31. Bosko and Bruno (1932)

Release date: April 30th, 1932

Series: Looney Tunes

Director: Hugh Harman

Starring: Johnny Murray (Bosko)

Bruno seems to be establishing himself as quite the character! Here we have Bosko and Bruno, about Bosko and Bruno’s adventures narrowly avoiding an oncoming train, stealing a chicken, and riding an out of control boxcar.

As all Bosko shorts begin, the cartoon opens with Bosko whistling, aided by his faithful companion Bruno as they traverse the train tracks. Bruno gets itchy, scratching and biting at himself. He spots the culprit: a flea. The flea walks on Bruno’s tail, allowing the dog to flick him off out of sight.

Off the tracks and onto a bridge, when sounds of an oncoming train distract the hikers. Nothing like a little peril to start the day right! The two jump into a handcar and book it, as we get some shots of the train barreling towards them.

A gap in the bridge prompts them to push upside down. I love it! Very creative and fun. Thankfully for them, the tracks resume and they can escape the train like normal escapees. The car bumps into a rock and sends the two flying. They land on their feet and continue to run along the tracks. You say “Couldn’t they just divert into the grass around them?” and to that I say “Yes!” with no further comment. The wonderfully perplexing logic of cartoons.

To make matters worse, Bruno’s foot gets caught in the tracks. Bosko hurriedly tries to free him, but to no avail. The railroad switch also happens to be locked. The train comes closer and closer...

And barrels along the tracks, Bruno nowhere to be found. Jesus! I wonder if you could get away with that today. Bosko mourns his pooch and begins to cry, when Bruno pops his head out of a hatch and coos “YOO-HOO!”, the concept reused from Big-Hearted Bosko. What a sadist! Again, I love the gag regardless. Good way to trick your audience and shed some crocodile tears.

Bosko fumes and throws a rock which Bruno chases. The two of them end up in a dark tunnel, and the sounds of another train approach. You’d think they’d learn their lesson! Terrified, they scramble off the tracks and take cover in a ditch.

In good ol’ predictably unpredictable fashion, the train is none other than a cow ringing its cowbell and imitating the whistle of a train. To celebrate narrowly avoiding their deaths, the two follow some chicken tracks they find in the dirt. They travel over a pond and into a farm, where they spot a chicken. Trespassing means nothing to them as they help themselves into the farm.

Great staging here! The silhouette of the dog grows over this shot of a chicken. Bosko decides he wants eggs, and the best way to get them is to kidnap the entire chicken. Bruno chases after the chicken, and we get a gag of the chicken running through a push mower, its feathers coating Bruno as the naked poultry runs amuck.

Rightfully so, a farmer comes out with a gun and starts shooting at Bosko for trespassing. Okay, shooting might be a bit harsh, but it’s funny. The farmer bounces around with the rifle, a gag reused from Bosko’s Fox Hunt as Bosko and Bruno run for the hills.

They stumble across some moving boxcars as they stand on the edge of the cliff, and jump on, ensuring an effective escape.

But, because it’s Bosko, and nothing good can happen to the guy, one of the boxcars detaches and goes on a separate decline on the railroad. We get this neat shot of Bosko (and Bruno) balancing on top of the boxcar, the background reused from Smile, Darn Ya, Smile!.

Bosko shouts “I can’t stop!” over the howls of Bruno as they rocket into a dark tunnel, courtesy of Boxcar Blues. In one of the tunnels they come out of, they’re met by a guest: a cow racing in front of the boxcar, trying not to get hit.

Unfortunately (again in the style of Boxcar Blues), the cow is rammed into the tree by the boxcar. It walks away, unfolding like an accordion, as our heroes exchange dubious expressions. Iris out.

Not bad for Bosko! There have been better Bosko cartoons, but there have also been worse cartoons. This is much better than Boxcar Blues and even Smile, Darn Ya, Smile!. I love Bruno faking out Bosko with his death, that’s some cruel stuff! The gag where the chicken’s feathers cover Bruno is also highly amusing, as is the yokel with the shotgun (I have a higher appreciation for that since I live in the country). As always, there’s some reused footage, but it doesn’t become a detriment. The scene towards the end where Bosko and Bruno ride on the boxcar is a bit long and tedious, but again: Depression era, gotta feed up time somehow. I always link the cartoons regardless of opinion, but it wouldn’t hurt to give it a whirl!