Rabbits, Railways, Racism: Roger Rabbit and the Fall of L.A. Public Transit

Who framed Roger Rabbit? Why is it so hard to move around Los Angeles? These questions might have the same answer.
Comment the bus line YOU feel personally victimized by below!
If you liked the video essay, learn more about and support these Los Angeles grassroots organizations!
Chinatown Community for Equitable Development: www.ccedla.org/
Ground Game LA: www.groundgamela.org/
Street Watch LA: streetwatchla.com/
Or consider a tip! paypal.me/josemld
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The Ancestral Storytelling of Over the Garden Wall: • The Ancestral Storytel...
How Movies Design Los Angeles: • How Movies Design Los ...
Wes Anderson: Style and Substance and Being Alive: • Wes Anderson: Style an...
Oppenheimer: Why Tell Stories of Great Bad Men: • Oppenheimer: Why Tell ...
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SECTIONS
0:00 - Prologue: The Cheesecake Factory
01:45 - Part 1: Who Framed Roger Rabbit
03:47 - Part 2: What Is Roger Rabbit About?
05:09 - Part 3: T.O.C. (Toons of Color)
07:37 - Part 4: Destroying ToonTown
09:10 - Part 5: "Who Needs a Car in L.A.?"
12:03 - Part 6: The Real CloverLeaf
16:40 - Part 7: Why Is L.A. Like This?
19:19 - Part 8: Just Drawn That Way
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SOURCES
Books
-Caro, Robert A., The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York (1975)
-Jacobs, Jane, The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961)
-Kunstler, James Howard, The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape (1993)
Film
-Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) dir. Robert Zemeckis, Walt Disney Studios
-Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003) dir. Thom Andersen, Cinema Guild
-The Artist (2011) dir. Michel Hazanavicius, Warner Bros. France
-Chinatown (1974) dir. Roman Polanski, Paramount Pictures
-The Greatest Showman (2017) dir. Michael Gracey, 20th Century Fox
-Her (2013) dir. Spike Jonze, Annapurna Pictures
-The Jazz Singer (1927) dir. Alan Crosland, Warner Bros.
-L.A. Confidential (1997) dir. Curtis Hanson, Warner Bros.
-La La Land (2016) dir. Damien Chazelle, Summit Entertainment
-Mank (2020) dir. David Fincher, Netflix
-Mary Poppins (1964) dir. Robert Stevenson, Walt Disney Studios
-Newsies (1992) dir. Kenny Ortega, Walt Disney Studios
-Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) dir. Quentin Tarantino, Columbia Pictures
-Pocahontas (1995) dir. Mike Gabriel & Eric Goldberg, Walt Disney Studios
-Singin’ in the Rain (1952) dir. Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly, Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer
-Sunset Boulevard (1950) dir. Billy Wilder, Paramount Pictures
Shorts
-All This and Rabbit Stew (1941) dir. Tex Avery, Warney Bros.
-E.P.C.O.T. (1967) dir. Arthur J. Vitarelli, Walt Disney Studios
-Mickey's Mellerdrammer (1933) dir. Wilfred Jackson, Walt Disney Studios
-The Opry House (1929) dir. Walt Disney & Ub Iwerks, Walt Disney Studios
-Scrub Me Mama With A Boogie Beat (1941) dir. Walter Lantz, Universal Pictures
-The Smoke Scream (1928) dir. Otto Messmer, Pathé
-Steamboat Willie (1928) dir. Walt Disney & Ub Iwerks, Walt Disney Studios
-Uncle Tom and Little Eva (1930) dir. Mannie Davis & John Foster, Pathé
TV Shows
-30 Rock, “The Rural Juror” (2007) dir. Beth McCarthy, NBC
-SpongeBob SquarePants, “Arrgh!” dir. Sean Dempsey, Nickelodeon
Publications
-Barboza, T. (2017, December 30). Freeway pollution travels farther than we thought. Here’s how to protect yourself. Los Angeles Times. www.latimes.com/local/califor...
-Brondson, C. (2021, March 9). Electric Cars Won’t Solve Climate Change. Planetizen - Urban Planning News, Jobs, and Education. www.planetizen.com/blogs/1124...
-Fleischer, M. (2020, June 24). L.A. freeways are the most racist California monuments. Los Angeles Times. www.latimes.com/opinion/story...
-Harman, H. (2020, September 21). Highways in History: Sugar Hill, Los Angeles. Medium. / highways-of-history-su...
-Stuart, G. (2018, December 14). Maps Juxtapose L.A. Transit in 1926 and What It Could Look Like 102 Years Later. Los Angeles Magazine. www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/l...
-Winter, E. (2019, September 30). Cotton Club of Harlem (1923). Black Past. www.blackpast.org/african-ame...
Music:
-www.bensound.com
-www.chosic.com/
Jazzaddict’s Intro by Cosimo Fogg (201) | / cosimo-fogg
Music provided by www.chosic.com/free-music/
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
creativecommons.org/licenses/...

[@quasi8180]

I hate freeways

[@JoseMariaLuna]

IMPORTANT UPDATE! I made this video shortly after having to move out of LA, in part to cope with my nostalgia. I just visited LA again and found out that the 183 bus line no longer exists, bringing an iconic, years-long feud to an end. I finally won, but God... at what cost?

[@nicoblaytherealflamingo445]

Haha i drive u around next time check my page

[@anathematic5083]

I think the most disturbing aspect of this example of how capitalism caused regression is just how little people know about it, to the point of not even realizing it happened. solid video, very good!

[@donaddams8825]

Even down to the villain speech saying specifically that nobody would notice when they're going 70 mph, on and off... I haven't seen it for a while, but you get the idea.

[@mattgilbert7347]

But PragerU told me that there's a War on Cars! Why would they leave out facts like this!? Why ignore history??! 18:08 me thinking "hey this sounds like Musk thought Judge Doom was the hero of the film, like a damn Ayn Rand fantasy" 15 seconds later: My man. Nice. Well played, well done, and thank you.

[@ValerieEnriquez]

Your pain at a long trip involving multiple transfers going in different directions to go to a friend's birthday party (at the Cheesecake Factory no less) was palpable. Also as I recall multiple sources (podcasts, urban planning think pieces, etc) saying: if you ever wonder why something about the city you live in is unnecessarily complicated/isn't beneficial to anyone/otherwise doesn't make sense, the explanation is usually, if not always, racism.

[@hernandowater12]

I'll never watch Roger Rabbit the same way again. Cities should make public transportation a priority in my opinion.

[@quasi8180]

Especially if you cant afford a car or a liscense for that matter

[@justinwatson1510]

Join a communist party, because liberals will never fight for the working class. We only have strength in numbers.

[@alanthefisher]

I was checking to see if someone had already covered this topic, and I'm glad that you did! This is great video!

[@JoseMariaLuna]

Oh my God, thank you so much? I’m such a big fan of your channel! This means a lot!

[@alanthefisher]

@@JoseMariaLuna This video obviously had alot of work put into it, if you don't mind I shared it on my discord. You definitely deserve more views!

[@JoseMariaLuna]

@@alanthefisher This is very sweet, thank you!

[@jessicapinkman-xm2eg]

who framed roger rabbit is the greatest crossover ever made

[@aaronbredon2948]

FYI - The power for the Red Line came from the Big Creek hydroelectric power station 2000' below Huntington Lake east of Fresno. Huntington built a lake and a power station (and a railway to build it), just to sell power to LA. The Big Creek power station and Huntington Lake still exist today.

[@xDianaMoonx]

I can't be victimized by the public transportation system of LA if I've never actually encountered a bus, haha! I say that as a NorCal tourist into LA. Fantastic breakdown of the movie and the parallels with LA's history! This has always been a childhood favorite of mine and I honestly never realize these parallels. Well done~!

[@creekandseminole]

When I think of LA the few movies that comes to my mind these days are Boys in the Hood, Seven, and Menace to Society.

[@laggardson6534]

JOSE!! This is so good! After 5 years of biking, bussing, and ubering everywhere in LA, I have always wondered what led things to be this way. There’s no way we chose the traffic and the routing headaches on purpose. Thank you for this video to answer those exact questions, and delve deeper into stuff I’d never even considered!

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

I could see the "drawn that way" coming, but nevertheless was still delighted by its arrival bc of the timing, delivery, &

[@Mortimayo]

That old map of the trolley lines is devastating to look at

[@kaisiacor6553]

A year later and I have to say, yours is my favorite video essay/document/examination of something I've watched. So well made and such an interesting story! Hope you get more recognition for the vid, thank you for putting the work in to share this bit of info on the movie and LA's history.

[@leannerayo71]

As someone born and raised in Atwater Village, what a fantastic insight doc you have made here! Thank you so much for bringing awareness to easily forgotten history ('-:

[@TrentDaddy2006]

This is an excellent video, but I especially have to give you props for using “Bayou Farewell” by my hometown boy Graham Breedlove in the soundtrack! Such a great big band chart!

[@JohnDRuddyMannyMan]

Brilliant video! I couldn’t believe how barebones the transportation system in LA was. So many North American cities are like that, where the car is Main way to get around.

[@erikgustafson9319]

It is a great tragedy for the city but things are looking bright for LA Metro. But , they still can do a lot more with rebuilding and in some ways need to create a more unified network

[@mattgilbert7347]

Car manufacturers and oilmen are a bunch of welfare queens who lobbied Big Government to impose cars on the American people. Try telling that to a "we hate Big Government and special interests" conservative. Unbelievable.

[@joseggonzalezl16]

Is not a specific bus line but the entire SITP bus system in Bogotá. They send three of the same within five minutes and then you have to wait an hour to catch the next three (if you're lucky)...

[@ChuchoBros24]

Excellent video! I loved your humor and found the topic really interesting I'm from a city in Mexico where we have many car factories (mainly VW) and the public transportation is the worst. Definetely designed for cars and not for people. My options for going from my house to college where: walking many blocks and waiting for a bus (40-60 min); walking a little, wait for a bus and then walking a lot (50-70 min); waiting for 2 buses and walking a little (60-80 min); or using a car (15 min). So as you can see, the whole thing about your #feud with the bus line was painfully relatable XD

[@importantoldnews5414]

I ran the LA Marathon and I got to Santa Monica from Downtown in 4 hours and 50 mins. I had to stop to use the restroom and wait in Line or it would have been a little faster. I took the Exposition Line back to Downtown and then I rideshared back to Dodger Stadium from Downtown.

[@iBesaZombie]

“LA isn’t bad-it’s just drawn that way”

[@badnewsfromouterspace5653]

Here for the algorithm, but also for the quality content

[@badnewsfromouterspace5653]

Also, I'm so deeply grateful that Hong Kong's public transport system is so robust. I think driving might actually be *less* convenient here.

[@terealcover7203]

Severely underrated video. This is great information!

[@anoecker]

This is EXCELLENT content.

[@ZackPaslay]

Hey, King! Wow, you have done it again! Constantly raising the bar for us all, and doing it flawlessly! I'd say I'm surprised, but I know who you are. I've seen it up close and personal. You make me so proud, and I love you

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

Love seeing Creators support each other!

[@richardbarnes4196]

Great video. My only complaint would be the mic quality, but even then you kept a nice easy flowing rhythm to your words.

[@oliverjones1151]

Ey this is great! Thanks for the awesome contextualization. Like you say, it's something the majority of the city complains about on the daily.

[@MisterKeitel]

Very good. Thanks for making this. I live in Dayton, Oh. We have some bus transit out here. It's okay. Could be much better. I'd love it if I could catch a train to work instead of facing I-675 with all their crazy, speeding, dangerous drivers threatening my life five days a week.

[@mattwehner]

Great video! Just watched it while riding the Green Line

[@stpat7614]

"..they're calling it self-checkout. Lineups will be a thing of the past."

[@martinsorenson1055]

I had to laugh at your intro. I live in LA, right off the Pasadena Frwy, or Arroyo Pkway or whatever they're calling it nowadays. I worked in Burbank and Glendale, and drove to work easily everyday (I got to work earlier than most). One day, I decided to try and get to work using public transportation. Gold Line to Red Line to Metrolink and a shuttle - something like that. The trip that by car would take me 15 min took me about two hours. I only did it once.

[@annabunovsky5628]

This is such a great video!!! It's a fantastically thorough history lesson tied together seamlessly with a superb analysis of one of the best movies ever made (don't @ me)

[@Scriven42]

Vancouver's bussing is possibly not quite that bad, but the 321 also refuses to stick to it's schedule, and at my stop there's 2 choices, the 321 that will maybe show up, or the 351 that's regular like clockwork, but makes my commute home take close to 2 hours, instead of the 321's just over an hour average travel time. Long live streetcars and trams!

[@shannoncoooper]

This was so interesting to watch! Thank you for putting this together!

[@Sugar3Glider]

I wish ClimateTown and NotJustBikes would give this video a shoutout

[@HalfEatenMedia]

Judge Doom won in the end. Makes the ending of Roger Rabbit bitter/sweet

[@pedropinheiroaugusto3220]

Dude, the greatest video about this theme, congratulations!

[@silversam]

Y'know, maybe I need to go back to this for a rewatch... and maybe go back to some other films I've only watched years ago with an uncritical eye 🤔

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

Please please please let the glancing Newsies reference be foreshadowing for an eventual Newsies video

[@zaired]

Yo LA have you considered investing in your buses? A successful city is when a rich person and a poor person take the same bus...

[@MaigaVidal]

Yes I am SO HAPPY!! Cannot wait to watch this

[@asyapluggedin]

Incredible video

[@neilworms2]

Lesson of this video, the area in and around Glendale really really needs better connectivity. Rest of central LA isn't as bad IMO.

[@MustaAlanko]

The movie Who framed Roger Rabbit got me excited about the trolleys and especially those trams of the late Pacific Electric Railway (although in real life they weren’t exactly like that in this movie because they were more like train than buses like that though some probably ran that way in the middle of the highway) and maybe just that as those kids and Eddie sat on the wide rear bumper of that tram. I would like to tell you, especially as a Finnish representative, that if I were a multi-billionaire with huge assets like Elon Musk, for example, I would travel to Los Angeles with the person in charge of these deceased companies and buy the traffic and copyrights of Pacific Electric Railway to I could rebuild, repair and thus reopen it, thus bringing back the former "best public transport in the world" back to Los Angeles and bringing it to my home country of Finland, to further improve our public transport even though it is actually the best in the world at the moment, education, health and equality in addition. And I'll set it up so that the trams will be exactly the same as in this movie: similar in shape, size and design, albeit a bit more modern, with wide front and rear bumpers so that kids and adults like the kids and Eddie in that movie can themselves pick up and sit there. on top of them and travel, travel on trolleys in this way for free, and they drive on the rails embedded in the middle of the highway as seen in the film, although the trams also have to be built back, you can buy a ticket on the spot from the ticket seller like Eddie did ( pay for it either in cash or by card and I promise the price is nickel) or some kind of Pacific Electric app created for checking schedules and buying a ticket with a smartphone and terminal stations like in a movie, i.e. includes a waiting room and a bar, restaurant, though I'm going to set them up e so that children may also visit them, where snacks, coca-cola and other soft drinks and other delicacies are sold to children and teenagers where restaurant food and beer are sold to adults. And I would invest both millions and billions of dollars and euros in the company's cash and cash equivalents on both the American and Finnish sides so that it would not have to be sold in cash to any company for financial difficulties, at least not immediately or at all if the money is kept as emergency and spent reasonably not almost any of them actually go away. And before my death or possible resignation, I would make sure that the company is never, for whatever reason, or no matter how good the offers made by other companies, sold to any other company or entity so as not to be abused or liquidated again for one reason or another. don't get to repeat yourself. That if I got the Pacific Electric Railway, even after it was liquidated, I would bring it to life, bring it back to the world map and inspired by the movie Who framed Roger Rabbit alone:)

[@SenpaiMD]

me too brother...

[@MustaAlanko]

@@SenpaiMD So do you also like Pacific electric trams?

[@FisherKing9633]

@José María Luna Found it. Yeah, Robert Moses' impact of American life cannot be understated. He's little known and that's a damn shame. People really need to know him. The weird thing is, reading Power Broker, I was struck by the fact that Moses was, in all truthfulness, a genius. He had a grand scale vision for his city, he had the abilities to realize that vision and at least when he started his career, he did want to help people of lower social classes. Unfortunately his story isn't just a case of power corrupting (though that is a major part of it), his story is about his inherently flawed vision and his power mongering. There's plenty of reasons to hate Moses by the end of the book, but I couldn't hate him. I had to pity him, and wonder what would have happened if he had just a slightly different vision. God, the things he could have built. Great video, glad to have found your channel. I'd love to see you examine LA Confidential sometime.

[@JoseMariaLuna]

You're so right. Those last lines of the book truly pack a punch that genuinely made me pity the man

[@finnChitwood]

good brilliant great stuff i think this is amazing

[@katherinelynch4193]

You are very fond of Christopher Lloyd’s line delivery, aren’t you?

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

Who isn't?

[@jessicapinkman-hd4bw]

who isn't?

[@tehlime]

Love this!

[@nicoblaytherealflamingo445]

I willblow your mind. Only few people ever knew the roger r life simulation. Sadly another person past away being my father who took me to the tunnel as he worked on sets in universal n deluxe. Its real. So is simpsons. Watch 13 floor

[@jaydinotjd]

I don’t even live there and the way it’s being described makes me >:[ Man if only I found this my last public speech about cars Are freeways racist? The answer may surprise you!

[@SenpaiMD]

great video! it made my blood boil

[@jeffortman6395]

I don't understand how jessica rabbit is racist

[@jakekavanagh1615]

I hate who framed Roger rabbit

[@robertmiller9419]

That's called classism not racism...

[@candide1065]

This whole channel desperately screams: "yeah i am shallow and I love buzzwords and virtue signaling so pls, sjw's of all nations, unite and worship how much of aa good boy I am"

[@jessicapinkman-xm2eg]

one of the only disney film's i still like