Deputy Dawg

The Deputy Dawg Show first ran weekly from September 8, 1962 to May 25, 1963 (with a brief hiatus in December 1962). Each episode has a Deputy Dawg cartoon, followed by Dingbat, and then Silly Sidney. The British television debut came on BBC Television on August 31, 1963.[2]

The cartoons are between four and six minutes long, and were packaged three at a time and shown as a half-hour program. The show was produced by CBS and was the professional animation debut of Ralph Bakshi (as inbetweener) of adult animation fame. There were also six additional titles that were released theatrically, for show in cinemas, and which were not part of the original TV package.

Deputy Dawg (an anthropomorphic dog) is a deputy sheriff in Florida. As the episodes progressed, the location changed to Mississippi, and later to Tennessee. The other main characters are the "varmints" Muskie Muskrat, Moley Mole, Possible 'Possum, Ty Coon, Vincent van Gopher, Pig Newton, and Dawg's boss the Sheriff, as well as Mrs. Deputy.[3] A late addition to the cast was "Astronut" - a mischievous alien visitor who was later given his own spin-off show.

Deputy Dawg was voiced by Dayton Allen, a prolific voice actor who voiced many Terrytoons characters in television and theatrical shorts in the 1950s and 1960s.[4]

Much of the comedy is sight gag/action based with some focused around comical accents and stereotypical southern characteristics. Many of the storylines involve Deputy Dawg protecting his produce from Muskie and Vince, battling with some of the peculiar locals and trying to please the Sheriff.[5] However, most of the crimes committed by Muskie and Vince weren't treated seriously, and Deputy Dawg was on friendly terms with them most of the time (except when he had to perform his duties as a lawman and keep them from causing trouble). Deputy Dawg would pal around with Muskie and Vince just as often as he would lock them up in the jailhouse, and the trio would often engage in their favorite pastime, fishin' for catfish. The central location for many of the yarns is the jailhouse.

Musical direction is by Philip A. Scheib (April 14, 1894 – April 1969), who also worked on Sidney's Family Tree (1958) and The Juggler of Our Lady (1958). The musical accompaniment often features a distinctive bass harmonica.[6]

Deputy Dawg later appeared in episodes of the 1987 series Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures.

Deputy Dawg also appeared in the 1999 pilot Curbside.[7]

Many of the cartoons were issued on compilation VHS tapes in the 1980s. DVDs containing the episodes are also available online.

Two extra titles also exist: 'Duped Deputy' and 'Creek Mud Monster'.

Note: these are also six shorts which received theatrical releases in 1962–63:[9]

• Where There's Smoke
• Nobody's Ghoul
• Rebel Trouble
• Big Chief No Treaty
• Astronut
• Shotgun Shambles

• Direction: Art Bartsch, Bob Kuwahara, Connie Rasinski, Dave Tendlar, Mannie Davis
• Story Supervisor: Tom Morrison
• Stories: Larz Bourne, Eli Bauer, Bob Kuwahara, Al Bertino, Dick Kinney
• Animation: Cosmo Anzilotti, Ralph Bakshi, Doug Crane, Mannie Davis, Eddie Donnelly, Dick Hall, John Gentilella, Larry Silverman
• Design and Layout Supervisor: Art Bartsch
• Design and Layout: Martin Strudler, John Zago
• Backgrounds: Bill Focht, Bill Hilliker
• Music: Phil Scheib
• Voices: Dayton Allen
• Photography: George Davis, Ted Moskowitz, Joseph Rasinski
• Editing: George McAvoy, Jack MacConnell
• Production Manager: Frank Schudde
• Executive Producer: Bill Weiss

• The Astronut Show

• Deputy Dawg at IMDb
• Deputy Dawg at Toonopedia
• Deputy Dawg at Little Gems