Of Fox and Hounds
Of Fox and Hounds is a 1940 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies directed by Tex Avery.[1] The short was released on December 7, 1940, and introduces Willoughby the Dog.[2] Avery performed the voice of Willoughby, and Mel Blanc played George the Fox. The short is an attempt to duplicate the success of the 1940 Bugs Bunny short A Wild Hare by giving another anthropomorphic animal the same unflappable demeanor.[3] The names of Tex Avery, Dave Monahan, Carl W. Stalling, and possibly Charles McKimson intentionally draft numbers in the credits.
| Of Fox and Hounds | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Supervision: Fred Avery |
| Produced by | Leon Schlesinger |
| Story by | Dave Monahan |
| Starring | Mel Blanc Tex Avery (both uncredited) |
| Music by | Musical direction: Carl W. Stalling Orchestra: Milt Franklyn (uncredited) |
| Edited by | Treg Brown (uncredited) |
| Animation by | Charles McKimson Uncredited animators: Rod Scribner Virgil Ross Robert McKimson Sid Sutherland Rev Chaney A.C. Gamer (effects artist) |
| Backgrounds by | John Didrik Johnsen (uncredited) |
| Color process | Technicolor (3-hue) |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 9:19 |
| Language | English |
Plot
The film focuses on a sly fox, George, and a lovable but dimwitted hound, Willoughby, who repeatedly asks George where the fox went, never suspecting that his "friend" George is the fox. Invariably, George the Fox tells Willoughby that the fox is on the other side of a rail fence, which is actually at the edge of a steep cliff. Willoughby's line, "Which way did he go, George? Which way did he go?" long ago became a catchphrase,[4] as did "Thanks a lot, George, thanks a lot!"
Home media
- Disc 1 of the Region 2 PAL 5-DVD set "La collection Tex Avery," published in France in 2010, along with two other bonus Warner Brothers cartoons by him, Dangerous Dan McFoo on Disc 2 and with Aviation Vacation on Disc 4.
- The Golden Age of Looney Tunes, Volume 2, Side 9
See also
References
- Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 110. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
- Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 104–106. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
- Schneider, Steve (1988). That's All, Folks! : The Art of Warner Bros. Animation. Henry Holt and Co. p. 67. ISBN 0-8050-0889-6.
- https://www.lambiek.net/artists/a/avery_tex.htm
External links
- Of Fox and Hounds at IMDb
- Of Fox and Hounds at The Big Cartoon DataBase
- Extensive critical analysis of Of Fox and Hounds by Steven Hartley