. . . over how a major American movie studio such as Warner Bros. could have released an animated short in such poor taste as BOSKO THE DOUGHBOY. The 21st Century audience of Today no doubt would reach a solid consensus that DOUGHBOY is Racist (the final "Mammy" Al Jolson-style Blackface "joke"), Misogynistic (when Bosko's gal gets beheaded by a mortar shell), Simplistic (DOUGHBOY's answer to guns is always MORE guns), and Infuriating (while our Brave Allies are fighting the Battle of Benghazi or something, Bosko and his hippo buddy Dell are playing MUSICAL APPRENTICE in the safety of the Trenches on a Tom Hanks BIG-style walk-on keyboard), just like Donald J. Trump. That's right, the always prophetic Looney Tuners carefully crafted DOUGHBOY to speak specifics for the first Major U.S. Presidential Candidate consistently refusing to speak them for himself, our Beloved Trumplestiltskin. With DOUGHBOY, Warner is warning Military Veterans in particular of what the ONLY American Game Show Host personally beholden to BOTH Russia and China for billions in secret "loans" has in store for the American Heroes of the Homeland: Oblivion. Just as Trump has gone on record for hating our Stalwart P.O.W.s because the U.S. Taxpayers (a group which apparently that does NOT include Donald J.) pay them for "featherbedding" while they are being detained by the Enemy, he's sure to hate our Purple Hearters with an even greater loathing, since there are so many MORE of them than ex-P.O.W.s eating up tax revenue through their Veterans Hospitals that Trumpenstein would rather divert to build Trump Towers in EVERY major U.S. city on the government dime. Therefore, the minute that Leader Trump evicts the Obamas, he plans on showing DOUGHBOY to ALL U.S. Veterans in an effort to raise their suicide rate to AT LEAST 90%. Just remember: Every vote for Bosko is a vote for Trump (and Vice Versa). As Donnie is always saying, What do you have to lose?

Considering that approximately 11,000,000 people were killed during WWI, you would think it would be a topic that was taboo in cartoons. Yet, inexplicably, this is the second Warner Brothers/Looney Tunes cartoon set during the war that I've seen in the last couple weeks (the other being "Boom Boom" from 1936). Both are set in the trenches and both show the rollicking good time that can be had in the war!! Call me a killjoy, but I just can't understand this sort of subject in a cartoon.The film has a big strike against it at the start--it was made during the Harmon-Ising era at Looney Tunes. I say this because their productions emphasized cute and their creation, Bosko, was rather cutesy and bland. But, at least there is no singing in this one! Overall, it's animated well but also a bit unsavory. Plus, some might raise an eyebrow at the ending with its cheap attempt at humor (Bosko is burnt to a crisp and does an Al Jolson imitation). Overall, better than most Harmon-Ising cartoons but that still isn't saying a lot.

Bosko the Doughboy is a bit more grim than usual and since the previous reviewer discussed the short in much detail, I'll mention some gags that haven't been discussed yet. Like the one where the bullets take some of the body of another soldier to make him much smaller instead of killing him. Or the one where after a friend of Bosko's gets a cannonball stuck in his stomach, Bosko gets it out by simply zipping down his front part and taking the ball out of there! Or the one where the dog soldier has fleas so Bosko solves the problem by getting his metal hat riddled with bullets so with the holes filled in the dog uses it to scratch his back! Like I said, pretty grim with "gallows" humor abound. Still, worth a look for any early Warner Bros. animation enthusiast.

On the Image Entertainment release of 'Uncensored Bosko, Volume One' Stephen Worth of "Storyboard Magazine" proclaims on the back cover that "One of the best cartoons ever produced is 'Bosko The Doughboy' (1931).'" Don't you think that's stretching it a tad? I can see his enthusiasm, the cartoon is well designed and well executed, but a story is non existent, and it lingers for about a minute before it Iris's out. If you want good cartoons see something like 'Wyken Blynken And Nod' or 'Somewhere In Dreamland' or 'Old McDonald Had A Farm'. I suppose if you are a die-hard animation fan and historian like myself, watch this one. The short is presented on 'Uncensored Bosko volume one', in fair condition, with a few scratches, and the film runs seven minutes.