The Dover Boys at Pimento University or The Rivals of Roquefort Hall (1942)

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

This is a Warner Bros. cartoon from almost 75 years ago. It is one of the more known cartoons that do not feature the regular guys like Daffy, Bugs etc. It runs for 9 minutes, which is 2 minutes longer as these cartoons from that time usually do. But that's also all the differences. Chuck Jones, Ted Pierce and Mel Blanc are in here as usual for Warner Bros. Maybe you could interpret the Dover reference as an indirect sign of American support for Britain during these dark days of World War II. In any case, the Dover boys never got more than this short movie I think and I can see why. I found none of the Dover Boys particularly memorable. If anybody somehow was not forgettable in here, then it was the antagonist, maybe also the woman. These two also shared the only funny moments for me, namely when she keeps screaming for help yet always interrupts that state in order to beat the crap out of the bad guy. That had something hilarious to it. That's all unfortunately. The three boys I found very forgettable. Not recommended.

I'm of two minds about this cartoon. It is nearly perfect (a bit long, that's all) by itself, but should it have been the first of a series or just been a single example? Hard for me to really say.Reminding me of another great single cartoon (ONE FROGGY DAY) wherein Michigan J. Frog sings all these turn of the century vaudeville tunes, it is set in 1890. The spoof is about "the Rover Boys" who were popular fictional heroes from college (like "Frank Merriwell") in that period. Every action they do in the cartoon is an exaggeration of what the clean cut heroes of that period were supposed to do.The Dover Boys attend good old "Pimento University", "Good old Pimento U." "Good old P.U." We even see some of the "Gay '90s" students singing the university song, before they introduce the three brothers, Tom, Dick, and Harry. They are all courting Dora Sweetpipe, who is a very surprising demure woman of that period too. They are taking her to a picnic, and in the process they have a weird game of hide and seek. In their idiotic search for perfect hiding spots they end up in the local saloon/pool hall that their evil foe Dan Backslide is usually frequenting. Backslide loves Dora too - for her father's money. He decides to take advantage of Dora not being in the company of the Dover Boys to kidnap her, using a stolen runabout (hence the best line in the cartoon - in the Summary line above). However, Dan finds that to kidnap Dora is not such a wonderful idea after awhile - she throws people about like a wrestler! The conventions of 1890s good v. evil are maintained in the entire cartoon, puncturing it constantly by exaggeration. Also of assistance is a silent, fat man with sailor's hat and sideburns who keeps popping up walking through the scenes to the tune "While strolling through the park one day." In the end, this anonymous figure turns out to be far luckier than one would imagine.

In addition to being an exceptionally long title for a short film, "The Dover Boys at Pimento University or The Rivals of Roquefort Hall" is a very clever Warner Bros. cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. (DO NOT read any further until after you have seen this film.) This rather fast-paced and somewhat quirky parody of 1890s college life is full of great mirth from start to finish! The three Dover Boys, named Tom (macho, athletic, and good-looking), Dick (sharply dressed and very studious), and Larry (chubby, curly-haired, and happy-go-lucky), all look forward to an outing in the park with the supposedly demure Dora Standpipe. But first, they must overcome their arch rival from Roquefort Hall who kidnaps Dora: the loud, jealous, bratty, and whiny Dan Backslide (brilliantly voiced by Mel Blanc).Here are my favorite moments from "The Dover Boys." The brilliant Carl W. Stalling deserves my gratitude not only for the nice brass orchestration of "Far Above Cayuga's Waters" during the opening credits but also for the wonderfully authentic honky-tonk piano music in the smoky saloon where Dan Backslide shoots pool. Following the opening credits, we hear a very humorous yet serious alma mater for Pimento University (P.U.). Tom, Dick, and Larry are especially funny not only in deciding where to hide in their hide-and-seek game with Dora but also in singing and chanting before rescuing Dora from Dan Backslide. And after Dan hilariously rants about his jealousy toward the Dover Boys, he very rapidly downs quite a few shots of alcohol! For a nice comic twist to college life around the turn of the 20th Century, watch "The Dover Boys at Pimento University or The Rivals of Roquefort Hall." The characters in this cartoon appear to be drawn quite stiffly, especially the Dover Boys on their various cycles. But if you look very closely at the in-between drawings (i.e., the split second of time a character moves from one pose to another), you'll notice that director Chuck Jones chooses to incorporate a lot of grotesque smears, which was more characteristic of a wacky director like Bob Clampett. For this reason, it would be a good idea to freeze-frame certain moments of this cartoon on your DVD player (the film can be found on Disc 2 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 2). In any event, "The Dover Boys" is without a doubt a fine cartoon that is quite enjoyable to watch.

This cartoon is underrated. The humor is subtle yet hilarious. My two kids love it so much that they will drop what they are doing whenever this comes on. The Dover Boys is a takeoff of the damsel-in-distress/Uncle Tom's Cabin scenario. The humor is in the characterizations such as Dan Backslide's unique way of kidnapping the girl or how the heroes ride their bicycles. Perhaps my family's sense of humor is different from most people. Too many contemporary cartoons rely on toilet humor and not something that is well written. But Chuck Jones and the people who gave us these classics will always have a soft spot in my heart. Their work is flawless and timeless. Whenever a show or cartoon crossovers generations without having to explain why, then the artist has done their job. They just don't make them like they use to.