Dog Gone South

I remember back when Nickelodeon wasn't chock-filled with the min-numbing drivel they have on now and they showed syndicated cartoon shows, preferably Looney Tunes on Nickelodeon (which IMO overdid it on Speedy Gonzales cartoons, old Porky Pig cartoons, those really rare Bosko cartoons, and a bad habit of showing redrawn versions of old cartoons instead of their original print). One of the cartoons just happened to be "Dog Gone South". This is a great piece of work and a refreshing break from being paired up with Porky Pig. Instead, Charlie Dog is shown harassing Colonel Shuffle from "Mississippi Hare".

Unfortunately both this and "Mississippi Hare" were last seen on Nick and are now banned because of the Southern stereotyping. Sigh! When will the censorship learn...

By this point, Charlie Dog had thrice invaded Porky Pig's life, so I guess that Chuck Jones wanted to send the pushy mutt on a new kind of adventure. "Dog Gone South" puts Charlie in the deep South, where he tries to get a southern gentleman to adopt him (the southern gentleman looks like Colonel Shuffle from Jones's earlier "Mississippi Hare"). Charlie doesn't interpret the colonel's current dog as an impediment.

It impressed me to see what Charlie can do on this different kind of adventure, as opposed to being a nuisance to Porky. My favorite of Charlie's cartoons is his debut "Little Orphan Airedale" (the ending reminded me of the Alan Bates movie "King of Hearts"). But I liked his antics here. It looks as though the South may never get over the Civil War! Worth seeing.

If I could pick a favorite Charlie Dog cartoon, this would be it. I love the sequence where Colonel Shuffle is playing his banjo on his front porch singing "Boll my weevil and corn my pone, when you're way down south you're never alone!" Charlie runs up and begins playing "Yankee Doodle," causing Yankee hating Colonel Shuffle to hit him with his banjo. Charlie also faces a problem with Shuffle's bulldog Belvedier.

One thing I cannot understand is why this cartoon is not shown anymore. There are no black people in it like there were in say "Mississippi Hare" (which mind you were portrayed pretty good-naturedly). It seems rather odd that Turner Broadcasting, stationed in the South would refuse to show a Southern cartoon. I suppose it could be possible that the people working for AOL-Time Warner assumed that just because it had the word "South" in the title, that it would feature stereotypical blacks. I feel this a shame because this is the best Charlie Dog cartoon ever made.

'Dog Gone South' is a refreshing departure for Charlie Dog from his partnership with Porky Pig, his cartoons with Porky are still great (am especially fond of 'Awful Orphan') but it is nice to have something different in a while.

It is a real shame that 'Dog Gone South' was banned due to the Southern stereotyping, which is not that insensitive, it may have been strong at the time but it's pretty tame now and actually adds to the impact of the humour.

Because it is one of Charlie Dog's better cartoons, once again a perfect demonstration of Charlie being a charismatic and funny character (who in his outings with Porky always stole the show from under him) and begs the question of why his stint as a character was so short-lived. He is brilliantly supported by the characters of Colonel Shuffle and especially Belvedere. Mel Blanc as always does a fantastic job with the voice work.

Animation is as always bright and colourful, with lots of smooth movement, imaginative detail in the gags and rich and meticulous detail in the backgrounds. Carl Stalling's music score is as ever high in energy, liveliness, character, lushness and whimsy, and not only is dynamic and fits effortlessly with the action but enhances everything.

What's more, 'Dog Gone South' is enormously entertaining, with the typical wild looniness, razor-sharp wit and sardonic bite constantly shining in the dialogue. Plus there are some beautifully timed and animated and imaginative sight gags, that contain enough surprises. The highlights are the classic and often quoted "Oh Belvedere, come here boy" (which has as much to do as how it is said as it is a funny line) and the hilarious ending.

All in all, wonderful and under-appreciated cartoon that got unfair treatment. 10/10 Bethany Cox

One of the best one off shorts from Looney Tunes. Yes, it features Charlie the Dog once again trying to find a home, but Belvedere and the Colonel are one of a kind characters who aren't too fond of Yankees or Yankee Pot Roast.

Aah, magnolias! Charlie puts these two through the ringer trying to replace Belvedere as the Colonel's pet. One of the rarely seen Looney Tunes cartoons during this new age of political correctness. Why are great new cartoons like The Simpsons, South Park, and Family Guy seen as smart and irreverent, but older cartoons like this seen as demeaning or degrading? I can only hope that this great cartoon will eventually hit a DVD collection before some other format comes along and they have to start all over again.