Charlie Dog
|
|
Charlie Dog is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes series of cartoons, he was created by Chuck Jones.
Bob Clampett minted the scenario that Charlie Dog would later inherit in his 1941 cartoon, Porky's Pooch: a homeless hound pulls out all the stops to get adopted by bachelor Porky Pig. Mel Blanc would provide the dog's gruff, Brooklyn brogue.
However, as he did for so many other Looney Tunes characters, Chuck Jones took Clampett's hound and transformed him into something new. Jones first used the dog in Little Orphan Airedale (1947) which saw Clampett's "Rover" renamed "Charlie." The film was a success, and Jones would create two more Charlie Dog/Porky Pig cartoons in 1949: The Awful Orphan and Often an Orphan. Jones also starred Charlie without Porky in a couple of shorts: Dog Gone South (1950) which sees Yankee Charlie searching for a fine Southern gentleman, and A Hound for Trouble (1951) which sends Charlie to Italy where he searches for a master who speaks English. In these cartoons, Charlie Dog is defined by one desire: to find himself a master. To this end, Charlie is willing to pull out all the stops, from pulling "the big soulful eyes routine" to boasting of his pedigree ("Half Collie! Half Airedale! Half Pekingese! Half St. Bernard! With a pinch of Spitz thrown in!")—though in reality, he's just a slick-talking mutt who rarely realizes that his own aggressive obnoxiousness is getting in the way.
Jones shelved the Charlie Dog series of films in the 1950s, along with other characters he had introduced, such as The Three Bears and Hubie and Bertie. He was turning his efforts to new characters, such as Pepe Le Pew and Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner. However, recent Warner Bros. merchandising and series and films such as Tiny Toon Adventures and Space Jam have brought Charlie back out of retirement. He still has yet to hold a spot in the greater pantheon or Warner Bros. characters, but his place as one of Jones's most memorable creations is assured. Charlie also appeared in a late 1990s cartoon series with Sylvester & Tweety.
Spinoff series
- Pup Named Charlie (Sept-Oct 1990) ABC
- Sylvester & Tweety