From en.wikipedia.org:
[Fictional cartoon dog] [date=January 2012] {{Infobox character | series = MGM
Cartoons | image = Droopy dog.png | image_size = 150px | first =
_Dumb-Hounded_ (1943) | creator = Tex Avery | designer = Irving Levine[1] |
voice = Bill Thompson (1943, 1945, 1949–1958)<br>Tex Avery (1943, 1945–1946,
1955)<ref name="droopyvoice"/><ref name="Tex voice"/><br>Don Messick
(1949–1950, 1956, 1989–1993)<br>Daws Butler (1955)<ref
name="droopyvoice"/><ref name="Butler"/><br>Frank Welker (1980,
2002)<br>Richard Williams (1988–1989)<br>Corey Burton (1990, 1993)<br>Billy
West (1996–1997)<br>Jeff Bergman (1999–2010, 2017–present)<br>Jeff Bennett
(2002)<br>Maurice LaMarche (2003–2004)<br>Joe Alaskey (2004, 2010–2016)<br>Don
Brown (2006)<br>Michael Donovan (2006–2007)<br>Joey D'Auria (2018)<br>(see
below) | alias = Happy Hound | species = Dog (Basset Hound) | gender = Male |
family = Drippy (twin brother)<br>Dripple (son) }} DROOPY is an animated
character from the golden age of American animation. He is an anthropomorphic
white Basset Hound with a droopy face. He was created in 1943 by Tex Avery
for theatrical cartoon shorts produced by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon
studio. Essentially the polar opposite of Avery's other MGM character, the
loud and wacky Screwy Squirrel, Droopy moves slowly and lethargically, speaks
in a jowly monotone voice, and—though hardly an imposing character—is shrewd
enough to outwit his enemies. When finally roused to anger, often by a bad
guy laughing heartily at him, Droopy is capable of beating adversaries many
times his size with a comical thrashing.[2]
The character first appeared, nameless, in Avery's 1943 cartoon
_Dumb-Hounded_. Though he was not called "Droopy" onscreen until his fifth
cartoon, _Señor Droopy_ (1949), the character was already named "Droopy" in
model sheets for his first cartoon. He was officially first labeled "Happy
Hound", a name used in the character's appearances in _Our Gang Comics_. He
starred in 24 theatrical cartoons, ending in 1958 when MGM closed its cartoon
department.[3] The character has been revived several times for new
productions including films and television shows also featuring MGM's other
famous cartoon stars, Tom and Jerry, either as their ally or adversary. He's
also known to be the guider of Cartoon Network back when it first launched at
October 1, 1992.[4]
In the cartoon _Northwest Hounded Police_, Droopy's last name was given as
"McPoodle". In _The Chump Champ_, it was given as "Poodle". Nevertheless,
Droopy is generally understood to be a Basset Hound.
** History
*** Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Droopy first appeared in the MGM cartoon _Dumb-Hounded_, released on March 20,
1943. Droopy's first scene is when he saunters into view, looks at the
audience, and declares, "Hello, all you happy people ... you know what? I'm
the hero." In the cartoon, Droopy is tracking an escaped convict and is always
waiting for the crook wherever he turns up. Avery had used a similar gag in
his _Merrie Melodies_ short _Tortoise Beats Hare_ (1941) starring Bugs Bunny,
which in turn was an expansion/exaggeration of the premise of his _The Blow
Out_ (1936) with Porky Pig. In fact, this cartoon shows that early ideas
about Droopy's personality were already germinating, as that film's Cecil
Turtle has similarities to Droopy.
Droopy's meek, deadpan voice and personality were modeled after the character
Wallace Wimple on the radio comedy _Fibber McGee and Molly_; actor Bill
Thompson, who played Wimple, was the original voice of Droopy. While
Thompson's served in the US Navy during World War II, Droopy's voice was
provided by other voice actors, including Don Messick, who reprised the role
in the 1990s. Avery's preferred gag man Heck Allen said that Avery himself
provided the voice on several occasions, and "You couldn't tell the
difference."[5] Droopy himself was a versatile actor: he could play a Mountie,
a cowboy, a deputy, an heir, or a Dixieland-loving everyday Joe with equal
ease. The same voice was used for Big Heel-Watha in the Screwy Squirrel
cartoon of the same name and for a Pilgrim who chases a turkey modeled after
Jimmy Durante in Avery's 1945 short _Jerky Turkey_.
One of Droopy's more surprising traits is his incredible strength, given his
diminutive stature and unassuming looks and personality, but this was usually
reserved for when he was upset (with a few rare exceptions, where he very
easily moved his adversary without harming him), at which time he would say in
a monotone voice "You know what? That makes me mad" prior to thrashing the
hapless villain of the piece. One such occasion was in _Señor Droopy_, where
he did this to a bull. It happened again in _One Droopy Knight_, where a
dragon was Droopy's victim. In the second case, he also broke the dragon's
tail off and knocked him very far away with it like a baseball bat
(apparently, it regenerated like a lizard's tail, given the unharmed dragon
later became Droopy's servant/pet). This was also once done by a baby version
of Droopy in the Western-themed short _Homesteader Droopy_. One example of
Droopy showing his strength without being provoked was in _The Chump Champ_ in
which Spike (as "Gorgeous Gorillawitz") stuffs an anvil in a speed bag.
Droopy easily punches the bag several times but when Spike takes a swipe at
it, half of him shatters to the ground. Another running gag that occurred
during many of Droopy's cartoons was whenever Droopy's adversaries chopped
down a tree. As the tree started coming down and was about to crush the
unsuspecting Droopy, the adversary would run far the opposite way, point to
the sky, and shout, "TIM.....". Then, in a moment of surprise, the tree would
change direction and end up crushing the adversary instead and he would finish
by saying, ".....ber" while still pointing to the sky with a look of confusion
on his face. In most of his cartoons, Droopy matches wits with either a slick
anthropomorphic Wolf (the Wolf character "portrays" the crooks in both
_Dumb-hounded_ and its semi-remake, _Northwest Hounded Police_ (1946)) or a
bulldog named "Spike", sometimes silent, sometimes sporting a Gaelic accent.
Two Droopy cartoons – _The Shooting of Dan McGoo_ and _Wild and Woolfy_ – also
feature appearances from the curvy cutie of Avery's _Red Hot Riding Hood_
(1943) as a damsel in distress being pursued by the Wolf. Three later Droopy
cartoons –_Three Little Pups_ (1953), _Blackboard Jumble_ (1957), and _Sheep
Wrecked_ (1958) – feature a slow-moving southern wolf character. Voiced by
Daws Butler in a dialect Butler later used for Hanna-Barbera's Huckleberry
Hound, this wolf was a more deadpan character with a tendency to whistle
"Kingdom Coming" (aka "Jubalio") to himself (much like Huckleberry would sing
"Oh My Darling Clementine" to himself).
<!-- Deleted image removed: thumbnail --> Avery took a year-long break from
MGM from 1950 to 1951, during which time Dick Lundy took over his unit to do
one Droopy cartoon, _Caballero Droopy_, and several _Barney Bear_ cartoons.
Avery returned in late 1951 and continued with Droopy and his one-shots until
the Avery unit was dissolved by MGM in 1953. Michael Lah, an Avery animator,
stayed on long enough to help William Hanna and Joseph Barbera complete
_Deputy Droopy_ after Avery had left the studio. Lah himself then left MGM,
but returned in 1955 to direct CinemaScope Droopy cartoons costarring either
Spike (now called Butch because of the same-named bulldog in Hanna and
Barbera's Tom and Jerry cartoons) or the "Kingdom Coming"-whistling wolf. The
opening title card was replaced with a newly drawn sequence in which Droopy
gives his deadpan greeting: "Hello, all you happy people." Seven Droopy
cartoons were created under the H-B production stable. One of these, _One
Droopy Knight_ (1957), was nominated for the 1957 Academy Award for Best Short
Subject (Cartoons). However, by the time of {"content": "''", "type":
"DELIM", "wikinode": "WikiDelimNode"}One Droopy Knight'''s release in December
1957, the MGM cartoon studio had been closed for six months, a casualty of
corporate downsizing.
*** Later appearances
In 1980, Filmation produced a series of lower-budget Droopy shorts for
television as part of its _Tom and Jerry_ TV series _The Tom and Jerry Comedy
Show_. In the 1990s Hanna-Barbera series _Tom & Jerry Kids_, Droopy had a
young son named Dripple (voiced by Charlie Adler), an older version of the
infant we see in _Homesteader Droopy_. The mild success of the show provided
perhaps the most Droopy merchandise: plush toys, gummy snacks, figurines, etc.
In 1993, _Tom & Jerry Kids_ had a spin-off series, _Droopy, Master Detective_,
which cast Droopy and son as film noir style detectives. Droopy also had
cameos in two theatrical features: as an elevator operator in _Who Framed
Roger Rabbit_ (where he was voiced by the film's animation director Richard
Williams), and in _Tom and Jerry: The Movie_. Droopy also had cameos in all
three subsequent Disney-produced Roger Rabbit shorts, _Tummy Trouble_ (again
he's an elevator operator), _Roller Coaster Rabbit_ (he plays a bad guy
dressed as Snidely Whiplash), and _Trail Mix-Up_ (he plays a scuba diver), and
the 1992 animated TV special _The Rosey and Buddy Show_.[6] Droopy also
appears in the 2006 cartoon series _Tom and Jerry Tales_, and has appeared in
almost every _Tom and Jerry_ direct-to-video movie, beginning with _Tom and
Jerry: The Magic Ring_, either as an ally or an enemy.
Droopy appeared on various Cartoon Network specials and bumpers throughout the
1990s. When the network launched on October 1, 1992, Droopy was the host of
the special "Droopy's Guide to the Cartoon Network", which served as an
orientation for the new channel.[7] In 1997, Droopy appeared in the faux
cartoon blooper reel bumper _Bloopers of the Cartoon Stars_. Here, he says
his signature line "I'm so happy" while actually smiling.[8]
In June 1999, Droopy appeared in a Cartoon Network short entitled _Thanks a
Latté_, in which he works at a coffee shop and forces a stingy wolf into
giving him a tip. In said short, the character is depicted with a bald head
and was voiced by Jeff Bergman. The short aired on Cartoon Network's sister
channel Boomerang until 2015. During the same period, Droopy was also
featured in Adult Swim's _Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law_ in the episode
"Droopy Botox", voiced by Maurice LaMarche. He is seen seeking a settlement
after a cosmetic surgeon injected him with too much botox (a running gag in
this episode was the fact that Droopy was often seen crying despite having a
huge grin frozen on his face, a reverse of the classic cartoons where a
sad-faced Droopy often said, "You know what? I'm happy"). A memorable Cartoon
Network promotional spot featured Droopy (voiced by Don Messick) and Shaggy
from Hanna-Barbera's _Scooby-Doo_ parodying a dialog scene between Jules and
Vincent in _Pulp Fiction_.
A three-issue Droopy comic book miniseries was released in the mid-1990s by
Dark Horse Comics.
** Voice actors
The following is the list of voice actors who have portrayed Droopy, the years
they regularly voiced the character, and the films and/or television series
they did the voice in:
- Bill Thompson (1943, 1945, 1949, 1951–1958; _Dumb-Hounded_ , _The Shooting of Dan McGoo_ (one line reused from _Big Heel-Watha_ ), _Señor Droopy_ , _Out-Foxed_ , _The Chump Champ_ , _Daredevil Droopy_ , _Droopy's Good Deed_ , _Droopy's Double Trouble_ , _Caballero Droopy_ , _The Three Little Pups_ , _Drag-A-Long Droopy_ , _Homesteader Droopy_ , _Dixieland Droopy_ , _Deputy Droopy_ , _Grin and Share It_ , _Blackboard Jumble_ , _One Droopy Knight_ , _Sheep Wrecked_ , _Mutts About Racing_ , _Droopy Leprechaun_ )
- Tex Avery (1943, 1945–1946, 1955; enthusiastic screaming in _Dumb-Hounded_ , _The Shooting of Dan McGoo_ , _Wild and Woolfy_ , _Northwest Hounded Police_ , _Deputy Droopy_ ) [9] [10] [11]
- Pinto Colvig (1945; howling in _The Shooting of Dan McGoo_ (reused from _Red Hot Riding Hood_ )) <ref name="CartoonVoices"/>
- Don Messick (1949–1950, 1956, 1989–1993, 1997; _Wags to Riches_ , _The Chump Champ_ , _Millionaire Droopy_ , _Hanna-Barbera's 50th: A Yabba Dabba Doo Celebration_ , _Tom & Jerry Kids_ , _Tom and Jerry: The Movie_ , _Droopy, Master Detective_ , Cartoon Network bumpers)
- Daws Butler (1955; _Deputy Droopy_ ) <ref name="droopyvoice"/> [12] <ref name="CartoonVoices"/>
- Frank Welker (1980, 2002; _The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show_ , _Scooby Month_ promotion) [13]
- Richard Williams (1988–1989; _Who Framed Roger Rabbit_ , _Tummy Trouble_ )
- Corey Burton (1990, 1993; _Roller Coaster Rabbit_ , _Trail Mix-Up_ )
- Billy West (1996–1997; _The Tex Avery Show_ promotion, _Bloopers of the Cartoon Stars_ ) <ref name="Cartoon Network"/>
- Marc Silk (1997; Cartoon Network bumpers) [14]
- Jeff Bergman (1999–2010, 2017–present; _Thanks a Latté_ , <ref name="Cartoon Network"/> _Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes_ , _Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory_ , _Tom & Jerry_ )
- Daren Tillinger (2001; _Web Premiere Toons_ ) [15]
- Jeff Bennett (2002; _Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring_ )
- Maurice LaMarche (2003–2004; _Cartoon Network NBA All-Star Slam_ , _Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law_ )
- Joe Alaskey (2004, 2010–2016; Boomerang UK and Ireland bumpers, [16] _Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz_ , _Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse_ , _Tom and Jerry's Giant Adventure_ , _Tom and Jerry: Spy Quest_ , _Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz_ )
- Don Brown (2006; _Tom and Jerry Tales_ (season 1))
- Michael Donovan (2007; _Tom and Jerry Tales_ (season 2))
- Joey D'Auria (2018; _The Tom and Jerry Show_ )
Voiced by in unofficial material:
- Seth MacFarlane (2009, 2014, 2017; _Family Guy_ ) [17]
- Jim Meskimen (2012; _Mad_ ) [18]
** Filmography
The Droopy cartoons were directed by Tex Avery (1943–1955), Dick Lundy (1952),
Michael Lah (1955–1958) and William Hanna and Joseph Barbera (1956), at the
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio in Hollywood, California. All cartoons
were released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Fred Quimby was the
producer of the first 17 cartoons from 1943 to 1955. Quimby retired in 1955
and from 1956 to 1958, Hanna and Barbera produced the cartoons until MGM
closed the cartoon studio in 1957, and the last cartoon was released in 1958.
Most of these cartoons were produced in the standard Academy ratio (1.37:1);
seven cartoons were produced in widescreen CinemaScope format only.
Like any other studio, MGM reissued and edited its cartoons when re-released
to theaters. Many pre-1951 cartoons were reissued with Perspecta Sound, which
was introduced in 1954. MGM also reissued its cartoons before the
introduction of Perspecta Sound. Because of the 1965 MGM vault fire, only
backup prints of pre-1951 MGM cartoons exist.
{| class="wikitable sortable" margin:auto;" |- ! Title !
style="width:110px;"|Director(s) ! style="width:110px;"|Producer(s) !Credits !
style="width:120px;" |Original release date ! style="width:300px;"|Notes |-
|_Dumb-Hounded_ |rowspan="11" | Tex Avery |rowspan="17" | Fred Quimby | |March
20, 1943 | |- |_The Shooting of Dan McGoo_ | |March 3, 1945 | |- |_Wild and
Woolfy_ | |November 3, 1945 | |- |_Northwest Hounded Police_ | |August 3, 1946
| |- |_Señor Droopy_ | STORY: Rich Hogan[19] ANIMATION: Grant Simmons, Walter
Clinton, Bob Cannon, Michael Lah, Preston Blair<ref name=":0" />
'''Music:{"content": "'''", "type": "DELIM", "wikinode": "WikiDelimNode"}
Scott Bradley<ref name=":0" /> |April 9, 1949 |Guest appearance of Lina Romay
in a live-action sequence in the end. |- |_Wags to Riches_ | |August 13, 1949
|Remade as _Millionaire Droopy_ (1956) |- |_Out-Foxed_ | |November 5, 1949 |
|- |_The Chump Champ_ | |November 4, 1950 | |- |_Daredevil Droopy_[20] |
|March 31, 1951 | |- |_Droopy's Good Deed_ | |May 5, 1951 | |- |_Droopy's
Double Trouble_ | |November 17, 1951 |Introduction of Droopy's twin brother,
Drippy |- |_Caballero Droopy_ |Dick Lundy | |September 27, 1952 |Only Droopy
cartoon directed by Dick Lundy |- |_The Three Little Pups_ |rowspan="4"| Tex
Avery | |December 26, 1953 |Live-action sequence |- |_Drag-a-Long Droopy_ |
|February 20, 1954 | |- |_Homesteader Droopy_<ref
name="Thegreatcartoondirectors"/>[72–73] | |July 10, 1954 |Introduction of
Droopy's infant son, Dripple (as Droopy Jr.) |- |_Dixieland Droopy_ |
|December 4, 1954 | |- |_Deputy Droopy_ |Tex Avery<br />Michael Lah | |October
28, 1955 | |- |_Millionaire Droopy_ |William Hanna<br />Joseph Barbera<br
/>Tex Avery |rowspan="7"| William Hanna<br />Joseph Barbera | |September 21,
1956 |CinemaScope remake of _Wags To Riches_. Tex Avery is given director
credit as the cartoon retains the soundtrack and timing from _Wags to Riches_
with revised animation and backgrounds. Only Droopy cartoon directed by
William Hanna and Joseph Barbera |- |_Grin and Share It_ |rowspan="6"| Michael
Lah | |May 17, 1957 | rowspan="2" |Produced in CinemaScope |- |_Blackboard
Jumble_ | |October 4, 1957 |- |_One Droopy Knight_ | |December 6, 1957
|Produced in CinemaScope <br /> Nominated–Academy Award for Best Animated
Short Film[21] |- |_Sheep Wrecked_ | |February 7, 1958 | rowspan="3" |Produced
in CinemaScope |- |_Mutts About Racing_ | |April 4, 1958 |- |_Droopy
Leprechaun_ | |July 4, 1958 |- |}
** Cameos
{| class="wikitable" margin:auto;" |- ! Title !
style="width:110px;"|Director(s) ! style="width:110px;"|Producer(s) !
style="width:120px;"|Original release date ! Notes |- |_Who Framed Roger
Rabbit_ | | |June 22, 1988 | rowspan="6" |Cameo |- |_Tummy Trouble_ | | |June
23, 1989 |- |_Roller Coaster Rabbit_ | | |June 15, 1990 |- |_Trail Mix-Up_ | |
|March 12, 1993 |- |_Tom and Jerry: The Movie_ | | |July 30, 1993 |- |_Tom &
Jerry_ | | |February 26, 2021 |}
** Home media
- Seven Droopy shorts on VHS as _The Adventures of Droopy_ released in 1989.
- Six Droopy shorts on VHS as _Here Comes Droopy!_ released on October 10, 1990. [22]
- Four Droopy shorts on VHS as _Droopy and Company_ released on February 29, 1992. [23]
- Seventeen Droopy shorts on LaserDisc as _The Compleat Tex Avery_ released on January 13, 1993. [24]
- On May 15, 2007, Warner Home Video released all of Droopy's MGM cartoons on DVD as _Tex Avery's Droopy: The Complete Theatrical Collection_ , complete and uncut. [25] The seven Droopy cartoons produced in CinemaScope were released in their original widescreen versions, instead of the pan and scan versions regularly broadcast on television. [26]
- On February 18, 2020, four Droopy shorts appeared uncut and digitally restored in HD on _Tex Avery Screwball Classics : Volume 1_ Blu-ray from Warner Archive Collection . [27] An additional six Droopy cartoons appeared uncut and digitally restored on _Tex Avery Screwball Classics: Volume 2_ released on December 15, 2020. An additional five Droopy cartoons appeared uncut and digitally restored on _Tex Avery Screwball Classics: Volume 3_ released on October 5, 2021.
These cartoons can also be found as extras on DVDs of classic
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films of the period:
- _Wild and Woolfy_ is on the DVD of _Thrill of a Romance_
- _Northwest Hounded Police_ is on the DVD of _Courage of Lassie_
- _Wags to Riches_ is on the DVD of _The Barkleys of Broadway_
- _Senor Droopy_ is on the DVD of _That Midnight Kiss_
- _Out Foxed_ is on the DVD of _Madame Bovary_
- _The Chump Champ_ is on the DVD of _Pagan Love Song_
- _Droopy's Double Trouble_ is on the DVD of _Royal Wedding_
- _Dixieland Droopy_ is on the DVD of _The Long, Long Trailer_
- _Blackboard Jumble_ is on the DVD of _Blackboard Jungle_
- _Millionaire Droopy_ is on the DVD of _High Society_
- _Deputy Droopy_ is on the DVD of _It's Always Fair Weather_
- _The Three Little Pups_ is on the DVD of _The Band Wagon_
** See also
[Animation]
- _The Tom & Jerry Comedy Show_
- _Tom & Jerry Kids_
- _Tom and Jerry Tales_
- _Droopy, Master Detective_
- _Droopy's Tennis Open_
- _The Rosey and Buddy Show_
** References
[reflist]
** External links
- Tex Avery Tribute Website (see https://www.texavery.com/)
- Droopy Dog (see http://www.toonopedia.com/droopy.htm) at Don Markstein's Toonopedia . Archived (see https://archive.today/20240527202703/https://www.webcitation.org/6hGkqtnGZ?url=http://toonopedia.com/droopy.htm) from the original on May 5, 2016.
[Tex Avery] [Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Cartoons] [Tom and Jerry] [Hanna-Barbera]
Category:Animated film series Category:MGM cartoon characters
Category:Animated characters introduced in 1943 Category:Film characters
introduced in 1943 Category:Film series introduced in 1943
Category:Anthropomorphic dogs Category:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer franchises
Category:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer animated films Category:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
animated short films Category:Comedy film characters Category:Comedy
television characters Category:Male characters in animated films
Category:Characters created by Tex Avery Category:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon
studio film series Category:Tom and Jerry characters Category:Slapstick comedy