Sinkin' in the Bathtub
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Sinkin' in the Bathtub was the very first Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon short as well as the very first of the Looney Tunes series.
The short was produced and directed by Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising, with animation by a very young Friz Freleng. Leon Schlesinger was credited as an associate producer, and the title card also gave credit to the Western Electric apparatus used to create the film.
Made in 1930, this short marked the theatrical debut of Bosko the "Talk-Ink Kid" whom Harman and Ising had created to show to Warner Brothers. Bosko became their first star character, surpassed only much later by Porky Pig and Daffy Duck.
A clip of this cartoon was seen on a 1990 episode of Pee-Wee's Playhouse. It exists in its entirety on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3 box set.
[edit] Plot synopsis
The film opens with Bosko taking a bath and singing the title song. A series of gags allow him to play the shower spray like a harp, pull up his pants by tugging his hair, and give the limelight to the bathtub itself which stands on its hind feet to perform a dance.
Once he finds his car, which had left the garage to use the outhouse, Bosko goes to visit his girlfriend Honey, who is showering in front of an open window. A goat eats the flowers he brought, so he serenades her to get her to come out. A saxophone full of bubbles provide a floating cascade of steps for her as she alights from the balcony.
Their country drive presents grave perils for Bosko, ending with the car plunging over a cliff into a lake. Always able to adapt, Bosko continues their date as a boating trip and plays the last refrain using lilypads as a marimba.
[edit] References
- Schneider, Steve (1990). That's All Folks!: The Art of Warner Bros. Animation. Henry Holt & Co.
- Beck, Jerry and Friedwald, Will (1989): Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Company.
