Big Man from the North

Bosko finds himself a deputy in the RCMP. How he got the job will never be the issue. The weather is horrible and his big boss sends him to bring in "his man." This, of course, is Pete, who is the usual villain. He is ten times the size of Bosko (his gun is bigger than the little guy). Anyway, after enjoying the adulation he receives from wearing a shiny badge, Bosko must face his adversary. It's sort of coarse, but if one isn't offended by people being shot, it's OK. More plot than usual from this source.

I was shocked in a few places watching this old cartoon as a several scenes had guys with their pants down (from the rear, with a crack showing) and, in one instance had a sabre jammed between his cheeks! Ouch!!

Anyway, it shows you even some of the cartoons were a bit edgy in this pre-Code era but otherwise it was a simple story of a little Canadian Mountie, "Bosko," being assigned to capture a big, tough crook and how he went about it. He wasn't given any name, but if you've seen a number of 1930s cartoons, you know the little man is "Bosko." What I didn't know, until submitting this review, was that pretty actress Rochelle Hudson did the voice of the female singer in the saloon.

There were some decent sight gags in here, several of them duplicated in the first half of this animated short. Sight gags are what cartoons are usually all about anyway. Here, for instance, we saw gags with the three dogs who drove the little guy over hilly terrain to the saloon where the bad man was hanging out. The saloon had a clever scene in which Bosko tried to impress a woman (Hudson's character) with his piano playing. This guy was good: a Jerry Lee Lewis-type who banged those keys!

Overall, a pretty entertaining cartoon that was a bonus feature on the "Smart Money" feature film DVD.

Bosko is a Mountie and has been sent to get his man. The baddie, it turns out, is clearly modeled after Disney's Pete (from "Steamboat Willie" and other early cartoons). Along the way, there is some singing and dancing--though what this has to do with the Mounties is beyond me!

I have never been a fan of the Bosko cartoons. They were heavy with the schmaltz--lots of overly cutesy singing and dancing and mugging for the audience. Edgy, they were NOT! Now I cannot blame Warner Brothers alone for this--many of the rival studios such as Van Beuren, MGM and Terry Toons were incredibly insipid throughout the 1930s. Cartoons we know and love today (such as MGM's Tom and Jerry and the Looney Tunes crowd) were all cartoons of the 40s--after the happy, singing, cutesy fad had, thankfully, faded. So, in light of this, my score of 5 for "Big Man from the North" is actually very positive--and I was shocked that I didn't hate this short!

A lot of people will be quick to discard this cartoon in favor of another cartoon set in the north, made by Disney a year later called "The Klondike Kid." And even more people will be quick to discard all Bosko cartoons in favor of Mickey Mouse. While Mickey Mouse has more personality in an index finger than Bosko, this has to be one of the best cartoons made by Warner Brothers before 1935. Synchronization is uniformly superb, and this one actually has a little plot, though nothing major. If you want an old 1930s cartoon, and you have a little patience, watch this one. This film runs about seven minutes, it was Drawn by future animation director Isadore 'Friz' Freleng, and Robert Edmunds, and the musical score is provided by Frank Marsales. The print available on the DVD compilation 'Uncensored Bosko Volume One' is a little scratchy, and a re-issue, but is ten times better than any Chaplin Keystone comedy in the public domain, take my word for it.

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.

'Big Man from the North' generally is one of Bosko's better cartoons. Up to this particular point in the series most of the cartoons were decent if hit and miss, with the only cartoon falling below that being the strange though not awful 'The Booze Hangs High'. 'Big Man from the North' doesn't reach above decent level on the whole but has a good deal to recommend.

While showing more signs of a story than the previous cartoons, which were basically plot-less mostly but while still on the thin side signs of a story are here, it's very predictable with not much new. There are occasional slow parts and there are a couple of repetitive gags by Bosko standards.

The animation is not bad at all. 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 is 'Big Man from the North's' highlight component, its infectious energy, rousing merriment, lush orchestration and how well it fits with the animation is just a joy.

While never hilarious the gags are amusing, especially with the dogs and in the saloon. Parts are cute without being too schmaltzy, it's never static and synchronisation is remarkably good.

All in all, decent cartoon and one of Bosko's better ones generally. 7/10 Bethany Cox