Drawing on his image: amputated sounds, sonic simulacra, and the death of Bill Robinson.

This article examines the legacy and representation of Black tap dancer Bill Robinson and comedian Eddie "Rochester" Anderson in 1930s and 1940s Hollywood, focusing on how their images and performances were caricatured and commodified, particularly in animation. It explores how Robinson's distinctive stair dance and persona were repeatedly reproduced and exaggerated in cartoons, often stripped of their individuality and infused with minstrel stereotypes, reflecting white audiences' fantasies rather than the artists' realities. The essay also discusses Anderson's vocal caricatures, frequently voiced by white actor Mel Blanc, which contributed to a sonic simulacrum that reinforced racial stereotypes through what scholar Matthew Morrison terms "Blacksound." Using concepts of double consciousness and media theory, the article argues that these reproductions transformed Robinson's and Anderson's unique talents into hyperreal caricatures that both enabled and constrained Black artistry within Hollywood's racialized power structures.