Henpecked Hoboes

If only John Steinbeck had known how many cartoons his characters from "Of mice and men" would inspire. This time George and Lenny (or 'Junior' in this case) are two bears mind set on catching a chicken. Not the rooster, whom they send to the North Pole in no time, just the chicken. As usual in a Tex Avery cartoon, "Henpecked Hoboes" is no more than one joke repeated a number of inventive ways: George tries to lure the chicken by wearing a crazy disguise, Junior hits George on the head instead of the chicken, George kicks Junior in the behind ("Bend over, Junior"). They should have gone for the rooster instead.

It's the crazy disguises the two of them wear that are truly inspired. First George (who is actually a lot smaller than either rooster or chicken) dresses up as rooster stud, then he puts on an appetizing king-size worm suit. The enormous Lenny gets to dress up as a baby chick, but takes his role way too seriously. Meanwhile, in a sub plot we see the rooster making his long way back home from Antarctica. Unfortunately the payoff is not as elaborate as the set-up. Oh yes, there is also one of those gags with African stereotypes that were common at the time but have been outlawed since.

7 out of 10 (one for each scheme)

When we had a VHS as a kid, my dad would record all of the old Tex Avery cartoons that were on TV onto a special cartoon tape which we wore out because it was watched so often. One of the best on the tape was this!

Always remember me, my brother and my dad killing ourselves laughing at this classic.

Just watched on Thad's Animation Blog this M-G-M Tex Avery cartoon. The stars are George-the bear father-and Junior-his oversize son. Junior's hungry so George tries to get his son a hen. First, he tries on a rooster suit which drives the hen love crazy but her husband in a jealous snit. George ties him in an over-sized rocket with the hen lighting a match. The rocket sends the husband rooster to the South Pole which results in him taking a long way back home. When George-still in the rooster suit-gets out of the log first, Junior hits him resulting in the first of several times George tells his son, "Bend over", with him kicking his son...Many of the gags that follow are quite funny and while the ending is not hilarious, it's still pretty good. Henpecked Hoboes was quite a good Tex Avery cartoon that I recommend to any fan of his who hasn't seen it yet. P.S. There's a blackface gag that may offend somebody in this PC-time but it's so brief that I had no shame in laughing at it.

Diminutive George and giant Junior are hobo bears. Junior is hungry. George spots a hen house. He dons a rooster costume to lure a hen away from the house. The actual rooster of the roost fights back. Junior keeps messing up.

I don't like the relationship between the rooster and the hen. There isn't anything to root for in that couple and that ending is a little disturbing. It's probably a mistake to separate the rooster from all the action for so long. As for the bears, I don't know if I like George's voice. It's a very specific voice that doesn't really exist any more. Of Mice and Men is a classic. This Tex Avery cartoon is on the borderline.

George and Junior are set out to catch themselves a chicken, but Junior screws up all the silly plans they make.

One includes George dressing up as rooster, another as a worm, and Junior himself dresses up as a young duck but things basically turn out the same every time again: George hits the chicken too soon, too late or not at all. How lame can you be?

Very dull and monotone cartoon from the 40's which was banned for a small joke about black people. It should be banned for being one of the crappiest cartoons ever though.

2/10.