Bosko's Picture Show (1933) User Reviews (4)

Entertaining in spots, though wildly uneven

[llltdesq · 7/10 · 12 October 2006]

This short has a very good beginning, bogs down a bit in the middle and has an enjoyable ending. Since I will be discussing details, this is a spoiler warning:

Bosko is the host/organist of a movie house. He leads the audience in a singalong and at the end pulls two knobs on the organ-one sounds like a duck call and the other pulls out on a chain and you hear a flushing sound!

Next is what has got to be the dullest spoof of a newsreel that I have ever seen in any cartoon I've ever watched-the gag title was very apt: the spoof title was "Out-of-Tone News" and the sole truly memorable bit was where caricatures of the Four Marx Brothers were chasing after a dog with nets. Sadder still is a (thankfully) very brief parody of Laurel and Hardy which was painfully unfunny. This middle part drags badly.

Then comes the "feature" and the cartoon gets interesting. It's a melodrama, with Honey as the star. She's shown riding a bicycle to the tune of "Bicycle Built For Two". She's followed by a return of the Marx Brothers on a four-seater.

The typical melodrama villain is also on a bike (I think-it's difficult to say for certain) and he grabs Honey and rides off with her. They wind up on a train and Honey is calling frantically for help. Bosko is growing more agitated watching this and finally shouts, "I'll save you, Honey!" and jumps into and through the screen! This is an enjoyable and entertaining short. I hope it ultimately sees release on a future volume of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection series. Recommended.

the next picture show

[lee_eisenberg · 7/10 · 14 November 2008]

In what appears to be the first instance of Warner Bros. cartoons spoofing the cinema, Bosko plays the piano at the debut of Honey's movie. The Out-of-Tone News, and then the Haurel and Lardy movie, inadvertently predict cartoons like "She Was an Acrobat's Daughter", "The Film Fan" and "Bacall to Arms". Bosko's trick at the climax of Honey's movie resembles the scenes in later cartoons where a silhouette appears - presumably an audience member - and interacts with the characters.

Anyway, the Termite Terrace crowd (is it too early to call them that?) was just getting started, so we can forgive them if the material doesn't recall wabbit hunts or things like that. Still worth seeing.

A melodrama where the caricatures make more of an impression than Bosko

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 12 June 2017]

The Bosko cartoons may not be animation masterpieces, but they are fascinating as examples of Looney Tunes in their early days before the creation of more compelling characters and funnier and more creative cartoons. There are some good cartoons, as well as some average or less ones.

As far as Bosko cartoons go, 'Bosko's Picture Show' is one of the better ones, even though it is more a pretty good cartoon rather than great. Sure, as usual, the story is thin and more of an excuse to string along the gags. The archetypal villain character is a little melodramatic, while Bosko is too much of a supporting character in his own cartoon (only really shining in his song and dance routine), charming Honey and the caricatures make far more of an impression.

With all that being said, as always for a Bosko cartoon the animation is good. Not exactly refined but fluid and crisp enough with some nice detail, it is especially good in the meticulous backgrounds and some remarkably flexible yet natural movements for Bosko. The music doesn't disappoint either, its infectious energy, rousing merriment, lush orchestration and how well it fits with the animation is just a joy.

Sound quality has clarity and the synchronisation isn't sloppy and has imagination. The way Bosko is animated is well done and remarkably natural.

'Bosko's Picture Show's' gags mostly do work and the caricatures mostly work too. Loved the Laurel and Hardy and Marx Brothers. The newsreel gag was very dull though and the Hitler and Jimmy Durante one was a little too strange for my tastes.

In conclusion, pretty good. 7/10 Bethany Cox

"Is everybody happy?"

[slymusic · 2 April 2009]

"Bosko's Picture Show" is probably one of the most representative Bosko cartoons at Warner Bros., specifically because of the personality of the main character. During the Great Depression, America needed some cheering up, and Bosko was a fun little character destined to bring sunshine into the lives of the moviegoers. In this film, Bosko entertains a theater audience by playing an organ and then showing clips of news/movie parodies.

My favorite scenes from "Bosko's Picture Show" include the following (DON'T read any further unless you've already seen this cartoon). Among the wonderful caricatures I recognize are Laurel & Hardy (billed as Haurel & Lardy, stealing a pie off a windowsill), the Four Marx Bros. (first as dogcatchers, then riding a bicycle-built-for-four chasing Bosko's girlfriend), and an axe-wielding Adolf Hitler chasing Jimmy Durante (!!!). When Bosko takes control of the organ, he begins to play & sing "We're in the Money" and then encourages all the members of the theater audience to join in, which they gladly do; then Bosko creates some rather un-organ-like sounds from the instrument.

"Bosko's Picture Show" is a great cartoon. As I made note of earlier, it belonged in a series of cartoons specifically created for the Depression-Era audiences who needed a little cheering up. I'm not old enough to be from that era, but I can't help but smile when I watch this cartoon.