69. Buddy's Show Boat (1933)

Release date: December 9th, 1933

Series: Looney Tunes

Director: Earl Duvall

Starring: Bernard Brown (Buddy), Shirley Reed (Cookie), Charlie Lung (Seal), The Singing Guardsmen (Chorus)

The Mickey Mouse persona is amplified in Steamboat Buddy Buddy’s Show Boat as Buddy operates a ferry turned show boat. However, as always, things don’t always turn out as planned.

Our hero is whistling behind the wheel of the ferry, happily tugging on his whistle to the beat of the music. The whistle blows a sour note, and Buddy grabs a handkerchief so the whistle can blow into it. Good as new. The animation is nice and actually has some weight and bounciness to it.

The link I used didn’t have this scene because it was cut from television (which is what it was ripped from), but there’s a scene with blackface caricatures loading coals into the engine and singing “Swanee Smiles”. That explains why there’s a sudden chorus of voices as we observe various characters on the ship. Two men are holding hotdogs over the wheels, where dogs are turning the wheels to make the ship move, Cookie is peeling potatoes (above), and the jailbird from Buddy’s Beer Garden is peeling his toe nails (yes, it’s as gross as it sounds). I’m glad that the blackface caricatures were cut, but still need acknowledgement.

Buddy’s showboat (which looks much more like a ferry in some shots) allows an actual ferry to pass, both of the boats anthropomorphized. The animation is rubbery and smooth, a plus. The showboat arrives at the docks, greeted by applause and cheering patrons. An anchor wakes up and tosses itself into the water to dock, and falls back asleep.

Man, Buddy must really be a likable figure. He conducts his own parade as the baton twirler in the lead, allowing spot gags to get highlighted such as a particularly rubbery man playing the drums with his feet, a cat holding a music stand for a woman playing a large saxophone, her skirt dropping to reveal that she’s perched on a unicycle, a man playing a drum on a horse, and some ducks marching along.

The main attraction of buddy’s showboat seems to be Cookie, “The Star of Capt. Buddy’s Show Boat”. We then see the star herself in her dressing room, blowing a kiss to the Captain Buddy poster. Elsewhere, the jailbird himself is getting all spruced up, blowing a kiss to a poster of Cookie. The sound effects ARE actually fitting and innovative, a dinky little bell tinkling with cookie’s kiss, a heavy, large bell reverberating at the crook’s kiss.

Another awkward romance scene between Buddy and Cookie. Buddy calls Cookie just to give her a kiss over the phone, which she does the same. The scene is supposed to read as cutesy and funny, but it drags on and reads more as a coy nuisance. However, there is some amusement in the jailbird giving cookie a kiss through the phone, cookie walloping him back.

There’s a nice transition as a sign advertising Cookie and Buddy twirls into an umbrella, sported by Buddy and Cookie. They do a dancing routine to “Under My Umbrella” (NOT Rihanna). It’s mildly entertaining, but a former shadow of great dance routines we’ve seen in the Bosko cartoons, namely Bosko in Person. I see why Buddy is called Bosko in whiteface—the buddy cartoons feel like a shadow of the Bosko cartoons.

There’s also a blackface caricature (ugh) doing a Maurice Chevalier impression. I guess it would be funnier if you were an audience member in 1933 when he was a big name. Still, the blackface, as always, hinders the gag greatly. Pan over to a kangaroo and its joey playing on the piano.

Buddy cartoons really ARE a shadow of Bosko cartoons. The jailbird snags Cookie from backstage and kidnaps her. Buddy hears her shrieks of terror and stops the crook by doing nothing. Actually, that’s not true. The crook decks him and he’s sent flying across the ship. He knocks back into the crook, sending HIM flying into an electricity board and electrocuting him. Once more, as the crook makes his way back to buddy and Cookie, Buddy knocks a spare safety boat into the crook, knocking him back into a walrus’ cage.

The walrus is freed and tackles the crook. It turns out the walrus is also part seal: it balances the crook on its nose like a ball and tosses him into an exposed pit in the ship. Buddy, Cookie, and the walrus celebrate as we iris out.

Another mediocre cartoon, but with some fun animation. It’s certainly improving, which is a relief. Buddy has no discernible personality, just another “you’re supposed to like him and hail him as a hero”. There are some amusing visuals, but nothing too groundbreaking. That umbrella spin was a nice touch, though. This definitely feels like an offbrand Bosko cartoon, trying to reach the same level but something just not clicking. The blackface caricatures, albeit brief (and the ones at the beginning are even cut from this particular recording) still rise discomfort. Nevertheless, nothing too riveting, and wouldn’t hurt you if you skipped it. But, as always, link!