Boogie Woogie Army

A training dummy comes to life and turns things around for a soldier in the 1941 Walter Lantz cartoon The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company “B”.



This short was nominated for an Oscar, perhaps because of Darrell Calker’s score. It can't be the gags. Bugs Hardaway and Lowell Elliott are responsible for a story about an army that beats up bugle boys and goes back to sleep while reveille is playing (at least, I think that’s what they’re doing).

Lantz pushed this through production. The Hollywood Reporter disclosed on April 9, 1941 that Lantz had purchased the cartoon rights for the song, then on July 30th the short was already before the cameras.

Alex Lovy and La Verne Harding get the animation credits. Danny Webb supplies his froggy voice while Hot-Breath Harry is, I suspect, played by one of the singers.