History WesternAnimation / TheDoverBoys

** Let's face it, everyone with the exception of the swimsuit hobo is a few crayons short of a whole box.

* DelayedRaction: Dan Backslide doesn't realize he's taken both Dora and the tree she's clutching until he's loaded her into the runabout and driven a couple dozen feet.

* RunningGag: The old man with the bathing suit and sailor hat. He gets Dora in the end.

* GreenAndGreen: Dan Backslide has a greenish complexion.

* MeanAndGreen: Dan Backslide has a greenish complexion.

** Where else in modern times will you hear the term "runabout" outside of ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine''? (The runabout was an early car body style, popular around the turn of the 20th century. By 1942, they were long obsolete and presumably viewed with a certain amount of nostalgia.)

** Where else in modern times will you hear the term 'Runabout' outside of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine?

''A pox on Yale; poo-poo, Perdue''\\

** And just outside, he follows up with "A runabout![[labelnote*]]This line is appropriately whispered.[[/labelnote]] '''I'LL STEAL IT! ''NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW!'''''"[[labelnote:*]]This line, on the other hand, Backslide ''screams'' at the top of his lungs ''in the middle of a city.'' (yet no one seems to hear or try to stop him.)[[/labelnote]]

** And just outside, he follows up with "A runabout! '''I'LL STEAL IT! ''NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW!'''''"

** Also, their names are a pretty clever StealthPun. Say them out loud. Tom Dover… Larry Dover…
** And Dora was ''their'' fiancee - apparently the censors weren't entirely clear on the topic of polyamory.

* TwoFacedAside: "...Dora Standpipe! Dear, Rich DORA STANDPIPE! HOW I LOVE HER… [-[[AsideGlance *aside glance*]]-] [-father's money-]."

* UnPaused: As Dan Backslide curses out the Dover Boys, he is interrupted by the swimsuit guy passing by, getting only up to "Con-". After the man leaves, Dan finishes with "-found them!"

-->'''Dan''': "THEY DRIVE ME TO DRINK!" ''(Cue rapid shot-taking)''

-->'''Narrator:''' "Pimento University. Pimento U. Good ol' [[{{Pun}} P. U.]]"\\

* WithCatlikeTread:

** "Telegram for the Dover Boys! Msrs Tom, Dick, and Larry; Care of Wayward Tavern, Upper Bottleneck, New York. Says, quote: '''''HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLP!''''' unquote. Signed, Dora. Thirty-five cents collect."

The Dover Boys were also used in an ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' Slappy Squirrel Short (acting as musical narrators to Daniel Boone), in ''WesternAnimation/WakkosWish'', and made a cameo as crowd members in ''Film/SpaceJam''.

* AlcoholHic: Dan, shortly after downing thirteen shots in five seconds.

* LoveMakesYouDumb: EVERYBODY. Dan [[BullyingADragon kidnaps and attempts to take advantage of a woman who can rip an oak tree clean out of the ground]]. Dora pounds on the door screaming for help instead of ''unlocking'' it or, you know, breaking one of the windows, all while obliviously ''kicking Dan's green ass black-and-blue''. And the Dover Boys? The first thing they do when they reach the lodge is plow through the door that Dora was right behind, potentially killing her depending on their levels of strength. No wonder she [[TakeAThirdOption ditches them all for the swimsuit hobo]].

** An even more ridiculous occurrence happens when Backslide kidnaps Dora in his stolen runabout. When Dora calls out to each Dover Boy for help, he doesn't just stop the car during, he ''pulls it back'' half a block.

** When Dan Backslide sees the Dover Boys hiding under his pool table, he shouts his dastardly plans at the top of his lungs. [[FailedASpotCheck The boys, some two-and-a-half feet away, don't seem to notice:]]

A [[UsefulNotes/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 would later be reflective of his (and by extension, the studio's) trademark style -- unlike the [[TastesLikeDiabetes cloying cuteness]] and 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'' got Chuck fired -- he just barely managed to avoid the pink slip from his boss.

* AlcoholHic: Dan, shortly after downing a dozen or so shots.
* AllForNothing: 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.

* DeconstructiveParody: For its time, this was the nature of the parody of the Rover Boys books. Today, it's more well known for its WeirdAlEffect.

-->'''Narrator:''' Pimento University. Pimento U. Good ol' [[{{Pun}} P. U.]]
-->''Pimento U, oh, sweet P. U.''
-->''Thy fragrant odor scents the air''
-->''A pox on Yale, poo, poo, Perdue''
-->''Pimento U, my college fair''
* EitherOrTitle: "The Dover Boys at Pimento University" or "The Rivals of Roquefort Hall".[[note]]The name of the short is a parody of the name of the first book, "The Rover Boys at School" or "The Cadets at Putnam Hall".[[/note]]

* EvilIsHammy: Dan Backslide is always screaming and it's hilarious.

** The Dover Boys (Tom, Dick, and Larry) are, of course, expies of [[Creator/StratemeyerSyndicate Edward Stratemeyer's]] "Rover Boys," Dick, Tom, and Sam (and their schoolfellows, Larry, Fred, and Frank).[[note]]Their names are also a pun on the phrase "every Tom, Dick, and Harry".[[/note]]

* TheGayNineties: The setting of this short.[[note]]The original book was published in 1899.[[/note]]
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: To an impressive degree for the time. Two immediate examples spring to mind. First, while we never hear anything about their parents, look at the Boys themselves. Even allowing for recessive genetics, they're all college age and look nothing alike, implying either that one or more were adopted, or their mother ReallyGetsAround. Also, their names are a pretty clever StealthPun. Say them out loud. Tom Dover... Larry Dover...
* GoldDigger: Dan Backslide, who really loves Dora Standpipe......[[TwoFacedAside 's father's money]].
* GoodSmokingEvilSmoking: Dan Backslide uses a cigarette holder -- of course he must be a coward-bully-cad-and-thief.
* GreatBigBookOfEverything: The ''Handbook of Useful Information'' which informs Dan Backslide "How Best to Remove Young Lady from Tree (Fig. 1)."
* HamToHamCombat: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted.]] By the time the Dover Boys confront Dan Backslide, he's already been beaten senseless by Dora to the point that he doesn't even say anything.

** "A gay outing at the park has been planned by the merry trio".
** "I HATE TOM! I HATE DICK! I HATE LARRY!"

* INeedAFreakingDrink: The Dover Boys drive Dan Backslide to drink. To drive the point home, he then goes over to the bar and does a baker's dozen shots in the span of about four seconds (with the barkeep knocking one back in the process).

* {{Leitmotif}}: Every time the old man in the swimsuit appears and walks across the screen, a instrumental version of an old tune called "While Strolling Through The Park One Day" plays.
* LimitedAnimation: Or, at least, extreme stylization.

* LoveMakesYouDumb: EVERYBODY. Dan [[BullyingADragon kidnaps and attempts to take advantage of a woman who can rip an oak tree clean out of the ground.]] Dora pounds on the door screaming for help instead of UNLOCKING it or, you know, breaking one of the windows, all while obliviously KICKING DAN'S GREEN ASS BLACK-AND-BLUE. And the Dover Boys? The first thing they do when they reach the lodge is plow through the door that Dora was right behind, potentially killing her depending on their levels of strength. No wonder she [[TakeAThirdOption ditches them all for the swimsuit hobo.]]

* MuggingTheMonster: If Dan Backslide had realized just ''how'' strong Dora was, he might have picked a different girl...

* {{Polyamory}}: Wait... so Dora is the fiancee of all three of the Dover Boys?
* PurpleProse: The narration parodies what some see as the frothy, cliché-ridden[[note]]Apparently, even for the time.[[/note]] prose of the Edwardian boys' novel.

* 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.'', "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tDVABEmi_k Far Above Cayuga's Waters]]", "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH5iKNSBLr0 Sweet Genevieve]]," "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jTdgM66mWg In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree]]", and of course; "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGSCQtHs0dk While Strolling Through the Park One Day]]"). Another scene-setter, for the "tavern of unsavory repute", is the 19th century MurderBallad "Frankie and Johnny". The William Tell Overture is heard in the climax as well.
* SuddenlyShouting: "Telegram for the Dover Boys! Msrs. Tom, Dick, and Larry, care of Wayward Tavern, Upper Bottleneck, New York, says, quote, " '''''HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!''''' " unquote. Signed, Dora. Thirty-five cents collect."

* TwoFacedAside: "...Dora Standpipe! Dear, Rich DORA STANDPIPE! HOW I LOVE HER ... [-[[AsideGlance *aside glance*]]-] [-father's money-]."

-->"Now is the time to say 'goodbye.' [[TheStinger Goodbye.]]"

-->''A pox on Yale, poo, poo, pooh-doo''

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Dan Backslide may be a coward, bully, cad and thief, but he ''does'' remember to signal his turns when driving a (stolen) runabout.

-->'''Narrator:''' Pimento University. Pimento U. Good ol' [[{{Pun}} P.U.]]
-->''Pimento U, oh, sweet P.U.''
-->''Thy fragrant odor scents the air...''