Ups ‘N Downs (1931)

Ups 'N Downs Title Card “Ups ‘N Downs”
Looney Tunes (Bosko title #1)
Released: March 1931
Length: 6:49
Starring: Bosko

Credits:

Supervision by – Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising
Drawn by – Rollin HamiltonPaul Smith
Musical Score by – Frank Marsales


Summary:

Bosko enters a horse race.

Description:

The setting is a horse track, where Bosko is a vendor specializing in dancing hot dogs. Nearby, a group of racing fans are riding a roller-skating cow on train tracks, and two little dogs play leap frog on a dachshund. All are excited to see the big race. When Bosko manages to sell a hot dog to a hungry dog, the hot dog promptly leaps up and dips its behind in mustard. The hungry dog pulls a cash register drawer out of his chest and gives Bosko a coin. As the dog is about to bite in, the hot dog screams out “Mammy!”. “Sonny boy!” the dog replies. The dog and his meal kiss and prance away hand-in-hand. We then momentarily observe a group of Mickey-like mice using a ostrich to sneak over a fence and onto the race track. Bosko’s alarm clock watch rings, so he runs over to a shed and opens a padlock. Meanwhile a group of race horses are exercising, being massaged, jumping rope, and using a punching bag, to the delight of their fans. Back at the shed, Bosko pulls out a mechanical horse, but as he cranks its tail to try and start it the machine falls apart. The racing bugle is blown, so Bosko puts his horse back together and trots to the starting line. One nasty jockey laughs at Bosko and his odd-looking horse, but Bosko sneers and gives him a loud raspberry. The starting gun is held up, and a little mouse with a little gun pops out and fires. The horses are off, but Bosko’s mechanical horse won’t budge. When it finally does move is goes backwards and crashes into a wall, breaking up into a thousand pieces. Bosko collects the pieces into two cans, shakes them up, and pours out the reconstituted horse. He runs past most of the other horses, until he finally reaches the leader (the same jockey who laughed at him previously). The leader spits at Bosko, somehow causing Bosko and his horse to switch places. The leader then throws a grenade which blows the horse up, but its pieces fall right back into place with Bosko riding on top again. Bosko wins the race by extending the head of his horse past the finish line. Now victorious, the mechanical horse falls apart again, leaving Bosko in a daze.


Notes:

  • The tune played as the dog and its meal skip away hand-in-hand is “Sonny Boy”. [IMDB]

Memorable Scenes:


Video Availability:

VHS: Uncensored Bosko, Vol. 1
DVD: Uncensored Bosko, Volume 1