Top Ten Looney Tunes from the Early 1930s

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Top Ten Looney Tunes from the Early 1930s

Unlike my Merry Melodies list, this Looney Tunes list is better in quality as the series was better back then and it is also much more coherent as basically it consists of Bosko and Buddy entries with Bosko taking most of the spots. So here are the ten best early 30s Looney Tunes.

10. Bosko’s Party

It was a lot of fun watching everyone hide and get ready for Honey’s party which Bosko is throwing. The second half wasn’t a good payoff, but at least the build-up is so much fun and this is one of the better roles for Bosko for sure.

9. Buddy’s Day Out

Buddy’s Day Out is the introductory short to Buddy’s character and it is pretty solid, albeit not at all original. The short is sweet and romantic, but the highlight are the technical aspects as the score is good and the animation is one of the best of its time without a doubt.

8. The Booze Hangs High

What an incredibly racy Looney Tune this is!  The cow part is tired by this point, but the part with the pigs dancing around drunk was an unforgettable experience as one of the most mature and craziest scenes from this period in Warner Brothers cartoons.

7. Bosko and Bruno

Again the lack of originality is troublesome and evident, but this short succeeds owing to a great chicken race scene and a terrifically utilized setting. But the heart and soul of the film are Bosko and Bruno as their relationship is sweet and wonderful to witness here.

6. Buddy the Detective

Buddy the Detective is such a superb cartoon which features a terrific, amusing and highly memorable villain who stole the show here. His castle is spooky, the action is phenomenal and the film should have been longer as the material is so rich in detail and so much fun.

5. Bosko the Lumberjack

Bosko has to save Honey is an archetypal premise, but executed so well. The tree chopping scene is inventive in that crazy Looney Tunes manner and the action is stupendous, fun and with a couple of great set pieces.

4. Bosko’s Holiday

I loved Bosko’s Holiday so much and it just might be the quintessential Bosko and Honey outing ever. They are so incredibly funny and endearing here and the row they get into is well realized and a couple of moments are admittedly hilarious and perfectly delivered.

3. Bosko’s Picture Show

Of all the Looney Tunes on this list, this has to be the most original. Taking its cue from ‘Sherlock Jr.’ which is such a great movie, it follows Bosko playing different movies. The last part where he jumps into the screen and destroys the villain is absolutely hysterical in its ridiculousness, but it is the first ever film portrayal of Hitler that easily steals the show here.

2. Box Car Blues

The hill becoming alive, the hobos, Bosko and the pig, the boxcar action… This short has it all and it is easily one of the best executed Looney Tunes in terms of action from this period. It is so much fun, so inventive in its setting and gags and ultimately the second best on my list.

1. Sinkin’ in the Bathtub

I just loved this very early Bosko entry so much that it had to take my first spot. Bosko and Honey have rarely been this charming and wonderful together, the cow, the water slide and most of the action here is so memorable and well conceived. The humor is excellent and although the film isn’t great, it surely is the best Looney Tune from this period and the best example of how great Bosko could be. An underrated character for sure.

Honorable Mentions:

Bosko’s Dog Race – Odd and trippy, yet very funny, this Looney Tune is my first honorable mention just for the sheer, unabashed silliness that it gives us.

Bosko’s Store – This one is incredibly racist, but admittedly hugely entertaining thanks to its couple of very amusing gags and scenes.

Bosko in Dutch – Its ending is inventive and funny and although the beginning is much weaker, this short is still just fun enough that it ended up being my last honorable mention.