Wags to Riches

The short film about Droopy the dog and the catch to inherit some money. It's a short film that aired before the main feature. It's a quick film almost forgettable but somewhat comforting after all these years.

Droopy was always a favorite character for me. He is the slow moving, milquetoast dog who always comes out on top. His adversary is Spike, a big bulldog. In this one, Droopy inherits a house and a fortune, but if he dies, it goes to Spike. Well we know what's next. But like so many of these cartoons, Droopy's inaction leads Spike to destroy himself. This is one that's great fun. Poor old Spike!

Droopy is an heir of a million dollars by his owner, but the will also states that the other pet dog, "Spike," gets the money if Droopy dies. Hmm, that gets big Spike to thinking....

Spike is absolutely hilarious, especially in the reading of the will. Talk about someone who's jaw drops!! The sight gags in here, especially with this dog, are Tex Avery classics - just really funny stuff. I almost felt sorry for sadistic Spike as, of course, everything he tries in eliminating Droopy backfires. This must have been an inspiration to the guys who did the Road Runner cartoons, with Wile E. Coyote having the same fortune as Spike.

This is another winner from The "Tex Avery's Droopy - The Complete Theatrical Collection" DVD.

When the rich millionaire's will is read, everything is left to Droopy. However, if Droopy dies, it all goes to Spike. So Spike tries to arrange that. None of which work. This being a Tex Avery cartoon, they all fail in disastrous and funny ways.

This is an average Tex Avery cartoon. By that, I mean it is an excellent one, with its constant barrage of brilliantly executed gags. Had a less well known cartoon director at some other studio directed this, it would be ranked among te gems of that studio's cartoons. This being Avery at MGM, it requires its own grading system. And so, while urging you to see this, I must note that among Avery's output, it is average.

This cartoon was re-done about seven years later as Millionaire Droopy with little changed, for reasons I can only guess at. Millionaire Droopy is the ultimate "cheater" short, in my opinion. A "cheater" is a short where much of the short is comprised of cribbed scenes from other cartoons, with some new animation as a framing device around it to make a "new" cartoon. This was done so that distribution contracts could be adhered to when they fell behind the production schedule (as they inevitably did), as a cheater required less time to produce than a completely new short did. While a good cartoon, Wags To Riches wasn't good enough to be cloned! Good to see it's in print, though. Well worth watching. Recommended