Elmer the Great Dane is a

Walter Lantz Walter Lantz (April 27, 1899 – March 22, 1994) was an American cartoonist, animator, producer and director best known for founding Walter Lantz Productions and creating Woody Woodpecker. Biography Early years and start in animation Lantz ...

character in the

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (also known as Oswald the Rabbit or Oswald Rabbit) is a cartoon character created in 1927 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks for Universal Pictures. He starred in several animated short films released to theaters from 1927 to 19 ...

cartoon series, who premiered in the 1935 short ''Elmer the Great Dane''. The character's name is most likely a reference to ''

Elmer, the Great ''Elmer, the Great'' is a 1933 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Mervyn LeRoy, starring Joe E. Brown and Patricia Ellis. Plot Elmer Kane (Joe E. Brown) is a rookie ballplayer with the Chicago Cubs whose ego is matched only by his appeti ...

'', a 1933 film.

Concept

When Universal's then biggest cartoon star Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was declining in popularity, Lantz decided to come up with new characters to keep the shorts running. One of these characters was a great dane which they named Elmer, and was cast as Oswald's pet dog. The inspiration for character came from the fact that Lantz was a fanatic in great danes.

Career on screen

Black-and-white period

Elmer made his screen debut in ''Elmer the Great Dane'' (1935) and was originally the pet dog of Oswald, back when the rabbit was still black-furred. Although Oswald was drastically remodelled into an all-white character that year, Elmer was not changed in any way. Two years later, he was joined by Doxie Dachsund who also became Oswald's dog. Elmer, along with Doxie, made his last regular appearance in ''Soup to Mutts'' (1939).

Guest appearances in the colored period

Viewers probably thought Elmer was history when he left the screen in 1939 and that his owner followed in 1943, but a strange twist took place only fourteen years later. Elmer was pulled out of retirement and made a guest appearance in ''Wrestling Wrecks'' (1953). There, he was recast as the dog of Woody Woodpecker.

Selected appearances

* "Elmer The Great Dane" (04/29/1935) * " The Quail Hunt" (09/23/1935) * "Monkey Wretches" (09/23/1935) * "Doctor Oswald" (12/30/1935) - later reissued as "Dr. Oswald" * "Alaska Sweepstakes" (02/17/1936) * "Fun House" (05/04/1936) * "Music Hath Charms" (09/07/1936) * "

Beach Combers ''Beach Combers'' is a 1936 animated short subject by Walter Lantz Productions and features Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (also known as Oswald the Rabbit or Oswald Rabbit) is a cartoon character created in 1927 by Walt D ...

" (10/5/1936) * "Gopher Trouble" (11/30/1936) * "Duck Hunt" (03/08/1937) * "The Birthday Party" (03/29/1937) * "The Wily Weasel" (06/07/1937) * "The Playful Pup" (07/12/1937) * "Firemen's Picnic" (08/16/1937) - cameo only * "Feed the Kitty" (03/14/1938) * "Tail End" (04/25/1938) * "Problem Child" (05/16/1938) * "Soup To Mutts" (01/09/1939) * "Wrestling Wrecks" (07/20/1953)

References

External links

* {{bcdb2, cartoon_characters/2609-Elmer_The_Great_Dane.html
The Walter Lantz-o-Pedia
Film characters introduced in 1935 Fictional dogs Universal Pictures cartoons and characters Walter Lantz Productions cartoons and characters