to be a star!

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 3 May 2014]

Molly Moo-Cow is an odd character on which to base your cartoon. She's not cartoony enough looking or anthropomorphic like Clarabelle Cow from Disney. Instead, she is stuck on four legs and is orange. Why is she orange? Because at this point, only Disney Studios had access to true color--Three-Strip Technicolor. They'd signed an exclusive contract and other cartoon studios wishing to make color films were forced to use more antiquated film stock--such as Cinecolor or Two-Color Technicolor-- both of which tended to make everything look orangish and greenish.

The film begins with settlers in a covered wagon heading west--with Molly and two ducks in tow. However, the ducks leave and soon Molly goes to look for them. They've decided to hang out with the local Indian tribe. When a baby falls into the river, Molly springs into action and saves the child. How with the mother thank them? See the cartoon.

Overall, this is reasonably well animated and pleasant--but without many laughs. Not a bad cartoon but one that shows us the limitations of a character like Molly Moo-Cow.

This Is One Heroic Cow!

[ccthemovieman-1 · 6/10 · 15 July 2007]

This was my first look at Molly Moo Cow and it appears this cartoon was geared for little kids. It's also an adventure story perhaps more than a comedy. That adventure begins when Molly, a big cow, and two ducks leave their wagon train and come across a lake and a tepee next to it.

Molly, the title character, goes looking for her two duck friends who left the wagon train and headed out to a nearby lake for a possible swim. When she discovers the ducks, spots a tepee nearby and puts on a headdress and dances around. The ducks follow suit. When this would be offensive to Native Americans, I don't know, but probably. I don't want to sound like the PC Police, so we'll let it go. It turns out Molly saves a squaw's baby, anyway. The woman was down river, washing clothes when the baby fell in the water and the current carried it past Molly and the ducks.

The cow goes after the kid while the chicken-livered ducks sit it out. It looks like Molly is swimming but then we see she's just galloping along the bottom of the river, which is fairly funny. Later, she turns hero again, having to save the ducks from being roasted by the squaw's mate.

Molly imitating Tarzan was definitely good, the only time in the movie I really laughed out loud. That, and the cow pleading for the lives on his feathered friends.

Overall, the cartoon keeps one entertained, getting better and better as the story went on but overall I could see why this character only lasted for about a handful of cartoons.

Molly Moo-Cow and the Indians is palatable but ordinary

[tavm · 5/10 · 23 August 2006]

Since the summary tells the whole story, I'll just mention some gags. When the Indian hunter takes the ducks away, the ducks each take an arrow from his backpack which forms a trail. As Molly is grabbing the hunter, she kicks him in the head with her hind legs! And as the hunter escapes on a rowboat from the woman Indian throwing vases, the rowboat is still tied to a rope but the rope doesn't pull the boat back. Instead, it takes the boat's outer skin out leaving only the inside wood skeleton! A bit more palatable than some other Molly Moo-Cow cartoons I've seen it is still a bit ordinary. Worth a look if you're interested in seeing every Van Beuren cartoon ever made.

Mildly Entertaining

[Michael_Elliott · 17 March 2016]

Molly Moo Cow and the Indians (1935)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Molly Moo Cow is out walking around when a small Indian child falls into a river. Molly Moo jumps into action and ends up saving the kid. Later two of his duck friends are captured by an Indian who prepares to eat them so Molly Moo must save them too.

This is the second film from the series that I've seen and it's certainly a little better than when Molly Moo met the butterflies. I will say that the Molly Moo character really isn't all that interesting and for the most part it's really boring. There's just really no character behind it that would make you overly interested in what happens. The film benefits from some very good animation with some wonderful uses of color. The actual Indian stereotypes are on full display but I thought the final fight was entertaining.

Many American idioms can trace their origins to famous films . . .

[oscaralbert · 7/10 · 10 March 2020]

. . . and "potshots" is no exception to this rule. Similar to how "Rhett Butler" noted that "Scarlett O'Hara's" curtains did not match her sour grapes, MOLLY MOO-COW AND THE INDIANS proved to be chock full of Future Speak. (One needs to keep in mind that the derivation of many common expressions gifted to us by the movies comes from the visual elements of films, since a moving picture is worth six million words). Just as anyone who resembles "Der Fuhrer" is called "a tramp," after Charlie Chaplin's iconic character ("Chester T. Tramp"), the term "potshots" originates when the featured Native American Mother here is obliged to throw a dozen pots at a male member of her tribe to keep the latter dude from molesting Molly and a pair of ducks who have just fished her papoose out of raging river rapids. Thanks to MOLLY MOO-COW AND THE INDIANS, now you know the rest of the story.

Molly Moo-Cow and the Indians

[TheLittleSongbird · 5/10 · 21 April 2018]

Van Beuren cartoons are extremely variable, especially in the number of gags and whether the absurdist humour shines through enough (sometimes it does, other times it doesn't), but are strangely interesting. Although they are often poorly animated with barely existent stories and less than compelling lead characters, they are also often outstandingly scored, there can be some fun support characters and some are well-timed and amusing.

'Molly Moo-Cow and the Indians' is one of the better Molly Moo-Cow cartoons by quite some way, generally not a big fan of the character or her cartoons. It is also among the best of the "Rainbow Parade" series, a hit and miss series of twenty seven cartoons made between 1934 and 1936. It's far from a good cartoon, let alone a great one, and it has most of what to expect in a Molly Moo-Cow cartoon, but it is moderately pleasant and inoffensive enough.

There are strengths as aforementioned. Quite liked the animation, which has come on a lot since (human) Tom and Jerry and Cubby the Bear. Despite the character drawing lacking refinement and some garishness which does give off a primitive feel, the colours appeal generally to the eye while the backgrounds are elaborate and meticulous. Even better is the music score, it is so beautifully and cleverly orchestrated, is great fun to listen to and full of lively energy, doing so well with enhancing the action.

Some of the synchronisation is sharp enough. There is a little charm and the ending was fun. The Indian characters are stereotypes but nothing offensive, while the ducks are pretty adorable. 'Molly Moo-Cow and the Indians' also benefits from not being as saccharine as most other "Rainbow Parade" cartoons.

Conversely, there are things done wrong too. Expectedly (somewhat), the content is very thin, not much to it, and not only are there not enough gags as such but any absurdist humour or surrealism present in some of Van Beuren's earlier work is completely absent. While not as excessively sugary as other "Rainbow Parade" cartoons and it doesn't leave a bad taste in the mouth, it's still a bit too cutesy.

As for the conflict, it doesn't convince. It's not tonally jarring like it was in 'Hunters are Coming' and not too bizarre. There's just nothing to it, there is very little tension and urgency. This is partly because the villain is very insipid and Molly herself is just not a strong enough lead character, even her playfulness doesn't compel here.

Story is flimsy, non-existent actually (what there is of any is very predictable that surprises are nil). Pacing lacks lustre and things take too long to get going.

Overall, watchable but forgettable. 5/10 Bethany Cox