Tex Avery's Droopy: The Complete Theatrical Collection (REGION 1) (NTSC) [DVD] [US Import]

Don't you just love Tex Avery? His zany work shines in this collection, which features his best-known character. I'm a big fan of Disney cartoons (note my byline below), but most of these Droopy shorts (sorry, couldn't resist) are just terrific. They're fast-paced, the characters are often well aware they are in a cartoon (they stop often to address the audience) and nearly every gag takes you by surprise. Avery created Bug Bunny and Daffy Duck at Warner Brothers, but really hit his stride when he left in a censorship fight for MGM, where he spent more than a decade creating these classics.There's something here for everyone. The first few shorts introduce the deadpan doggie, but actually give more screen time to Avery's libidinous Wolf and slinky, um, woman. OK, dame. (This, by God, is a dame.) Not for kids at all, "The Shooting of Dan McGoo" and "Wild and Woolfy" are as lusty as anything you'll ever see that's sold on Amazon. Avery designed the two shorts with American G.I.s in mind, and they were shown at U.S. military camps during World War II. The other Avery girlie cartoons, "Red Hot Riding Hood" and "Swing Shift Cinderella," are currently out of print. (Want to see an early Avery effort? His 1936 "I Love to Singa" is a bonus feature on Happy Feet (Widescreen Edition).)The rest of the cartoons here are more family friendly, with the Wolf often replaced by Spike or Butch, both G-rated bulldogs. The last few shorts on this set were produced without Avery by television outfit Hanna-Barbera. They will be of interest only to children.Most all the shorts have been digitally restored, and they look fantastic. The colors are bright and the focus is sharp. Extras in this collection include the documentary "Droopy and Friends: A Laugh Back," which includes commentary by animation historian John Canemaker, as well as a "Doggone Gags" montage of Droopy highlights.Here's the list of the cartoons, each with my rating of one to five stars:DISC ONEThe first four shorts on this DVD are the cream of the crop, and worth its price all by themselves:***** "DUMB-HOUNDED" (1943). A real classic. From the moment Droopy drags himself onscreen (bringing up the rear of a team of police bloodhounds) you know he's a different kind of hero. "Hello all you happy people," he deadpans to the audience, breaking the fourth wall for the first of, oh, a hundred times. "You know what?" I'm the hero." He continually sniffs out the Wolf, an escaped prisoner.***** "THE SHOOTING OF DAN MCGOO" (1945). The song "Frankie and Johnny" sets the theme for this adventure set in (say it fast) Coldernell, Alaska. It's a gag-filled remake of the Robert Service poem "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" ("A bunch of the boys were whooping it up in the Malamute saloon; the kid that handles the music-box was hitting a jag-time tune..."), with a dance-hall dame so hot even Droopy howls at the moon.***** "WILD AND WOOLFY" (1945). Droopy gets the girl -- and lets loose with another wild howl -- after he saves her from the Wolf's kidnapping attempt. Along the way there's a fork in the road (yes, a real fork) and a horse that takes off its shoes to cross a stream.***** "NORTHWEST HOUNDED POLICE" (1946). When the Wolf escapes San Francisco's Alka-Fizz Prison -- by simply drawing an escape door -- Droopy tracks him down wherever he goes. Amazingly funny.Other shorts on Disc One:*** "SENOR DROOPY" (1949). Bullfighters the Wolf and Droopy ("Senor Droopy from Guada-loopy") compete for a beautiful (and live action!) senorita. About as good as the best Bugs Bunny.** "WAGS TO RICHES" (1949). Spike the bulldog tries to knock off Droopy when a millionaire leaves our hero a fortune... that goes to Spike if he dies.* "OUT-FOXED" (1949). Droopy goes fox hunting. Skippable.** "THE CHUMP CHAMP" (1950). Droopy and Spike compete in sports events. OK, but Disney's "How To" shorts with Goofy are funnier.** "DAREDEVIL DROOPY" (1951). Droopy and Spike compete to become a circus acrobat. See above.*** "DROOPY'S GOOD DEED" (1951). Droopy and Spike wage war in a Boy Scout competition. The best moment: when Droopy goes into a burning cabin, the damsel in distress looks a lot like Disney's Cinderella (whose film was, gee, released the same year). A moment later comes the black-face moment with Spike that other reviewers have mentioned. A Rochester gag comes later. The racial scenes take away from an otherwise first-rate cartoon. The slapstick gags are similar to, but funnier than, those in the best Road Runner shorts.** "DROOPY'S DOUBLE TROUBLE" (1951). Now a butler, Droopy teams up with his twin brother Drippy to stress-out Spike.*** "CABELLERO DROOPY" (1952). Violinist Droopy and a guitar-strumming wolf (the "Kristo Kid") woo a senorita. More Road-Runner-style gags.DISC TWO** "THE THREE LITTLE PUPS" (1953). A parody of Disney's "The Three Little Pigs." Snoopy, Loopy, and Droopy are the three little dogs. Has another black-face moment. Includes a couple moments where the characters watch a (real) live-action western on TV.**** "DRAG-A-LONG DROOPY" (1954). The definitive Droopy cartoon. When his sheep destroy the pasture of some cattle country (the "Bear Butte Ranch"), shepherd Droopy gets into argument, a shooting-skills contest and eventually a head-to-head stampede with the rancher Wolf. Has talking cows, naked cows and the strangest Droopy dame: the Venus de Milo, who, when the Wolf takes over her body (don't ask), runs away on very shapely high-heeled gams. (Yes, gams. I'm really getting the lingo down, don't ya think?)***** "HOMESTEADER DROOPY" (1954). The plot? The Wolf (here, "Dishonest Dan, the Cattle Man") hassles homesteader Droopy. The reasons to love it? Well, it's got great gags, great writing, a baby Droopy (he's the hero this time) and one of the funniest talking-cow moments in film history. When a bull comes into the Wolf's office and says simply "Moo Moo Moo Moo! Moo! Moo!" the Wolf responds "What? A dirty homesteader just fenced in our water hole in Red Rock Canyon?"*** "DIXIELAND DROOPY" (1954). Droopy plays John Pettybone, a dog who has one single ambition: to lead a Dixieland Jazz Band in the Hollywood Bowl. A loud Dixieland score, with unexpected sudden moments of dead silence, sets this one apart.*** "DEPUTY DROOPY" (1955). The characters get more angular (i.e., more '50s-style) and the colors get brighter as lawman Droopy stops some varmints from making off with some gold. No Wolf, no Spike, but not bad.** "MILLIONAIRE DROOPY" (1956, Cinemascope). A throwback, this is simply a widescreen version of "Wags to Riches."Now things change. Tex Avery leaves MGM and animator Michael Lah creates six Droopy shorts on his own. Kids will like them, but these remaining cartoons lack the Avery touch. Produced by Hanna-Barbera, they lose their fast pace and unpredictable nature, and seem much more like 1960s TV fare. But the color, at least, is fantastic:** "GRIN AND SHARE IT" (1957, Cinemascope). When Droopy and Butch (think Spike crossed with Yogi Bear) strike gold, Butch wants it all to himself.** "BLACKBOARD JUMBLE" (1957, Cinemascope). Three school boys (all of which look like Droopy, but don't have his personality) try the patience of their substitute teacher, a slow-moving Wolf (who now has the voice of Huckleberry Hound). Funny at times, but has none of the deadpan Droopy wit.* "ONE DROOPY KNIGHT" (1957, Cinemascope). Sirs Butchalot and Droopalot vie to kill a dragon. Nominated, somehow, for 1957's Best Short Subject Cartoon Academy Award.*** "SHEEP WRECKED" (1958, Cinemascope). Droopy guards his sheep from the Wolf. The best of the Hanna-Barbera shorts. Very colorful, with lots of orange backgrounds.** "MUTTS ABOUT RACING" (1958, Cinemascope). Droopy and Butch compete in a car race.* "DROOPY LEPRECHAUN" (1958, Cinemascope) Butch mistakes Droopy for a leprechaun. An airline stewardess looks just like Jane Jetson.

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.

Es un buen compendio para los que nos gustan las producciones de Tex Avery y otros. Lo ideal hubiera sido que trajera el doblaje al español, pero no es un aspecto muy relevante.

Tex Avery has always been one of my favourite animators and the Droopy character appeals to my dry sense of humour. This collection of cartoons has resurrected my childhood enjoyment of these classics.

It's always been a surprise to me how little of Tex Avery's output was on DVD - and I had to go to French Amazon to get a 4 disc set....so since I have many of the cartoons on this set, why buy it? BECAUSE my friends this pair o' discs contains not only ALL the theatrically released Droopy cartoons (both the Avery and the last ones by Michael Lah) it contains them in their ORIGINAL forms. Too often these cartoons have been hacked or the soundtrack "blipped" ("Droopy's Good Deed" is a classic example) in order to accomodate the modern erroneous belief that cartoons are for children and that a cartoon made for adults in 1947 should adhere to the politically correct mores of sixty years later. There is a disclaimer that the cartoons reflect a time and place whose attitudes are not those of present day Warner Bros and that reflect a view of some members of society that nowadays is wholly unacceptable. These cartoons are released for adult collectors and "may not be suitable for children"By such disclaimers Uncle Tom and Blackface jokes may be shown secure in the knowledge that WE HAVE BEEN WARNED. These attitudes existed, and to pretend they didn't is to invite them to return."Dumb-Hounded" "The Shooting of Dan McGoo" "Drag-a-long Droopy" "Three Little Pups"... any of these would make this set a must have and they are ALL there in splendid condition.If we don't buy them Warners won't release 'em so for the sake of the ones (hopefully) yet to come BUY THESE TWO DVDs FOR DROOPY'S SAKE!You won't regret it.

Nothing beats the original, if you think this looks like something you've seen before, remember that Tex did it first, and he did it great, all others are just hacks!

Droopy for Region 2 DVD Players:This collection has been excellently reviewed by others but I would like to add that, although marked as a region 1 (USA) release and therefore supposedly unsuitable for Region 2 (Europe) DVD players, my copy IS! It works without flaw on my region 2 DVD players (checked on two of them).It's a Warner Bros release and I have also found this to be the case with these other Warner releases: Animaniacs Vols 1, 2 and 3 and Pinky and the Brain Vols 2 and 3 - I've yet to acquire Vol 1 but would expect this to be fine, too.So, thanks, whoever is giving us Brits the chance to view this ace material from the States!!