Bosko at the Zoo

Last updated

Bosko at the Zoo
Bosko zoo.jpg
scene from public domain animated feature Bosko at the Zoo
Directed by Hugh Harman
Produced byHugh Harman
Rudolf Ising
Leon Schlesinger
Music by Frank Marsales
Animation by Friz Freleng
Larry Martin (credited as "Drawn by")
Color process Black-and-white
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
The Vitaphone Corporation
Release date
  • January 9, 1932 (1932-01-09)(U.S.A.)
Running time
7 min.
Language English

Bosko at the Zoo is an American animated short film featuring Bosko and Honey. [1] It is a Looney Tunes cartoon, released on January 9, 1932. [2] Like most Looney Tunes of the time, it was directed by Hugh Harman. Frank Marsales was its musical director.

Contents

Plot

Bosko brings Honey to the zoo on the handlebars of a bicycle. Inside the grounds, the encounter an angry lion before discovering an aquarium. The perspective shifts to the inside of the tank, where two fish playing a game similar to leapfrog are scared off by a menacing fish who turns towards the audience and blows bubbles. More fish join an octopus and swing from its arms in the manner of a maypole. An ostrich takes advantage of distracted Bosko and bites his bowler hat off his head.

Bosko leaves Honey behind for the remainder of the short and chases the ostrich. He attempts to catch it with a lasso, anchoring the rope to a tree, but the ostrich pulls the rope away tossing Bosco up into the air. He lands on a porcupine, pulling off its coat of needles, which the bare-skinned porcupine in human underwear yanks away from him. Bosko then finds the ostrich and orders it to sit in a nest. He waits for it to hatch an egg and cracks it open, to reveal the bowler. The ostrich, speaking garbled nonsense, makes gestures that suggest negotiation. In an attempt to cheer up the bird, Bosko plays a tune on a woodwind instrument he pulls out of his pocket. He then hums a variation of the snake charmer song, prompting the ostrich to do a stylized belly dance.

Three beavers witnessing this from a nearby enclosure bang their tails; a marsupial in the same enclosure dances along, pausing for a few beats as two of its young jump out of its pouch and land back inside. Further on, two monkeys in a cage scratch themselves, looking for fleas. One monkey finds a flea and puts it on a plate and pretends to eat it, so that he can stab the other with the fork as a gag. Bosko steps into the cage and chases the monkeys to the end.

To punish the jokester monkey, he gives it a spanking, referencing a similar moment in the early Bosko short "Congo Jazz." Just like in that short, a large ape who appears to be the monkey's parent confronts Bosko, who is then chased the length of the cage. They find the jokester monkey at another end of the cage. The monkey kicks Bosko in the shins and the ape chases him again, to yet another end of the cage, this one with a window. Bosko leaps from the window and catches a vine that turns out to be a giant snake.

He tumbles to the ground and lands in the lion's den, awakening the lion. The lion chases Bosko. The ostrich sees them coming and dashes through a walrus pool, jumping on the walrus's back. The walrus sprints on its fins to catch up with the ostrich. They reach the wall of the zoo just a moment before Bosko, who jumps over their heads onto the coping stones of the wall. The lion crashes into the walrus and the ostrich, forming a three-headed animal ball that roars, barks and quacks, ending the cartoon.

Reception

Motion Picture Herald reported, "When the six tentacles of the octopus are used as the arms of the maypole, the patrons at a New York neighborhood house had an enjoyable few moments." [3]

Home media

The cartoon is available on the DVD Uncensored Bosko: Volume 2.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bosko</span> Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon character

Bosko is an animated cartoon character created by animators Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising. Bosko was the first recurring character in Leon Schlesinger's cartoon series and was the star of thirty-nine Looney Tunes shorts released by Warner Bros. He was voiced by Carman Maxwell, Bernard B. Brown, Johnny Murray, and Philip Hurlic during the 1920s and 1930s and once by Don Messick during the 1990s.

<i>Sinkin in the Bathtub</i> 1930 film

Sinkin' in the Bathtub is the first Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon short as well as the first of the Looney Tunes series. The short debuted in April 1930, at the Warner Bros. Theater in Hollywood. The cartoon features Bosko, and the title is a pun on the 1929 song Singin' in the Bathtub. The film was erroneously copyrighted under the same title as the 1929 song. It is now in the public domain in the United States as the copyright was not renewed.

<i>Congo Jazz</i> 1930 film

Congo Jazz is a Looney Tunes cartoon starring Warner Bros.' first cartoon star, Bosko. The cartoon was released on August 9, 1930. It was distributed by Warner Bros. and The Vitaphone Corporation. Congo Jazz was the first cartoon to feature Bosko's falsetto voice that he would use for the bulk of the series' run. It has the earliest instance of a "trombone gobble" in animation.

<i>Stage Door Cartoon</i> 1944 film by Friz Freleng

Stage Door Cartoon is a 1944 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on December 30, 1944, and features Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shanghai Zoo</span> Zoo in Changning District, Shanghai

Shanghai Zoological Park, or commonly Shanghai Zoo in short, is the one of the two main zoos in Shanghai. It is located near the township of Hongqiao and is administratively in Changning District. Shanghai Zoo was formerly known as " Xijiao Park", which is still a common name used locally for the zoo.

<i>Hold Anything</i> 1930 film

Hold Anything is the third short in the Looney Tunes series from Warner Bros., released to theaters in October 1930. Featuring Bosko, it is loosely based on the lost film Hold Everything, one of whose songs, "Don't Hold Everything," features prominently in the cartoon. It was directed by Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising, and animated by Isadore "Friz" Freleng and Norman Blackburn.

Bosko's Picture Show is a Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated short directed by Hugh Harman and Friz Freleng. It was the last Looney Tunes Bosko cartoon produced by Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising for Leon Schlesinger and Warner Bros. The duo moved on to produce cartoons for MGM, the first of which were released in 1934. The music score was a work of Frank Marsales.

<i>A Day at the Zoo</i> 1939 American film

A Day at the Zoo is a 1939 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon supervised by Tex Avery. The short was produced in 1938 and released on March 11, 1939 and features an early version of Elmer Fudd.

Ride Him, Bosko! released in 1932, is a Western animated short film in Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes series. It features Bosko, Warner Bros.' first cartoon character and his sweetheart Honey in the Old West.

Bosko the Musketeer is an American animated short film. It is a Looney Tunes cartoon, featuring Bosko, the first star of the series. It was released on August 12, 1933, although some sources note September 16 as a date; this is problematic, as that would imply that the last films featuring Bosko as the star of Warner Bros. cartoons were released after the first film featuring Buddy, the second star of the series. It was, like most Looney Tunes of the time, directed by Hugh Harman; Frank Marsales was the musical director.

<i>Boskos Holiday</i> 1931 film

Bosko's Holiday is a one-reel 1931 short subject animated cartoon, part of the Bosko series. It was directed by Hugh Harman, and first released on July 18, 1931 as part of the Looney Tunes series from the Leon Schlesinger animation studio and distributed by Warner Brothers. The film score was composed by Frank Marsales.

<i>The Lyin Mouse</i> 1937 film

The Lyin' Mouse is a 1937 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on October 16, 1937.

Bosko Shipwrecked! is a 1931 one-reel short subject featuring Bosko; part of the Looney Tunes series. It was released on September 19, 1931, and is directed by Hugh Harman. This is the first Looney Tunes short to only have one director. The film score was composed by Frank Marsales.

<i>Boskos Fox Hunt</i> 1931 film

Bosko's Fox Hunt is a 1931 one-reel short subject featuring Bosko as part of the Looney Tunes series. It was released on December 12, 1931 and is directed by Hugh Harman. The film score was composed by Frank Marsales.

Pagan Moon is a 1932 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Rudolf Ising. The short was released on January 31, 1932.

<i>Boskos Store</i> 1932 film

Bosko's Store is a 1932 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Hugh Harman. It was released on August 13, 1932, and stars Bosko, the first star of the series. As is the case with most Looney Tunes of its time, it was directed by Hugh Harman and its music scored by Frank Marsales.

Bosko in Person is an American animated short film featuring Bosko. It is a Looney Tunes cartoon, featuring Bosko, the original star of the series. It was released on February 11, 1933, though one source claims the release date is April 10, 1933. Like most Looney Tunes of its day, it was directed by Hugh Harman; its score is by Frank Marsales. The film features Bosko and Honey in a vaudeville-act. This is the second cartoon directed by Friz Freleng.

<i>Battling Bosko</i> 1932 film

Battling Bosko is an American animated short film. It is a Looney Tunes cartoon, featuring Bosko, the original star of the series. Like most Looney Tunes of its day, it was directed by Hugh Harman; Frank Marsales provided musical direction. The film was released in 1932, though one source gives an ambiguous date of 1931–1932.

<i>Bosko the Lumberjack</i> 1932 film

Bosko the Lumberjack is an American animated short film, released September 3, 1932, though one source gives only an ambiguous release date of 1931–1932. It is a Looney Tunes cartoon, featuring Bosko, the original star of the series. Like most Looney Tunes of its day, it was directed by Hugh Harman; its musical direction was by Frank Marsales.

References

  1. ↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 57–58. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7 . Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  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. 8. ISBN   0-8050-0894-2.
  3. ↑ "Shorts". Motion Picture Herald . 106 (10): 66. March 5, 1932. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.