No Barking

This short, which I must confess has two characters I find very unappealing, starts out marvelously for about the first 90 seconds, but the action quickly turns almost entirely to a series of setups for a running gag which is repeated (to varying degrees of effectiveness) so often that it starts to get tedious. The fact that the dog is a one-dimensional character of limited personality and that Claude Cat is limited here by the running gag only makes things more problematic. To a degree, the cameo by another Warner Brothers character and the ending of the short, along with a wonderful beginning, salvages this short and raises its overall score. This is on Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 3 and is worth watching, though the Collection as a whole is most highly recommended without reservation. Not the best short I've seen, but far from the worst I've watched. Recommended

At the City Dump, Claude Cat spots Frisky Puppy burying a bone. After Frisky's departure, Claude tries to dig it back up. Frisky wild unexpected barking shocks Claude away. Frisky continues to surprise Claude with his barking.

I have always liked the barking puppy. There is a reality to the dog's persistent and somewhat random actions. I don't know if the dog appears with other characters. I think that it could have been developed into a main sidekick. There is enough in him. On the other hand, his characteristic could be seen infused into other dog characters in the cartoon universe. He does need a better name.

Chuck Jones short starring Claude Cat and featuring a cameo by Tweety. Claude's in the city dump looking for food when he attracts the attention of a frisky puppy that playfully (and loudly) barks at the cat, continually surprising him and causing him to leap into the air. It's a cute short but not an especially funny one. Jones sometimes did these shorts starring "lesser" characters where he had a little more leeway than working with Bugs Bunny or another established character. The problem here is there's basically one gag repeated over and over. Since we don't know Claude as well as a character like Sylvester, it doesn't work as well. Plus Claude never speaks. Put Sylvester in Claude's place here and maybe you've got a better short. Also the dog's barking gets very annoying after the first few times. It's not a complete dud, however. The animation is very nice and colorful with well-drawn characters and backgrounds. The music is lively and cheerful. It's too bad the short's just not that funny.

Chuck Jones's "No Barking" has two factors that make it very unique: aside from being Jones's only cartoon that features Tweety (albeit in a bit part), all the animation was done by one person. Usually, they would have different people animate different scenes, but Ken Harris did it all here.

Anyway, the cartoon opens with the sun rising over what looks like an idyllic pastoral setting...and it turns out to be the city dump. From there, laconic Claude the Cat and not-so-laconic Frisky Puppy - who resembles Charlie Dog very closely - come up with every possible way to battle over turf. Specifically, FP's yapping makes Claude jump, and just when he looks safe, there's more in store. It's a little bit like the Road Runner-Wile E. Coyote cartoons in that respect, but I think that it's safe to say that nothing will ever top the latter for these kinds of plot lines.

So, I guess that this was mostly a placeholder (I've seen Claude in many cartoons with wise-guy mice Hubie and Bertie, but I've only seen Frisky Puppy in one other cartoon). Mostly, it's a hoot to see what happens to Claude here. Not Jones's best, but OK.

"No Barking" is a standout short for a number of reasons. For animation geeks, the fact that Ken Harris was the sole animator for the entire short is certainly notable. The only appearance of Tweety in a Jones-directed cartoon is notable. Its a Milt Franklyn score instead of Carl Stalling. But only dog owners will be able to fully appreciate its most endearing quality- the fact that it accurately captures so many goofy dog behaviors that are absolutely hilarious. Sudden barking fits. Becoming convinced that an inanimate object has attacked. Mirror terrors. Bone-burying frenzies. And its not just the gag itself, its the expressions, the raised hairs, bared teeth, and subtle behaviors that are so spot-on (bad pun intended). Someone had a dog (or dogs) that deserved a lot of the "writing" credits on this one.