Droopy, a detective basset hound, lulls the bad guys into a false sense of security by acting slow and dumb when in actual fact he is a genius.

Droopy, a detective basset hound, lulls the bad guys into a false sense of security by acting slow and dumb when in actual fact he is a genius. The shrewd Droopy always outwits his enemies! Droopy Dog was a low-key animated movie character created by Tex Avery at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1943, this mournful deadpan witty Basset hound detective who spoke in a jowly monotone voice and, though he didn't look like much, was shrewd enough to outwit his enemies - the conniving Butch the Irish bulldog and the thieving, nasty wolf and English Fox.

 

Tex Avery's Droopy - The Complete Theatrical Collection (1954)
I watched the Tex Avery's Droopy - The Complete Theatrical Collection (1954.) I loved it! Hurray for Droopy! I knew I'd like this DVD set. I read all the reviews on high quality versus old show transformation. And I don't see or hear what all hubbub is about? This Droopy collection is excellent! My favorite by far is Double Droopy. I just wish they made more Droopy cartoons.

A great collection of uncut Droopy cartoons plus extras
These are all of the Droopy cartoons made between 1943 and 1958. Only the five made from the 1980s and later are missing, but this is the theatrical collection after all. I applaud Warner Home Video for releasing this collection uncut and simply issuing a disclaimer about the ethnic and racial stereotypes shown as being wrong then and wrong now, but to omit them would be to claim they never existed. This is unlike Disney, which buries all offensive material in the backyard so that nobody may ever see it, fearing chaos will break out otherwise, and thus underestimating the public's ability to take matters in context. As for the audio and visual quality, only the earliest cartoon, 1943's "Dumb-Hounded", seems to have any noticeable problems in the video throughout, and "Out-Foxed" had some problems in places. However, the audio came across just fine in all of the cartoons. The colors came out looking quite vivid compared to what I've seen in these cartoons on TV in the past. My absolute favorite will always be "Homesteader Droopy" with the Western version of Droopy's wolf nemesis taking his hat off frequently during the cartoon after each bad act he commits and solemnly saying "sorry ma'am but it's the law of the West!".

The 20 minute documentary which comes with the set, "Droopy and Friends: A Laugh Back" was quite interesting. Apparently Droopy WAS Tex Avery, at least personality wise. Physically the two couldn't have been more different - Avery was no 120 pound weakling. Like Droopy, though, Tex Avery was a man of few words with a laid back way about him. Included in this documentary are interviews with animator John Canemaker, Andy Heyward, and cartoonists Don Dougherty and Scott Shaw.

Laugh-Out-Loud Funny!
When I was a kid, Droopy cartoons used to be shown on the local TV station on Sunday mornings, as part of the Tom and Jerry show (since both were from MGM studios). I always enjoyed the adventures of the sad little underdog (and most everything else by Tex Avery).
This set features several pictures which I had never even seen before, including "Dumb-Hounded" (Droopy's first appearance), "The Shooting of Dan McGoo" (with Red, the inspiration for Jessica Rabbit), and "Wild and Woolfy"(also with Red).
The pictures are presented in chronological order, so you can watch Droopy's character evolve over time, as well as how the style of animation changes from the lush, detailed backgrounds and fluid motion of the earlier pictures made during the 1940's to the simpler, stylized and less expensive animation style of the later 1950's.
Even with the differences in animation, the cartoons themselves are still funny.
Supporting characters include Wolf as escaped convict, also as "Dan McGoo" who chases Red, and as the cattle rancher who competes with Droopy for grazing land.
Spike the bulldog (who usually speaks with an Irish accent) makes a number of appearances, I had forgotten that in later films his name was changed to "Butch".
One film features the aristocratic Reginald the Fox, and several episodes feature the second version of Wolf, who whistles a southern tune and speaks with a voice very similar to Huckleberry Hound. One picture features the real-life latina actress Lina Romay, who appeared in a number of films during the 1940's and 1950's, as the object of Droopy's affection.
Watching these cartoons again is a pure delight. I literally laughed out loud, even watching the ones which I had already seen years ago. My wife grew up without ever having seen ANY of them, so was absolutely enthralled, and laughed even more than me.
The dust jacket states that these are intended for the adult collector, and may not be suitable for children. This should not be taken to mean that these cartoons are X-rated, or even R-rated, or that kids won't enjoy them. There is no nudity or profanity at all, although there are a few pictures featuring gags which would be viewed as politically incorrect today, usually involving someones face being blackened as a result of a fire or an explosion. I support the producers decision to include these as originally filmed, instead of editing these gags out. Art always reflects the social attitudes of the time in which it is produced. To deface these cartoons by editing them would be the same as pretending that those attitudes had never existed. These cartoons were originally written for a primarily adult audience, including members of the military, with some jokes which kids wouldn't appreciate as much (such as Red's dancing on stage, or Wolf's infatuation with her).
I highly recommend this set, and hope that other Tex Avery cartoons will also be released on DVD. I'd especially like to see the other pictures featuring Red ("Red Hot Riding Hood", "Swing Shift Cinderella"), as well as "Rock-A-Bye Bear", the "Tomorrow" series, etc.

  Previous in category Family DVD News :: Next in category Family DVD News  

Posted: 05/29/2007  Popularity: 208