Halas & Batchelor: Charley's Black Magic (1949) | BFI National Archive

This cartoon propaganda short by Halas & Batchelor sweetens the pill of post-war coal prices by promising jam tomorrow. See more public information films free on BFI Player (UK only).

[@benvids]

I love Joy Batchelor's 'squashed balloon' style of drawing people.

[@Suddenlyits1960]

These Halas and Batchelor films are beautifully animated and designed. The coal smoke character is hilarious. He talks somewhat like Eddie “Rochester” Anderson from the Jack Benny show.

[@unconventionalideas5683]

That character would be considered racist nowadays.

[@jstevinik3261]

@@unconventionalideas5683 well, it used blackface, which is... yikes. However, typical for 1949.

[@justanotheryoutubechannel]

It’s shockingly to think that for so long we were so dependant on coal fires, I’ve never used a coal fire but I’ve used charcoal and wood burner stoves and they’re terribly inefficient, you need the smoke to go up the chimney but most of the heat goes with it! If you want to keep warm you need to keep them burning all day and stand near the fire to really feel the heat, and once it does slowly warm up the room you eventually start getting some smoke with it so arguably better to just be cold and use extra blankets... It makes a lot more sense to boil water directly with the heat from a fire and run it to radiators like we do today, but nether the less this is a great film and really fascinating to see, seeing such an early vision of modernised coal mines was really cool and I love the art style, the way they drew America with all the cars and people running around between the skyscrapers was really good, I love how it made it seem so busy and foreign compared to what we were and are used to in the UK.

[@unconventionalideas5683]

Many newer ones are much better than the old inefficient models which smoke (I have experience with them) but it offers little in the way of temperature control...

[@marcse7en]

Not the most exciting subject matter, but a charming hand drawn cartoon nonetheless! Such cartoons are sadly a lost art form! As for coal as an energy source, while still in use (but declining), 71 years on, we know it's bad news for the environment, but no wind turbines in 1949! 😂😂😂

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

"See more public information films free on BFI Player (UK only)." Well at least you allow some of us foreigners curious into seeing stuff like this a chance over here!

[@Meinstein]

Good clean coal? LOL! What they did not predict was that mechanization would provide cheaper fuel or products but less unskilled labor.. NOT the labor increase they depicted. More money into fewer pockets.

[@unconventionalideas5683]

From my understanding, most of that came in the form of no longer permitting folks under the age of 16 in the mines, until much cheaper oil came in and hugely impacted the industry.

[@unconventionalideas5683]

Note that coal used to have to go through washing plants because of the mud that would cling to it. Now, with most processes not requiring anything other that relatively dusty processes, different methods are used.

[@justanotheryoutubechannel]

Clean coal is certainly a surprising claim considering what we know today, but compared to existing infrastructure it probably was cleaner and better for the environment, but I think they mean clean differently; as in automated washer machines would clean the coal ore better so you could get clean chunks of coal easier.

[@phillipveale2926]

Black Magic it surly is and we are still using it !

[@CanMav]

152 pounds for coal? That's highway robbery that is

[@COIcultist]

152 pounds? It was £4 17S 6D or £4.87 1/2

[@campfortson4387]

@@COIcultist To be fair, its the equivalent of well over 100 pounds today

[@bautibotta6034]

at 1:32 ther's this shot where his hand his white ??

[@stevecannon4780]

They were trying to sell "clean coal" (doesn't exist) since 1949.

[@adamsergent9]

Dont worry Charley, it will be offset by a £150 reduction on your Council Tax.

[@sebastianb.1926]

the ironmonger's name is tom hardy

[@neilevans6331]

king coal this is ship 1990

[@panama-canada]

Wow people of the dark ages were indeed very dim and ignorant of the issues of today.

[@issycoombs3087]

:-( OMG OMG OMG :-( On soooo many levels :-(

[@jellyhamerghosriner2031]

A little bit racist by today's standards, but... different times.

[@robincorprew9007]

Yes it is but it's a different time

[@edward6960]

Racist?

[@marcse7en]

I didn't notice any racism! You must have watched a different cartoon to me? 😂😂😂

[@NachtReich]

@@marcse7en Blackface.

[@njhawksworth1588]

@@NachtReich Is it blackface to present coal as black? I mean, coal is black. Haven't you seen it before??