Short animated comedy

Dumb-Hounded (1943): Cast & Plot

Name: Dumb-Hounded
Genre: Comedy, Animation, Crime
Released: 1943-03-20
Duration: 7 min
Cast: Bill Thompson, Frank Graham

Dumb-Hounded is a 1943 short animated comedy directed by Tex Avery, starring Bill Thompson as Droopy (voice) (uncredited) and Frank Graham. It runs 7 minutes.

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Read the plot summary

Released: March 20, 1943
Runtime: 7 min
Director: Tex Avery
Genres: Comedy , Animation , Crime
Original language: English
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
After the credits: No No extra scene

The story

What Is Dumb-Hounded About?

The premise of Dumb-Hounded without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

The wolf escapes from prison but can’t get away from police dog Droopy no matter how hard he tries. This is the first cartoon starring Droopy.

Dumb-Hounded Themes & Keywords

· 34 tags

undertaker
igloo
reverse footage
droopy character
basset hound
anthropomorphic animal
1940s
dropping a boulder on someone's head
inescapable
omnipresence
anthropomorphic wolf
calling someone bub

+22 more

wolf
dog
newspaper headline
fire hydrant
reference to the mean widdle kid
reference to red skelton
reference to dick tracy
autonomous shadow
cartoon dog
skyscraper
sewer
map on screen
hideout
fire escape
cross country
chase
william tell overture
escaped prisoner
falling from height
breaking the fourth wall
self referential
funeral march by chopin

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Cast & crew

Dumb-Hounded Cast & Characters

Bill Thompson leads the cast as Droopy (voice) (uncredited), with Frank Graham as The Killer (voice) (uncredited). Directed by Tex Avery.

Director Tex Avery

Bill Thompson as Droopy (voice) (uncredited)
Frank Graham as The Killer (voice) (uncredited)

From the director

More from Tex Avery

More films directed by Tex Avery: Cellbound, Sh-h-h-h-h-h, Crazy Mixed Up Pup and I’m Cold.

Full filmography

Plot

Dumb-Hounded Plot Summary

What happens in Dumb-Hounded from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 11 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 1-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

An imprisoned killer, voiced by Frank Graham, escapes from Swing Swing Prison, a playful parody of Sing Sing. A line of bloodhounds is unleashed to track him down, and among them is Droopy, Bill Thompson as the voice, who lags far behind the rest. Droopy greets the audience and announces himself as the story’s hero.

The Wolf spends the entire pursuit trying to shake Droopy, repeatedly attempting to flee by hopping into a taxi, then a train, followed by a ship, and finally an aircraft in quick succession. No matter where the Wolf goes, Droopy appears and offers a dry, front-row welcome, as if the audience were in on the chase with him.