The Ralph Wolf and Sam the Sheepdog series was short-lived and overlooked, and unjustly so. It was a very good, and at its best brilliant, series of cartoons, and some of the best of Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies later output.
Even the weakest of their cartoons, for me their last cartoon, is still solid, and of the short-lived series in the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies output featuring less famous and less iconic characters the Ralph vs. Sam series is a contender for the best and most consistent. 'Woolen Under Where' is the weakest of their cartoons, mainly due to Chuck Jones not being involved as director, but it is a good note to end on.
Conceptually, the series was one of Jones' best and most creative, even if it was essentially the same plot in all the cartoons but there was so much good material throughout the series and there were so few pacing issues that what could have been a problem didn't matter whatsoever. 'Woolen Under Where' is solidly paced and there isn't a gag that fails really, but story-wise it is the least inspired in how it executes the concept.
Animation-wise, 'Woolen Under Where' is animated beautifully, for a series of cartoons made late in Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies' prolific output the Ralph and Sam cartoons were generally some of the better-looking cartoons from this period, being colourful and inventively detailed with smooth and fluid character designs. The music is lushly and cleverly orchestrated, with lively and energetic rhythms and fits very well indeed.
Gags and humour are clever and funny, overall very nicely done, if again lacking the imagination of the cartoons with Jones' involvement as director. The ending line is indeed priceless though. Was a little disappointed in the dynamic between Ralph and Sam. Not Ralph, he is still very funny and interesting, but Sam is a much more effective character when played straight, having him clumsy felt out of character and gave an odd vibe to the dynamic. Mel Blanc as ever is exuberant.
On the whole, a good cartoon but not as good as the previous cartoons, which ranged from very good to classic. 7/10 Bethany Cox
