Congo Jazz

Bosko, in case you've never heard of him, was the original Looney Tunes star, appearing in the cartoons from 1930 until 1933, when his creators moved to MGM. In "Congo Jazz", the character hunts animals. What's interesting is that in the instance of an attack by a gorilla, Bosko makes the big guy forget that they're supposed to be enemies; just like what Bugs Bunny frequently did! True, there's not much in the way of plot. Of the few Bosko cartoons that I've seen, this was far from the best. Mostly it functions as a cultural historical reference, a look into the early days of what within a few years became the domain of Porky, then Daffy, and finally Bugs.

BTW, is it just me, or when Bosko spanks the monkey, do they show the monkey's butt? Seriously, I know that this was before the Hays Code, but still.

This short is an early Warner Brothers that features a character named Bosko, who is in ill favor in certain politically correct quarters. My take on it all is that the few shorts I've seen in the series vary greatly in quality, some being very good and others not terribly interesting. This is one of the better ones I've seen. Warner Brothers almost always had excellent music throughout their run, up to the 1950s and this short has excellent music, if a limited plot. Well worth watching. Recommended.

In his first two films, Bosko was clearly intended to be a black character...with a VERY broadly stereotypical voice. However, Looney Tunes evidently took some heat for this or felt guilty, as pretty soon Bosko changed...with a more neutral voice and a seemingly less apparently black look to him. So, in this sense, "Congo Jazz" is a major improvement for the franchise.

The setting for this cartoon is odd...with jungle animals from Asia AND Africa combined. Such mistakes were common in 1930s films and many Tarzan and similar films did this.

As far as the plot goes, like so many Harmon-Ising cartoons for Looney Tunes, there really is no plot to speak of. Bosko is out hunting but never really tries to do any shooting except for a tiger that attacks him at the beginning. The true Harmon-Ising look then comes into play...with lot of cutesy animals which sing and dance about with Bosko. Ultimately that IS the plot to the cartoon...so it isn't especially deep nor satisfying.

For a 1930 cartoon, "Congo Jazz" is about average....not at good as a Disney product but close...and certainly better in quality than some of its contemporaries (such as anything by Van Buren Studios). Watchable nonsense. My score of 7 is relative to other cartoons of the day....and cannot be compared to a 6 of the 1940s or 50s when cartoon quality improved dramatically.

In this quite ordinary cartoon, Bosco, a chimp (?) goes hunting, but like most of the principle characters in these cartoons, he has no success. He is soon being confronted by gigantic gorillas and other creatures. As it turns out, he gets them to dance and participate with him. It's just not all that entertaining.

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.

After two decent but not great previous cartoons, that are noteworthy mainly for historical significance, 'Bosko the Talk-Ink Kid' and 'Sinkin' in the Bathtub', 'Congo Jazz' joins them in the decent but not great category. It fares least in the story, which is more a paper-thin excuse to string along music and gags with a few draggy stretches and an ending that doesn't feel that well rounded off, it feels like it peters out in fact.

However, 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 'Congo Jazz'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, 'Congo Jazz' is at least an amusing cartoon, with the ape and palm tree parts faring best. The sound isn't static, the cartoon is quite cute and it is difficult not to be cheerful watching. Bosko is never going to be one of my favourite cartoon characters, or among the all-time greats, but he has more personality this time round and it's more endearing than before.

In conclusion, decent but not great. 7/10 Bethany Cox