Dumb-Hounded

Dumb-Hounded is a 1943 American animated short film directed by Tex Avery and written by Rich Hogan. It was the first cartoon to feature Droopy. The film was released on March 20, 1943 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

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. 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. He also informs the audience that he knows it's gruesome. When Droopy receives his reward, he jumps about in complete enthusiasm, only to pause and inform the audience, "I'm happy".

Voice cast

 * Bill Thompson as Droopy
 * Frank Graham as Killer, Mayor (uncredited)

Crew

 * Directed by: Tex Avery
 * Written by: Rich Hogan
 * Animation: Ray Abrams, Preston Blair, Ed Love, Irven Spence
 * Character Design: Claude Smith
 * Layout: John Didrik Johnsen, Bernard Wolf
 * Backgrounds: John Didrik Johnsen
 * Film and Sound Editor: Fred McAlpin
 * Music: Scott Bradley
 * Co-Producer: William Hanna
 * Produced by: Fred Quimby

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.