21. Bosko's Fox Hunt (1931)

Release date: December 12th, 1931

Series: Looney Tunes

Director: Hugh Harman

Starring: Johnny Murray (Bosko, Fox), Rudolf Ising (Boar)

Ah... The hunting cartoons. Porky’s Duck Hunt would birth everyone’s favorite Daffy Duck in 1937. 1938 had Porky’s Hare Hunt which birthed that famous wascally wabbit Bugs Bunny, and 1931 has Bosko’s Fox Hunt, which would birth... no one.

A group of barking dogs stream across the screen as our cartoon comes to an open. Following the dogs is a group of jockeys riding their horses, including an elephant struggling to ride a horse because of his weight, and of course Bosko, whistling away and happily going about his business. Good contrast between the hurried nature of the dogs/jockeys and Bosko’s leisurely gallop. “A Hunting We Will Go” plays as the underscore, which would also be featured prominently as the underscore in Porky’s Duck Hunt.

After another shot of the dogs, we see what their target is—a fox, who looks exactly like a pants-less version of Foxy. Maybe he lives on after all! 

The fox skips around, happily barking along the way, completely unbothered by the stampede behind him. He gingerly hops along a few stepping stones, sliding along on tree branches and shaving off the leaves. The underscore is beautiful! Nice and quaint. A great contrast with the high energy “A Hunting We Will Go”.

Back to the stampede of dogs and Bosko, who’s sinking lower and lower on his horse as it deflates like a balloon. To solve the problem, Bosko stuffs an entire log in the horse’s mouth so that it’s stable again. Once again, the tagline for our reviews comes into play: overused and predictable but amusing nonetheless! Especially when the horse spits the log back out, using it to cross a gap between ridges.

More recycled footage of the frolicking fox, the hounds, and the overweight elephant from the beginning. The scene was amusing at first, but loses its charm after being shown for 3 times in a row. I’m guessing they needed to fill up the minutes somehow—that’s probably the biggest flaw with this cartoon, it feels rather empty, reusing footage to meet the quota.

Finally the fox takes notice that its being followed, and hides in a log. The stampede obliviously charges forth, leaving the fox be, except for a wiener dog who curves its body around the log, sniffing curiously. It ends up sniffing its own ass, kicks it over to the other side of the log, and walks on. Predictably amusing. Harman and Ising sure liked their wiener dog gags.

Bosko and his horse are the only ones left, which the fox takes note of. It drags a nearby mud puddle in the trajectory of their path, and sure enough, they land right in the puddle. The horse is covered with mud (while Bosko is miraculously clean) and not pleased about it. It swipes the mud off (and its fur) and wears it like a coat, glaring at Bosko and angrily stalking off.

The Plutoesque dog from One More Time makes an appearance, licking Bosko’s face and barking. The dog runs away to pursue the fox, while Bosko pulls out a double barrel rifle and starts shooting aimlessly. That sounds like a smart idea! 

We get recycled footage from Ain’t Nature Grand!, borrowed from the sequence where the bird chases the worm. This time, the dog is the bird, the fox is the worm. Further my point is asserted that it feels like they had a bit too much time left, reusing animation. Though one thing I’ve pretty foolishly failed to consider in the first place is the fact that it’s the Depression. If you gotta save costs, you gotta save costs. I should probably be a little more lenient with that in mind, but it’s not like I’m exactly criticizing them, just making a note of it.

Bosko (irresponsibly) joins in on the fun, his rifle shooting amuck as he bounces around aimlessly. This short has a lot of similarities to Porky’s Duck Hunt, and this is another: Bosko/Porky unable to handle the gun. It does make for a quick laugh! I’m probably biased since I love Porky so much, but I feel its funnier with him (and through Tex Avery’s vision), just because he has more personality than Bosko, but nevertheless.

The fox hides in a hole and pops out in an adjacent hole Bugs Bunny style. The dog’s rear is exposed as he snoops around in the hole, looking for his target, which bites him in the ass (literally).

The dog scoots around, yelping in pain, while Bosko aims his rifle down the foxhole. The fox, once again proving himself to be a regular Bugs Bunny, grabs the rifle and elongates it, popping out of the first hole and shooting Bosko. The fox runs off as Bosko vows to get him.

Spotting a nearby cave, the fox seeks refuge and hides. Bosko furiously yanks it by the tail and pulls it out...

...revealing a giant boar who grows aggressive and chases after Bosko. Bosko and his dog hide in yet another cave, and sparks, stars, an all sorts of cartoon indicators of violence fly. The dog manages to get out of the scrabble, but receives a stray punch in the jaw.

Things grow quiet, and the dog picks up a club, hiding behind a rock. He anticipates the boar’s return. Instead, Bosko comes out on top, accomplished and proud. The dog bashes his head in with the club, mistaking him for the boar, but once he sees his mistake we iris out on him giving a dazed Bosko some kisses.

This cartoon felt rather empty and hollow, moreso than usual. Lots of recycled animation made it feel as though they needed to fill up some time. However, I really liked the music underscore, especially with the fox frolicking around. There were some good visuals, such the fox sliding on the tree, Bosko sagging down on the “deflating” horse, and the bright stars, smoke, and rocks flying during the offscreen fight scene. The Bosko cartoons have gradually been increasing in quality—i think it’s safe to say this cartoon would feel much more transparent and paper thin if it were made at the beginning of the year instead of the end. However, I’ve seen better, and know there are better shorts to come. Overall a rather average cartoon, still worth a snoop.