History WesternAnimation / TheDoverBoys

->''"A runabout! I'LL STEAL IT! NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW!"

A [[TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation 1942]] [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Merrie Melodies]] short subject directed by Creator/ChuckJones, '''"The Dover Boys At Pimento University" or "The Rivals of Roquefort Hall"''' (or just "The Dover Boys" for short) is an animated parody of a series of early 20th Century juvenile fiction novels called "the Rover Boys". This was also Chuck's first attempt at making a cartoon that was actually funny -- unlike the [[TastesLikeDiabetes cloying cuteness]] and [[DisneyFication Disney-like nature]] of his [[Characters/LooneyTunes Sniffles the Mouse]] cartoons. It was also an early experiment with stylized, LimitedAnimation, as well as [[MotionBlur motion blurring]], but because of this, it ''almost'' [[GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity got Chuck fired]] -- he just barely managed to avoid the pink slip from his boss.

* StraightEdge: The Dover Boys could easily qualify as a [[TheGayNineties Gay Nineties]] variation.

-->'''Dan Backslide''': HELP, TOM! HELP, DICK! HELP, LARRY!

::Dan Backslide after being kicked, knocked, and tossed senseless by Dora Stanpipe several times.

* BadGuysPlayPool: At a certain public house, [[BadGuyBar "a tavern of ill repute"]].

* StandardSnippet: As might be expected from Carl Stalling -- the score is punctuated by a number of college and popular turn-of-the-century songs, (''e.g.'', "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tDVABEmi_k Far Above Cayuga's Waters]]", "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH5iKNSBLr0 Sweet Genevieve]]," "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jTdgM66mWg In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree]]", and of course; "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGSCQtHs0dk While Strolling Through the Park One Day]]"). Another scene-setter, for the "tavern of ill-repute", is the 19th century MurderBallad "Frankie and Johnny".

* TalkingIsAFreeAction: Dora and the Dover Boys pass the outside of the tavern of ill repute, wherein Dan Backslide notices them and rants. Once he's finished, the Dover Boys and their mutual fiancée are exactly where we left them, apparently having paused outside for a full minute.

-->-- '''[[DastardlyWhiplash Dan]] [[LargeHam Backslide]]''' (coward-bully-cad-and-thief)

The short has fallen into the public domain and can be viewed [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpOPyjmB8SI here]]. ColumbiaCartoons even made their own [[FollowTheLeader knockoff]] of it, 1943's "The Rocky Road To Ruin".

* {{Foreshadowing}}: When Dan kidnaps Dora as she's grasping a tree while counting for Hide-and-Seek, she rips the tree out of the ground without losing a beat or realizing she's being taken. As we later find, she's strong enough to tie Dan in a knot.
** Even earlier, at the tavern, Dan places a picture of Dora in front of a poster showing a muscled man. The picture, of Dora's face, covers the man's head. [[FridgeBrilliance And we know how strong Dora really is...]]

* HaveAGayOldTime: "A gay outing at the park has been planned by the merry trio".

* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: Dan Backslide.

-->Dan Backslide after being kicked, knocked, and tossed senseless by Dora Stanpipe several times.

* LateToThePunchline: Wait... so Dora is the fiancee of all three of the Dover Boys?

* StandardSnippet: As might be expected from Carl Stalling -- the score is punctuated by a number of college and popular turn-of-the-century songs, (''e.g.'', "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tDVABEmi_k Far Above Cayuga's Waters]]", "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH5iKNSBLr0 Sweet Genevieve]]," "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jTdgM66mWg In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree]]", and of course; "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGSCQtHs0dk While Strolling Through the Park One Day]]"). Another scene-setter, for the "tavern of ill-repute", is the 19th century MurderBallad "Frankie and Johnny".

* {{Polyamory}}: As mentioned above.

* {{Expy}}: The Dover Boys are, of course, parody expies of [[StratemeyerSyndicate Edward Stratemeyer's]] "Rover Boys," Dick, Tom, and Sam (and their schoolfellows, Larry, Fred, and Frank). "Dan Backslide" represents the villain of the books, Dan Baxter.

->''"A runabout! I'LL STEAL IT! '''[[WithCatlikeTread NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW!]]"'''''

* ActionGirl: Rescue? Dora don't need no rescue!
** A subversion. Even though she effortlessly [[WaifFu hurls Dan Backslide across the room]] when he tries to advance on her, she continues calling for Tom, Dick, and Larry to save her. And then she absconds with the RunningGag guy after the Dover Boys knock each other out, subverting their BigDamnHeroes moment.

The short is fallen into the public domain and can be viewed [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpOPyjmB8SI here]]. ColumbiaCartoons even made their own [[FollowTheLeader knockoff]] of it, 1943's "The Rocky Road To Ruin".

The short is fallen into the public domain and can be viewed [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpOPyjmB8SI here]]. ColumbiaCartoons even made their own [[FollowTheLeader knockoff]] of it, 1943's "The Rocky Road To Ruin".

This cartoon was voted No. 49 on ''The50GreatestCartoons'' list, and has also made it onto ''Literature/The100GreatestLooneyTunes'' list. The short has also fallen into the public domain and can be viewed [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpOPyjmB8SI here]]. ColumbiaCartoons even made their own [[FollowTheLeader knockoff]] of it, 1943's "The Rocky Road To Ruin".

* AmbiguouslyGay / DepravedHomosexual: Dan Backslide. When he celebrates the portrait of Dora Standpipe, he adds that he only loves her fathers money and then proceeds to hang her portrait over the body of a muscular man.

* AmbiguouslyGay / DepravedHomosexual: Dan Backslide. When he celebrate's the portrait of Dora Standpipe, he adds that he only loves his fathers money and then proceeds to hang her portrait over the body of a muscular man.

** And just outside, he follows up with "A runabout! I'll ''steal it!'' NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW!"

* BrickJoke: The old man in an old fashioned bathing suit who keeps popping up out of nowhere in the short to the tune of "While Strolling Through the Park One Day" goes off with Dora in the end.

* StandardSnippet: As might be expected from Carl Stalling -- the score is punctuated by a number of college and popular turn-of-the-century songs, (''e.g.'', "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tDVABEmi_k Far Above Cayuga's Waters]]", "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH5iKNSBLr0 Sweet Genevieve]]," "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jTdgM66mWg In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree]]", and of course; "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGSCQtHs0dk While Strolling Through the Park One Day]]"). Another scene-setter, for the "tavern of ill-repute'', is the 19th century MurderBallad "Frankie and Johnny."

* PityTheKidnapper: By the time the boys got to the shack Dan Backslide is beaten black and blue by Dora.

* GoldDigger: Dan Backslide, who really loves Dora Stanpipe......[[LastSecondWordSwap 's father's money]].

* AllForNothing: [[spoiler:Dora is the sole reason Dan and the Dover Boys have conflict. In the aftermath when all four of them are knocked unconscious, Dora shows up being courted by somebody else.]]

* HeyItsThatVoice: The narration is done by John [=McLiesh=], best known for narrating the Goofy "How To" ClassicDisneyShorts.

This cartoon was voted No. 49 on ''The50GreatestCartoons'' list, and has also made it onto ''The100GreatestLooneyTunes'' list. The short has also fallen into the public domain and can be viewed [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpOPyjmB8SI here]]. ColumbiaCartoons even made their own [[FollowTheLeader knockoff]] of it, 1943's "The Rocky Road To Ruin".

* MotionBlur: This short pioneered the use of the smear, in which the characters appear elongated for two or three frames as they zip from one pose to the next. JohnKricfalusi has [[http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2009/07/smears-and-poses.html an analysis on this and the poses]], and explains how the cartoon influenced his style.

A [[TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation 1942]] [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Merrie Melodies]] short subject directed by ChuckJones, '''"The Dover Boys At Pimento University" or "The Rivals of Roquefort Hall"''' (or just "The Dover Boys" for short) is an animated parody of a series of early 20th Century juvenile fiction novels called "the Rover Boys". This was also Chuck's first attempt at making a cartoon that was actually funny -- unlike the [[TastesLikeDiabetes cloying cuteness]] and [[DisneyFication Disney-like nature]] of his [[Characters/LooneyTunes Sniffles the Mouse]] cartoons. It was also an early experiment with stylized, LimitedAnimation, as well as [[MotionBlur motion blurring]], but because of this, it ''almost'' [[GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity got Chuck fired]] -- he just barely managed to avoid the pink slip from his boss.

-->'''Dora''': Help Tom! Help Dick! Help Larry!

-->'''Dan Backslide''': HELP TOM! HELP DICK! HELP LARRY!