Dumb Patrol (1931) | Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies

Dumb Patrol (1931)

“Dumb Patrol”
Looney Tunes (Bosko title #1)
Released: April 1931
Length: 7:13
Starring: Bosko and Honey

Credits:

Supervision by – Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising
Drawn by – Isadore Freleng, Max Maxwell
Musical Score by – Frank Marsales

Summary:

Bosko explores the musical possibilities of war.

Description:

A war is raging, and Bosko is whistling a happy tune and oiling his airplane as bombs burst all around him. An enemy pilot spots Bosko and drops a bomb right on him, leaving Bosko and his plane huddling in a crater. Angry, Bosko starts up his plane and takes to the skies to chase down the enemy pilot. Bosko pulls out his machine gun and begins firing at the enemy plane. The enemy pilot pulls out a huge cannon, and a few shots destroys Bosko’s plane and sends him falling to Earth. He bounces off a piano and lands in a pair of long underwear. He spots Honey prancing by the remains of the bombed-out house and approaches her. “Parlez vous?” he asks. Bosko has to repeat himself a few times before Honey understands and replies with “Ooooo, wee wee!”. “Ooooo la la!!” shouts Bosko as he plants a big kiss on Honey. She walks away uninterested, to which Bosko comments “Well shut my mouth!”. He goes over to the piano and begins playing. Honey eventually begins to dance in the remains of the bombed-out house. The enemy pilot spots them and drops a bomb on them, leaving Honey dazed and Bosko plucking at harp strings. Now angrier than before, Bosko creates a makeshift plane out of a stove pipe, a meat grinder, a bench, a pot, a broom and a dachshund. He grabs a picket fence and uses the meat grinder to shoot the pickets into the rear of the enemy plane. The enemy pulls out his machine gun and begins firing at Bosko, but Bosko takes the stove pipe and bends it into a “U” shape, shooting the enemy’s bullets right back at him. The enemy takes out his cannon again, and shoots it right into the dog’s mouth. Bosko squeezes it out of the dog and back at the enemy plane, smashing it into a swarm of miniature planes. Bosko takes out some bug spray and shoots the mini-planes out of the air. Bosko spits at the one tiny plane that remains, and then laughs cheerfully.

Notes:

Bosko is whistling “Get Happy” at the beginning, the tune which would eventually become the first “Merrie Melodies” theme. Also heard on the soundtrack: “Shuffle Your Feet” and “Just Roll Along”. [LT&MM]