In March 1943's "Dumb-Hounded," the MGM Tex Avery-directed cartoon introduced the character Droopy, a sleepy-eyed basset hound who wasn't christened by his well-known name until his fifth film, 1949's 'Senor Droopy.' The dog was a departure to Avery's earlier more energetic personalities such as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, with Droopy possessing a slow, lethargic manner, including his distinctive monotonic voice. Droopy was first spoken by actor Bill Thompson, whose distinctive voice was the character Wallace Wimple's in the popular radio comedy 'Fibber McGee and Molly.' After Thompson enlisted in WW2, several actors, including Avery, assumed the voice of the hound in Droopy's 24 original cartoons.
In "Dumb-Hounded," Droopy's introduction sees him trailing a pack of bloodhounds chasing an escaped convict in the form of a wolf. Droopy's first words, spoken into the camera, are "Hello, all you happy people-you know what? I'm the hero." The hound continually frustrates the wolf by turning up at the world's most remotest locations, including the North Pole, before the escapee does. Film reviewer Dave Sindelar observed, "Most of the humor involves the juxtaposition of Droopy's terse one-liners with the wolf's extreme reactions and reality-bending attempts to get away." Droopy's appearances in MGM cartoons ended in 1957 when the studio shuttered its animation department. But incarnations of Droopy continued to be seen on television, appearing on the Cartoon Network and in 'The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show.' Droopy also has had a number of feature film cameos, including 1988's "Who Framed Roger Rabbit."
