I'm surprised it was seen as offensive back then. I guess people were a lot more sensitive to racial issues than we would tend to believe.
I'm surprised the reference to Indians hasn't caused problems. These days under the PC police almost anything we say or do, whether it really is offensive or not, it's considered to be.
Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan.
[Tarzan and his mate]

That's how I learned it too; a tiger. What I've later discovered is that an awful lot of the little rhymes we learn as children started out as something very different, much more negative, than what they later became.
Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan.
[Tarzan and his mate]

When my son was young, he once started saying "Eeny meanie miney moe" when with neighborhood kids and choosing who was "IT" for tag. With mouth agap, I couldn't believe he was using this. Then, he said, "Catch a TIGER by the toe." Relieved, I asked where he learned that and he said, "At daycare!" LOL

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Well, it WAS the 40's
Luckily the plot can adapt itself to modern times!
"Pretty good wages for one little kiss!"
Caiaphas in JCS

The old ryhme goes " eeny meanie miney moe catch a N***** by its toe!"
Also the book keeps refering to a "N****** in the woodpile" as regards a killer in their mist.

^^^ Perhaps "eeny meenie miney moe", is offensive to the vertically challenged, but then again I'm just guessing, I could be wrong
I'd rather laugh with the sinners, then cry with the Saints~Billy Joel

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I was an adult before I found out that 'catch a tiger by the tail' wasn't the original version of eeney meeney miney moe.

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Actually, the movie itself is marvelous

Well it uses the word N**** its probably not good, lol!
"That still only counts as one"

(ugh) Yet again I find out ex post facto that I was taught a "nursery rhyme" that was originally a FREAKIN KKK RHYME!!! Parents need to find out about this kind of stuff before their kids do. I've used "eeny meenie miney moe" in public for YEARS without having any idea how many people I was offending.
Granted I don't think political correctness is anything but a total eggshell walk. Still, I become less and less proud of my southern heritage.
I'M SO BAD I GOTTA KICK MY OWN *** AT LEAST TWICE A DAY!

Actually, the original title of the book (and the nursery rhyme) was 'Ten Little Niggers' Since the original title was not acceptable, the movie's title was changed (and even Christie changed the title of her book).