The Dogfather
The Dogfather was a series of 17 cartoons produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises and released between 1974 and 1976.[1] It is the final theatrical cartoon series made by DePatie-Freleng.
| The Dogfather | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Portrayed by | Bob Holt |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Dog |
| Gender | Male |
Plot
The Dogfather was a parody of The Godfather, but with canines as part of the Italian organized crime syndicate. It consists of the Dogfather (voiced by Bob Holt impersonating Marlon Brando) and his henchmen Pug and Louie (both voiced by Daws Butler). There were some cartoons that Louie was not in where Pug is voiced by Bob Holt.[2]
The Dogfather was later broadcast as part of the NBC Saturday morning cartoon series The Pink Panther and Friends.[2]
Filmography
| No. | Title | Directed by: | Story: | Released: | Synopsis: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Dogfather" | Hawley Pratt | Bob Ogle | June 27, 1974 | |
| 2 | "The Goose That Laid a Golden Egg" | Hawley Pratt | Friz Freleng | October 4, 1974 | |
| 3 | "Heist and Seek" | Gerry Chiniquy | Don Christensen | October 4, 1974 | |
| 4 | "The Big House Ain't a Home" | Gerry Chiniquy | Dave Detiege | October 31, 1974 (Halloween) | |
| 5 | "Mother Dogfather" | Arthur Leonardi | Dave Detiege | October 31, 1974 (Halloween) | |
| 6 | "Bows and Errors" | Gerry Chiniquy | John W. Dunn | December 29, 1974 | |
| 7 | "Deviled Yeggs" | Gerry Chiniquy | John W. Dunn | December 29, 1974 | |
| 8 | "Watch the Birdie" | Gerry Chiniquy | John W. Dunn | March 20, 1975 | |
| 9 | "Saltwater Tuffy" | Arthur Leonardi | John W. Dunn | March 20, 1975 | |
| 10 | "M-O-N-E-Y Spells Love" | Arthur Leonardi | Dave Detiege | April 23, 1975 | |
| 11 | "Rock-A-Bye Maybe" | Gerry Chiniquy | John W. Dunn | April 23, 1975 | |
| 12 | "Haunting Dog" | Gerry Chiniquy | John W. Dunn | May 2, 1975 | |
| 13 | "Eagle Beagles" | Gerry Chiniquy | John W. Dunn | May 5, 1975 | |
| 14 | "From Nags to Riches" | Gerry Chiniquy | John W. Dunn | May 5, 1975 | |
| 15 | "Goldilox & the Three Hoods" | Gerry Chiniquy | John W. Dunn | August 28, 1975 | |
| 16 | "Rockhounds" | Arthur Leonardi | John W. Dunn | November 20, 1975 | |
| 17 | "Medicur" | Gerry Chiniquy | John W. Dunn | April 30, 1976 |
Revival
The Dogfather was revived (and re-designed) in 1993 as a segment for The Pink Panther. The Dogfather was voiced by Joe Piscopo (except in "It's Just a Gypsy in My Soup" where he was voiced by Jim Cummings), while Pug and Louie are voiced by Brian George and Jess Harnell.
Remakes
Much like a number of DFE-produced cartoon shorts, about half of the Dogfather cartoons were remakes of Looney Tunes cartoons from the 1950s that were directed by Freleng, which are listed below:
- The pilot episode (The Dogfather) was remade after Tree For Two (1952).
- The Goose that Laid a Golden Egg was remade after Golden Yeggs (1950).
- Heist and Seek was remade after Bugsy and Mugsy (1957).
- Mother Dogfather was remade after Stork Naked (1955).
- Saltwater Tuffy was remade after Tugboat Granny (1956)
- Devilled Yeggs was remade after Satan's Waitin' (1954).
- Watch the Birdie was remade after Dr. Jerkyll's Hide (1954).
- M-O-N-E-Y Spells Love was remade after Hare Trimmed (1953).
- Rock-a-Bye Maybe was remade after Kit for Cat (1948).
- Eagle Beagles was remade after Hare Lift (1952).
However, this was criticized by Charles Brubaker, the author of the website Cartoon Research, who pointed out that this made the series almost completely unoriginal and resulted in inferior versions of those Looney Tunes shorts.[3]
Crew
- Produced by: David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng
- Directed by: Hawley Pratt, Gerry Chiniquy, Arthur Leonardi
- Story by: Bob Ogle, Don Christiansen, John W. Dunn, Friz Freleng
- Title Designer: Arthur Leonardi
- Animation: John V. Gibbs, Bob Matz, Norm McCabe, Bob Richardson, Warren Batchelder, Don Williams, Bob Bransford, Nelson Shin
- Layout: Dick Ung, Richard H. Thomas
- Background: Richard H. Thomas
- Music by: Dean Elliott
- Lyrics: John Bradford
- Camera: John Burton Jr.
- Executive in Charge: Lee Gunther
Home video
On April 24, 2018, Kino Lorber released all 17 shorts on DVD and Blu-ray for the very first time.[4]
References
- Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 73–74. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
- Beck, Jerry (2006). Pink Panther: The Ultimate Guide to the Coolest Cat in Town. New York, New York: Dorling Kindersley, Ltd. pp. 54–55, 102–103. ISBN 0-7566-1033-8.
- http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/depatie-frelengs-the-dogfather/
- "New Date, Details, Extras and Artwork for the Cartoon on DVD and Blu-ray Disc | TVShowsOnDVD.com". tvshowsondvd.com. Retrieved 2018-02-14.