Bosko the Doughboy

Bosko the Doughboy
Bosko the Doughboy
Directed by	Hugh Harman
Produced by	Leon Schlesinger
Starring	Johnny Murray; Rudolf Ising; (both uncredited)
Music by	Frank Marsales
Animation by	Rollin Hamilton; Max Maxwell
Production; company	Harman-Ising Productions
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	October 11, 1931; (earliest known date)
Running time	6:58
Country	United States
Language	English

Bosko the Doughboy is the thirteenth title in the Looney Tunes series featuring Bosko^[2] It was released as early as October 11, 1931.^[3]^[a] It was directed by Hugh Harman, and the film score was composed by Frank Marsales.^[4]

Plot

The cartoon opens with images of explosions, gunfire, and heavy artillery; one character even fires into the camera. It is World War I, and the ever-cheerful Bosko is a doughboy eating down in a trench. Enemy fire destroys his meal, and later a picture of his girlfriend, Honey. Bosko shows a rare moment of anger but is quickly cheered up by a fellow soldier. The two begin to dance, only to be interrupted by more gunfire. Bosko finally decides to fight back and downs an enemy bomber (actually a pelican) by using a fellow soldier as a cannon. A friendly hippopotamus is shot down by heavy artillery, which Bosko destroys with a pair of Longjohns-turned-catapult. He then saves the wounded soldier by unzipping his navel and retrieving the shell inside. The projectile explodes anyway, turning the already black-faced Bosko even blacker and prompting him to exclaim "Mammy!" à la Al Jolson.

Notes

Bosko the Doughboy is notable for its departure from the standard cartoon formula of its era. Bosko is usually infallibly happy and chipper; Doughboy forces him to drop this demeanor and fight back. Other Bosko shorts concentrate primarily on Bosko cavorting with other characters in a musical wonderland; in Doughboy, Bosko can't dance more than a few seconds before coming under enemy fire. Bosko's cartoons generally have little to no conflict; Doughboy is nothing but fighting. In short, Bosko the Doughboy is almost a total departure from other shorts in the series (and from those of other studios of the time). It is usually regarded as a high point of the character's cartoon career.

Home media

Bosko the Doughboy is available on Disc 2 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 6 and on Uncensored Bosko: Vol 1.

References

^ Scott, Keith (2022). Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, 1930-70. BearManor Media. p. 6. ISBN 979-8-88771-010-5.
^ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 6. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
^ "Bosko the Doughboy - Earliest Known Date". The Charlotte Observer. October 11, 1931. p. 33. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 57–58. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.

Notes

^ It likely premiered either on October 3 or October 10, since new cartoon shorts would premiere in theaters on Saturdays.

External links

Bosko the Doughboy at IMDb
Bosko the Doughboy on YouTube

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[1] Scott, Keith (2022). Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, 1930-70. BearManor Media. p. 6. ISBN 979-8-88771-010-5.

[Beck-2] Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 6. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.

[3] "Bosko the Doughboy - Earliest Known Date". The Charlotte Observer. October 11, 1931. p. 33. Retrieved January 16, 2025.

[5] Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 57–58. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.

[4] It likely premiered either on October 3 or October 10, since new cartoon shorts would premiere in theaters on Saturdays.

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