Dumb-Hounded is a 1943 Droopy cartoon directed by Tex Avery. This cartoon is notable for being the debut of Tex Avery's MGM star, Droopy.
Plot[]
A wolf escapes from Swing Swing Prison (a parody of Sing Sing Prison). Many bloodhounds are freed to search for him, but one of them, Droopy, remains behind, greets and informs the audience that he is the hero of the story. Droopy traces the trail of footprints of the wolf and through town. He passes through a fire hydrant and blushes in embrassment. He briefly talks to another dog before finding where the footprint lead to. With the trail ending in a trash bin, someone pulls out a sign that say "Nope - I'm not in here!". Droopy then resumes his search. It turns out it was the wolf was in in the bin and then runs in a building. He laughs as he believes he escaped him easily. But then encounters Droopy. The dog tells him to stay here awhile he calls the cop then ask if the wolf to promise he would stay but the wolf breaks his promise and escapes.
He initially moves very slowly, but he still quickly finds the wolf who tries to escape from Droopy throughout the picture. At one point, he even flees away from Droopy by boarding a taxi, a train, a ship, and an aircraft. However, everywhere he flees, Droopy pops up and sarcastically greets the wolf. When the wolf asks Droopy how he is able to keep up, Droopy laconically responds “Let’s not get nosy, bub.”
Ultimately, Droopy ends the pointless chase by dropping a huge boulder on the wolf's head and crushing him. When Droopy receives his reward, he jumps about in complete enthusiasm, only to pause and inform the audience, "I'm happy".
Trivia[]
- This is the first cartoon to pair the Wolf with Droopy.
- This is the first Droopy cartoon and the debut of the character, although he is unnamed in this short.
- This is the first and only Droopy short to be written by Rich Hogan until 1949.
Legacy[]
Northwest Hounded Police (1946) features Droopy and the Wolf character in a similar set-up. Again, the Wolf flees from Droopy, who keeps popping up in unexpected places.
In the early 2000s a Cartoon Network short Thanks a Latté features Droopy and the Wolf character in a nearly-similar set-up; where he works at a coffee shop and forces a stingy wolf into giving him a tip when the wolf leaves the shop without paying for his latte.
In 2020, Dumb Hounded was released and digitally restored on the Tex Avery Screwball Classics: Volume 1 Blu-Ray by Warner Archive.
Availability[]
- (1993) Laserdisc - The Compleat Tex Avery, Side 1
- (2007) DVD - Tex Avery's Droopy: The Complete Theatrical Collection (reissue; Warner Bros.) (unrestored Turner print)
- (2020) Bluray - Tex Avery Screwball Classics: Volume 1 (restored)
Gallery[]
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References[]
| Droopy Cartoons | |
|---|---|
| 1943 | Dumb-Hounded |
| 1945 | The Shooting of Dan McGoo • Wild and Woolfy |
| 1946 | Northwest Hounded Police |
| 1949 | Señor Droopy • Wags to Riches • Out-Foxed |
| 1950 | The Chump Champ |
| 1951 | Daredevil Droopy • Droopy's Good Deed • Droopy's Double Trouble |
| 1952 | Caballero Droopy |
| 1953 | The Three Little Pups |
| 1954 | Drag-a-Long Droopy • Homesteader Droopy • Dixieland Droopy |
| 1955 | Deputy Droopy |
| 1956 | Millionaire Droopy |
| 1957 | Grin and Share It • Blackboard Jumble • One Droopy Knight |
| 1958 | Sheep Wrecked • Mutts About Racing • Droopy Leprechaun |