Northwest Hounded Police 1946

Escape from Alka-Fizz Prison to Canada

The Wolf uses a pencil to draw a crude door on the wall and slips through it to escape his cell. He travels from the United States into Canada, kicking off the pursuit that will define the rest of the short. The opening gag establishes the pattern of escape and pursuit that threads through the film.

Mounty County recruitment

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police chief addresses the squad, seeking a volunteer to capture the escaped convict. Sgt. McPoodle is effectively volunteered when all the other Mounties step back to reveal him. This scene sets up the relentless hunter who will trail the Wolf across landscapes and gags.

Signs warn of pursuit

In the Yukon wilderness, the Wolf reads Burma-Shave-style signs warning him that he is being followed. The final sign reveals McPoodle riding up behind him, turning the chase into a moving game of hide-and-seek. The camera shifts reveal the pursuer in new places as the chase continues.

Cabin standoff

The Wolf finds a seemingly vacant cabin and locks the front doors. Inside, McPoodle sits in an armchair, calmly reading a comic strip. The Wolf panics and reopens the doors, only to find McPoodle waiting in the doorway, escalating the pursuit.

Summit nest encounter

The Wolf climbs to the mountain summit and hides in a large bird nest with a single egg. He declares that he will never be found there, but the egg cracks and McPoodle emerges. The encounter marks a high point in the chase as the hunter persists.

Underwater chase

The Wolf dives into the lake, briefly feeling safe underwater. He soon notices McPoodle among the schooling fish beneath him, and the hunter continues the pursuit from below. The underwater encounter heightens the sense that no refuge is safe.

Atoll misdirection

Escaping further, the Wolf takes a taxi and then a plane, only to crash land on a tiny oceanic atoll with two rocks. He mutters that he expects McPoodle to emerge from the larger rock first, continuing the pattern of rock-and-popper surprises. The gag reinforces the almost ritual chase logic.

Rock-by-rock reveal

McPoodle proves implacable by popping up from the smaller rock rather than the larger one, catching the Wolf off guard. The Wolf processes the ongoing pattern but cannot outpace the Mountie's relentless timing. This moment tightens the running joke of the pursuer appearing in unexpected places.

Escape to New York

The Wolf swims to New York City and dashes through crowded streets, nearly tumbling off the edge of the film in a frantic turn. He seeks refuge in a movie theater, hoping the chaos will end, but the pursuit quickly follows him inside. The urban chase shifts the setting from wilderness to metropolis.

Theater interlude with MGM cartoon

Inside the theater, an MGM cartoon begins and McPoodle appears from the screen, prompting the Wolf to flee once more. The line between screen and reality blurs as the chase spills into the cartoon world. The gag lampoons Hollywood animation within the pursuit.

Plastic surgery fiasco

Desperate, the Wolf visits a plastic surgeon to obtain a new face identical to McPoodle's. The operation seems to succeed, but the Wolf discovers the surgeon's own face has also transformed into McPoodle's. The gag inverts identity and deepens the chase.

Lion's den

The Wolf tries to feed himself to a lion in the zoo, only to find the lion's belly already occupied by McPoodle. He jumps back in shock and escapes into a hotel, realizing the pursuit has reached absurd heights. The moment reinforces the inescapability of the Mountie.

Hotel prison cell

The Wolf hides in a hotel room that turns out to be a prison cell, and he acknowledges that he is caught. He reflects on the chase as the corridor outside fills with McPoodles. The running joke reaches a chorus as he muses aloud.