Bosko's Picture Show
Encyclopedia
Bosko's Picture Show, released in 1933, 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.
), leading the audience in the song "We're in the Money". He goes on to introduce a mock newsreel
which features caricatures of the Marx Brothers
chasing a dog in a dog race, as well as a sequence depicting Adolf Hitler
pursuing Jimmy Durante
with a meat cleaver in hand, possibly the first time Hitler was depicted in an animated cartoon. It is followed by a short subject
parodying Laurel and Hardy
who are called "Haurel and Lardy" starring in "Spite of Everything". The climax of the movie is a burlesque melodrama in which a stereotypical villain chases Bosko's girlfriend, Honey who was initially serenaded in the melodrama by the Marx Brothers.
DVD set, uncut, uncensored, and digitally remastered.
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
Bosko
Bosko
Bosko is an animated cartoon character created by animators Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising. Bosko is the first recurring character in Leon Schlesinger's cartoon series, and is the star of over three dozen Looney Tunes shorts released by Warner Bros...
cartoon produced by Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising for Leon Schlesinger
Leon Schlesinger
Leon Schlesinger was an American film producer, most noted for founding Leon Schlesinger Productions, which later became the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio, during the golden age of Hollywood animation.-Early life and career:...
and Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
The duo moved on to produce cartoons for MGM, the first of which were released in 1934.
Plot
Relatively void of plot, the short depicts Bosko hosting a movie show, playing a "Furtilizer" organ (a play on the name WurlitzerWurlitzer
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, was an American company that produced stringed instruments, woodwinds, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electronic organs, electric pianos and jukeboxes....
), leading the audience in the song "We're in the Money". He goes on to introduce a mock newsreel
Newsreel
A newsreel was a form of short documentary film prevalent in the first half of the 20th century, regularly released in a public presentation place and containing filmed news stories and items of topical interest. It was a source of news, current affairs and entertainment for millions of moviegoers...
which features caricatures of the Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
chasing a dog in a dog race, as well as a sequence depicting Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
pursuing Jimmy Durante
Jimmy Durante
James Francis "Jimmy" Durante was an American singer, pianist, comedian and actor. His distinctive clipped gravelly speech, comic language butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and large nose helped make him one of America's most familiar and popular personalities of the 1920s through the 1970s...
with a meat cleaver in hand, possibly the first time Hitler was depicted in an animated cartoon. It is followed by a short subject
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
parodying Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
who are called "Haurel and Lardy" starring in "Spite of Everything". The climax of the movie is a burlesque melodrama in which a stereotypical villain chases Bosko's girlfriend, Honey who was initially serenaded in the melodrama by the Marx Brothers.
DVD availability
This cartoon is available as part of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 6Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 6
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 6 is a four-disc DVD box set collection of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons. Following the pattern of one release each year of the previous volumes, it was released on October 21, 2008....
DVD set, uncut, uncensored, and digitally remastered.
Censorship
- In the original version of the cartoon, an angry Bosko refers to the villain by distinctly saying, according to the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 6 DVD set subtitles, "The dirty foxFoxFox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
!" It is widely believed that Bosko actually said, "The dirty fuckFuck"Fuck" is an English word that is generally considered obscene which, in its most literal meaning, refers to the act of sexual intercourse. By extension it may be used to negatively characterize anything that can be dismissed, disdained, defiled, or destroyed."Fuck" can be used as a verb, adverb,...
!" Fans have theorized that this could be a parting shot by Harman and Ising at Warner Bros.Warner Bros.Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
animation head Leon SchlesingerLeon SchlesingerLeon Schlesinger was an American film producer, most noted for founding Leon Schlesinger Productions, which later became the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio, during the golden age of Hollywood animation.-Early life and career:...
, with whom they disputed over various matters, though this seems unlikely as both Schlesinger and Warners would have reviewed the cartoon prior to release and edited out the offending line (unless both Schlesinger and Warners misheard the line as "The dirty fox!"). Regardless, the phrase was changed to "The dirty cur!" when this cartoon aired on NickelodeonNickelodeon (TV channel)Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
on the second airing. - Nickelodeon also cut the scene in the newsreel showing Hitler (caricatured for the first time in a Looney Tunes cartoon) chasing Jimmy DuranteJimmy DuranteJames Francis "Jimmy" Durante was an American singer, pianist, comedian and actor. His distinctive clipped gravelly speech, comic language butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and large nose helped make him one of America's most familiar and popular personalities of the 1920s through the 1970s...
with a meat cleaver.