Droopy is an
animated character from the
golden age of American animation
The golden age of American animation was a period in the history of U.S. animation that began with the popularization of sound cartoons in 1928 and gradually ended in the late 1960s, where theatrical animated shorts began losing popularity to the ...
. He is an
anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology.
Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...
white
Basset Hound with a droopy face; hence his name. He was created in 1943 by
Tex Avery
Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, animation director, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of American a ...
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.
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
''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, also the ...
Comics''. He starred in 24 theatrical cartoons, ending in 1958 as a result of MGM closing its cartoon department. 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
''Tom and Jerry'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series c ...
, either as their ally or enemy. He's also known to be the guider of
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
back when it first launched at October 1, 1992.
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
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...
cartoon
A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images ...
''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
''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animation, animated series of comedy short films produced by Warner Bros. starting in 1931, during the golden age of American animation, and ending in 1969. Then some new cartoons were produced from the late 197 ...
'' short ''
Tortoise Beats Hare
''Tortoise Beats Hare'' is a 1941 ''Merrie Melodies'' animated short supervised and laid out by Tex Avery (solely supervisal credited as "Fred A-Very," as read by Bugs Bunny). It was released on March 15, 1941. The short, loosely based on Aesop's ...
'' (1941) starring
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character created in the late 1930s by Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his starring roles in the '' Looney Tunes'' and '' ...
, which in turn was an expansion/exaggeration of the premise of his ''
The Blow Out'' (1936) with
Porky Pig
Porky Pig is an animated character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons. He was the first character created by the studio to draw audiences based on his celebrity, star power, and the animators created ma ...
. In fact, this cartoon shows that early ideas about Droopy's personality were already germinating, as that film's
Cecil Turtle
Cecil Turtle is a fictional character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of films. Though he made only three theatrical appearances, Cecil has the unusual distinction in that he is one of the very few characters w ...
has similarities to Droopy.
Droopy's meek,
deadpan
Deadpan, dry humour, or dry-wit humour is the deliberate display of emotional neutrality or no emotion, commonly as a form of comedic delivery to contrast with the ridiculousness or absurdity of the subject matter. The delivery is meant to be blun ...
voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound production in ...
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. During his time in the
US Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...
during World War II, the role was played by other voice actors, including
Don Messick
Donald Earle Messick (September 7, 1926 – October 24, 1997) was an American voice actor. He was best known for his performances in Hanna-Barbera cartoons.
His best-remembered vocal creations include Scooby-Doo, Bamm-Bamm Rubble and Hoppy in ...
, who reprised the role in the 1990s. Avery's preferred gag man
Heck Allen
Henry Wilson "Heck" Allen (September 12, 1912 – October 26, 1991) was an American author and screenwriter. He used several different pseudonyms for his works. His 50+ novels of the American West were published under the pen names Will Henry an ...
said that Avery himself provided the voice on several occasions, and "You couldn't tell the difference." 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
James Francis Durante ( , ; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, vaudevillian, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced song ...
in Avery's 1945 short ''
Jerky Turkey
''Jerky Turkey'' is a 1945 in film, 1945 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon directed by Tex Avery.
Plot
In 1620, Pilgrims (Plymouth Colony), Pilgrims, riding a caricatured ''Mayflower'' with a number of World War II-era anachronisms (such as a navy gu ...
''.
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 (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...
(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
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...
accent. Two Droopy cartoons – ''
The Shooting of Dan McGoo
''The Shooting of Dan McGoo'' is a cartoon directed by Tex Avery and starring Frank Graham as the Wolf. Both Bill Thompson and Avery himself voiced the lead character Droopy. Sara Berner did the speaking voice of Lou, while her singing was provid ...
'' and ''
Wild and Woolfy
''Wild and Woolfy'' is a 1945 animated cartoon short, one of six cartoons in which Droopy was paired with a wolf as his acting partner. It is one of a very few cartoons in the series where Bill Thompson did not voice Droopy, instead Tex Avery hims ...
'' – also feature appearances from the
curvy heroine of Avery's ''
Red Hot Riding Hood
''Red Hot Riding Hood'' is an animated cartoon short subject, directed by Tex Avery and released with the movie ''Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case'' on May 8, 1943, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In 1994, it was voted number 7 of The 50 Greatest Cartoons ...
'' (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
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...
'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
"Oh My Darling, Clementine" is a traditional American western folk ballad in trochaic meter usually credited to Percy Montross (or Montrose) (1884), although it is sometimes credited to Barker Bradford.
Members of the Western Writers of Americ ...
" to himself).
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
William Denby Hanna (July 14, 1910 – March 22, 2001) was an American animator and cartoonist who was the creator of ''Tom and Jerry'' as well as the voice actor for the two title characters. Alongside Joseph Barbera, he also founded the ani ...
and
Joseph Barbera
Joseph Roland Barbera ( ; ; March 24, 1911 – December 18, 2006) was an American animator, director, producer, storyboard artist, and cartoon artist who co-founded the animation studio and production company Hanna-Barbera.
Born to Italian im ...
complete ''Deputy Droopy'' after Avery had left the studio. Lah himself then left MGM, but returned in 1955 to direct
CinemaScope
CinemaScope is an anamorphic lens series used, from 1953 to 1967, and less often later, for shooting widescreen films that, crucially, could be screened in theatres using existing equipment, albeit with a lens adapter. Its creation in 1953 by ...
Droopy cartoons costarring either Spike (now called Butch because of the same-named bulldog in Hanna and Barbera's
Tom and Jerry
''Tom and Jerry'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series c ...
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
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
for
Best Short Subject (Cartoons). However, by the time of ''One Droopy Knights release in December 1957, the MGM cartoon studio had been closed for six months, a casualty of corporate downsizing.
Later appearances
In 1980,
Filmation
Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live-action programming for television from 1963 until 1989. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1962. Filmation's founders and pr ...
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
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...
series ''
Tom & Jerry Kids'', Droopy had a young son named Dripple (voiced by
Charlie Adler
Charles Michael Adler (born October 2, 1956) is an American voice actor and voice director. He is known for his roles as Buster Bunny on ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', Ed and Bev Bighead on ''Rocko's Modern Life'' and Ickis on ''Aaahh!!! Real Monst ...
), 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
''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' is a 1988 American live-action/animated comedy mystery film directed by Robert Zemeckis, produced by Frank Marshall and Robert Watts, and loosely adapted by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman from Gary K. Wolf's 1 ...
'' (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
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
-produced
Roger Rabbit
Roger Rabbit is an animated anthropomorphic rabbit. The character first appeared in author Gary K. Wolf's 1981 novel, ''Who Censored Roger Rabbit?'' In the book, Roger is second banana in a popular comic strip, "Baby Herman". Roger hires private ...
shorts, ''
Tummy Trouble'' (again he's an elevator operator), ''
Roller Coaster Rabbit'' (he plays a bad guy dressed as
Snidely Whiplash
Snidely Whiplash is a fictional character who originally appeared as the main antagonist in the ''Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties'' segments of the animated television series ''The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show''. He is the archenemy of Dudley Do-Rig ...
), and ''
Trail Mix-Up'' (he plays a scuba diver). Droopy also appears in the 2006 cartoon series ''
Tom and Jerry Tales
''Tom and Jerry Tales'' is an American animated television series featuring the cat-and-mouse duo Tom and Jerry. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and Turner Entertainment, it is the seventh installment in the ''Tom and Jerry'' franchise as well ...
'', and has appeared in almost every ''Tom and Jerry'' direct-to-video movie, beginning with ''
Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring''.
On October 1, 1992, back when Cartoon Network first aired, Droopy was given a very important role on showing the kids the guide of this channel in his lesser known program "Droopy's Guide to the Cartoon Network.
In June 1999, Droopy appeared in a
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
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
Jeffrey Bergman (born July 10, 1960) is an American voice actor and impressionist who has provided the modern-day voices of various classic cartoon characters, most notably with ''Looney Tunes'' and Hanna-Barbera.
Bergman was the first to repla ...
. The short aired on Cartoon Network's sister channel
Boomerang until 2015. During the same period, Droopy was also featured in
Adult Swim
Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim
Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representati ...
and often abbreviated as s is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television Television channel, channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programme ...
'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
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...
.
In 1997, Droopy appeared in Cartoon Network's ''Bloopers of the Cartoon Stars'' bumper. Here in his blooper reel, he says his signature line "I'm so happy" while actually smiling.
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
''The Shooting of Dan McGoo'' is a cartoon directed by Tex Avery and starring Frank Graham as the Wolf. Both Bill Thompson and Avery himself voiced the lead character Droopy. Sara Berner did the speaking voice of Lou, while her singing was provid ...
'' (one line reused from ''Big Heel-Watha''), ''Señor Droopy'', ''Out-Foxed'', ''The Chump Champ'', ''
Daredevil Droopy'', ''Droopy's Good Deed'', ''
Droopy's Double Trouble
''Droopy's Double Trouble'' is the 11th animated short featuring Droopy. It was the first short to introduce one of Droopy's relatives.
Plot
Droopy is presented here as a manservant working for an unseen master, who is going away for a few days w ...
'', ''Caballero Droopy'', ''The Three Little Pups'', ''Drag-A-Long Droopy'', ''Homesteader Droopy'', ''
Dixieland Droopy
''Dixieland Droopy'' is a 1954 animated short subject in the ''Droopy'' series, directed by Tex Avery and produced by Fred Quimby for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
The soundtrack version of this cartoon without dialogue as part of '' Tom and Jerry and ...
'', ''Deputy Droopy'', ''Grin and Share It'', ''Blackboard Jumble'', ''One Droopy Knight'', ''Sheep Wrecked'', ''Mutts About Racing'', ''Droopy Leprechaun'')
*
Frank Graham (1943; enthusiastic screaming in ''Dumb-Hounded'')
*
Tex Avery
Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, animation director, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of American a ...
(1945–1946; ''The Shooting of Dan McGoo'', ''
Wild and Woolfy
''Wild and Woolfy'' is a 1945 animated cartoon short, one of six cartoons in which Droopy was paired with a wolf as his acting partner. It is one of a very few cartoons in the series where Bill Thompson did not voice Droopy, instead Tex Avery hims ...
'', ''
Northwest Hounded Police'')
*
Pinto Colvig (1945; howling in ''The Shooting of Dan McGoo'' (reused from ''
Red Hot Riding Hood
''Red Hot Riding Hood'' is an animated cartoon short subject, directed by Tex Avery and released with the movie ''Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case'' on May 8, 1943, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In 1994, it was voted number 7 of The 50 Greatest Cartoons ...
''))
*
Don Messick
Donald Earle Messick (September 7, 1926 – October 24, 1997) was an American voice actor. He was best known for his performances in Hanna-Barbera cartoons.
His best-remembered vocal creations include Scooby-Doo, Bamm-Bamm Rubble and Hoppy in ...
(1949–1950, 1956, 1989–1993; ''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'')
*
Daws Butler (1955; ''Deputy Droopy'')
*
Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American voice actor. He began his career in the 1960s, and holds over 860 film, television, and video game credits as of 2022, making him one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. With ...
(1980, 2002; ''
The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show'', ''
Scooby Month'' promotion)
*
Richard Williams (1988–1989; ''
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' is a 1988 American live-action/animated comedy mystery film directed by Robert Zemeckis, produced by Frank Marshall and Robert Watts, and loosely adapted by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman from Gary K. Wolf's 1 ...
'', ''
Tummy Trouble'')
*
Corey Burton (1990, 1993; ''
Roller Coaster Rabbit'', ''
Trail Mix-Up'')
*
Billy West (1996–1997; ''
The Tex Avery Show
''The Tex Avery Show'' is an American animated showcase series of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Warner Bros. cartoon shorts prominently by animator Tex Avery (a.k.a. Fred Avery). In between the shorts, Don Kennedy gives short facts about the cartoons. ...
'' promotion, ''
Bloopers of the Cartoon Stars'')
*
Jeff Bergman
Jeffrey Bergman (born July 10, 1960) is an American voice actor and impressionist who has provided the modern-day voices of various classic cartoon characters, most notably with ''Looney Tunes'' and Hanna-Barbera.
Bergman was the first to repla ...
(1999–2010, 2017–present; ''
Thanks a Latté'', ''
Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes'', ''
Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory'', ''
Tom & Jerry
''Tom and Jerry'' is an American animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series centers on the riva ...
'')
* Daren Tillinger (2001; ''
Web Premiere Toons'')
*
Jeff Bennett
Jeffrey Glenn Bennett (born October 2, 1962) is an American voice actor who voiced Johnny Bravo in the Johnny Bravo, eponymous television series, Dexter's Dad in ''Dexter's Laboratory'', Brooklyn in ''Gargoyles (TV series), Gargoyles'' and List o ...
(2002; ''
Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring'')
*
Maurice LaMarche (2004; ''
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law'')
*
Joe Alaskey
Joseph Francis Alaskey III (April 17, 1952 – February 3, 2016) was an American actor, voice actor, broadcaster, impressionist and stand-up comedian.
Alaskey was one of Mel Blanc's successors at the Warner Bros. Animation studio until his deat ...
(2004, 2010–2016;
Boomerang UK and Ireland bumpers,
''
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's Giant Adventure'' is a 2013 animated fantasy comedy direct-to-video film starring Tom and Jerry, produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Tom and Jerry are the faithful servants of Jack, son of the founder of a struggling storybook a ...
'', ''
Tom and Jerry: Spy Quest'', ''
Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz'')
*
Don Brown (2006; ''
Tom and Jerry Tales
''Tom and Jerry Tales'' is an American animated television series featuring the cat-and-mouse duo Tom and Jerry. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and Turner Entertainment, it is the seventh installment in the ''Tom and Jerry'' franchise as well ...
'')
*
Michael Donovan
Michael Donovan is a Canadian voice actor and director known for his roles as Suikotsu in ''Inuyasha'' and Zoken Mato in ''Fate/stay night''. He has also directed many animated series and feature films.
Roles
Animation
* ''3-2-1 Penguins!''K ...
(2006–2007; ''Tom and Jerry Tales'')
*
Joey D'Auria
Joseph J. D'Auria (born May 18, 1952) is an American film, television and voice actor, best known for his role as Bozo the Clown in ''The Bozo Show'', succeeding original actor Bob Bell. He is also known as J.W. Terry, Joseph J. Terry, and Jos ...
(2018; ''
The Tom and Jerry Show'')
Voiced by in unofficial material:
*
Seth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (; born October 26, 1973) is an American actor, animator, filmmaker, comedian, and singer. He is the creator and star of the television series ''Family Guy'' (since 1999) and ''The Orville'' (since 2017), and co-creator ...
(2009, 2014, 2017; ''
Family Guy
''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...
'')
*
Jim Meskimen
James Ross Meskimen (born September 10, 1959) is an American actor, comedian and impressionist, who is best known for his voice-over work in video games.
Early life
James Ross Meskimen was born in Santa Monica, California on September 10, 1959 ...
(2012; ''
Mad'')
Filmography
The Droopy shorts were directed by
Tex Avery
Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, animation director, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of American a ...
(1943–1955),
Dick Lundy (1952),
Michael Lah (1955–1958) and William Hanna and Joseph Barbara (1956), at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio in Hollywood, California. All shorts were released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Fred Quimby was the producer of the first 17 shorts from 1943 to 1955. Quimby retired in 1955 and from 1956 to 1958, Hanna and Barbera produced the shorts 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
The Academy ratio of 1.375:1 (abbreviated as 1.37:1) is an aspect ratio of a frame of 35 mm film when used with 4-perf pulldown.Monaco, James. ''How to Read a Film: The Art, Technology, Language, History and Theory of Film and Media''. Rev. ...
(1.37:1), seven cartoons were produced in widescreen
CinemaScope
CinemaScope is an anamorphic lens series used, from 1953 to 1967, and less often later, for shooting widescreen films that, crucially, could be screened in theatres using existing equipment, albeit with a lens adapter. Its creation in 1953 by ...
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
On August 10, 1965, a fire erupted in Vault 7, a storage facility, at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio (MGM) backlot (now Sony Pictures Studios) in Culver City, California. It was caused by an electrical short explosively igniting stored nitrate f ...
, only backup prints of pre-1951 MGM cartoons exist.
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.
* Four Droopy shorts on VHS as ''Droopy and Company'' released on February 29, 1992.
* Seventeen Droopy shorts on LaserDisc as ''The Compleat Tex Avery'' released on January 13, 1993.
* On May 15, 2007,
Warner Home Video
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros.
It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video ...
released all of Droopy's MGM cartoons on DVD as ''Tex Avery's Droopy: The Complete Theatrical Collection'', complete and uncut.
The seven Droopy cartoons produced in CinemaScope were released in their original widescreen versions, instead of the
pan and scan
Pan and scan is a method of adjusting widescreen film images so that they can be shown in fullscreen proportions of a standard-definition 4:3 aspect ratio television screen, often cropping off the sides of the original widescreen image to focus ...
versions regularly broadcast on television.
[Back of DVD box for ''Tex Avery's Droopy: The Complete Theatrical Collection''.]
* On February 18, 2020, four Droopy shorts appeared uncut and digitally restored in HD on ''
Tex Avery Screwball Classics
''Tex Avery Screwball Classics'' is a series of single-disc Blu-ray and DVD sets by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment's Warner Archive unit collecting various theatrical cartoons from animation director Tex Avery during his tenure at the Metro-Goldw ...
: Volume 1'' Blu-ray from
Warner Archive Collection
The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the inte ...
.
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
''Wild and Woolfy'' is a 1945 animated cartoon short, one of six cartoons in which Droopy was paired with a wolf as his acting partner. It is one of a very few cartoons in the series where Bill Thompson did not voice Droopy, instead Tex Avery hims ...
'' is on the DVD of ''
Thrill of a Romance
''Thrill of a Romance'' (also known as ''Thrill of a New Romance'') is an American Technicolor romance film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1945, starring Van Johnson, Esther Williams and Carleton G. Young, with musical performances by Tommy D ...
''
* ''
Northwest Hounded Police'' is on the DVD of ''
Courage of Lassie
''Courage of Lassie'' is a 1946 Technicolor MGM feature film starring Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Morgan, and dog actor Pal in a story about a collie named Bill and his young companion, Kathie Merrick. When Bill is separated from Kathie following a v ...
''
* ''
Wags to Riches'' is on the DVD of ''
The Barkleys of Broadway''
* ''Senor Droopy'' is on the DVD of ''
That Midnight Kiss
''That Midnight Kiss'' is a 1949 Technicolor American musical romance film also starring Mario Lanza (in his first leading role) and Kathryn Grayson. Among the supporting cast were Ethel Barrymore, conductor/pianist Jose Iturbi (playing himself), ...
''
* ''Out Foxed'' is on the DVD of ''
Madame Bovary''
* ''The Chump Champ'' is on the DVD of ''
Pagan Love Song''
* ''
Droopy's Double Trouble
''Droopy's Double Trouble'' is the 11th animated short featuring Droopy. It was the first short to introduce one of Droopy's relatives.
Plot
Droopy is presented here as a manservant working for an unseen master, who is going away for a few days w ...
'' is on the DVD of ''
Royal Wedding
''Royal Wedding'' is a 1951 American musical comedy film directed by Stanley Donen, and starring Fred Astaire and Jane Powell, with music by Burton Lane and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner. Set in 1947 London at the time of the wedding of Princess Eli ...
''
* ''
Dixieland Droopy
''Dixieland Droopy'' is a 1954 animated short subject in the ''Droopy'' series, directed by Tex Avery and produced by Fred Quimby for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
The soundtrack version of this cartoon without dialogue as part of '' Tom and Jerry and ...
'' is on the DVD of ''
The Long, Long Trailer''
* ''Blackboard Jumble'' is on the DVD of ''
Blackboard Jungle
''Blackboard Jungle'' is a 1955 American social drama film about an English teacher in an interracial inner-city school, based on the 1954 novel ''The Blackboard Jungle'' by Evan Hunter and adapted for the screen and directed by Richard Brooks. I ...
''
* ''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
* ''
The Tom & Jerry Comedy Show''
* ''
Tom & Jerry Kids''
* ''
Tom & Jerry Tales''
* ''
Droopy, Master Detective''
* ''
Droopy's Tennis Open
''Droopy's Tennis Open'' is a tennis video game developed by Bit Managers and published by LSP for the Game Boy Advance. The game is based on MGM Cartoons' Droopy animated franchise, and features several characters and locations from the series.
...
''
References
External links
Tex Avery Tribute Websiteat
Don Markstein's Toonopedia
Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...
Archivedfrom the original on May 5, 2016.
{{Hanna-Barbera
Animated film series
MGM cartoon characters
Film characters introduced in 1943
Film series introduced in 1943
Anthropomorphic dogs
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer animated short films
Comedy film characters
Comedy television characters
Male characters in animation
Tex Avery
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio film series
Tom and Jerry characters