Chow Hound (1951)

Warner Bros.
Starring:
 Mel Blanc, John T. Smith
Directed by: Charles M. (Chuck) Jones

Cat Out of the Bag Alert!  This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: A dog exploits a cat and a mouse in order to obtain a constant amount of food.

Cartoon Cat: This unforgettable Looney Tunes entry stars a poor orange and white cat who starts out as the apparent pet of a man who calls him Butch. The man praises Butch for eating the entire steak he was given.

Chow Hound - orange and white cat Butch being petted by man

Kitty Carnage Warning! After Butch is put outside, we find out the cat is being forced by a bulldog to smuggle him food. The cat has to hand the dog the steak he has stashed in his sweater. The dog berates the cat for forgetting the gravy, but scarfs the steak down anyway before looking up their next stop.

Chow Hound - orange and white cat handing steak over to bulldog

Chow Hound - orange and white cat handing slung over bulldog's back

The bulldog is then seen grooming the cat and finishing with a blue bow. He then makes the cat practice his sweet meowing.

Chow Hound - bulldog tying blue ribbon around orange and white cat's neck

Chow Hound - orange and white cat in blue bow meowing

The cat is taken in by his next “owner,” a woman who calls him Harold. She puts the cat to bed with some food and orders him to sleep right after eating. Of course the cat doesn’t even get one bite before the bulldog pulls him outside and yells about there being no gravy again.

Chow Hound - orange and white cat Timothy in bed with food

The third stop includes a mouse the bulldog keeps in a can. He makes the mouse dangle from the cat’s mouth and then sends them in to another owner who calls the cat Timothy. The man rewards Timothy with a steak, again with no gravy, which makes the bulldog angry.

Chow Hound - bulldog holding up orange and white cat with mouse in mouth

Chow Hound - orange and white cat Timothy with mouse in mouth standing next to steak in pan

Finally the cat is seen inside a cage at a zoo marked Saber-Toothed Alley Cattus. The cat is thrown a steak by a confused zookeeper.

Chow Hound - orange and white cat disguised as Saber-Toothed Alley Cattus

Chow Hound - zookeeper with steak shrugging at orange and white cat disguised as Saber-Toothed Alley Cattus

This time the cat tries to trick the bulldog by rolling a large stick of dynamite in the steak, but it only gives the dog a moment of indigestion. He then hits the cat for forgetting the gravy again.

Chow Hound - orange and white cat rolls stick of dynamite up in steak

The bulldog is unsatisfied with the slow speed of this arrangement and sees a sign saying rewards are paid for lost animals. This gives him an idea. He hides the cat until the owners all miss him and put out ads in the paper. He then takes the cat to each of the homes in a basket and collects the rewards, pulling the cat out a back door with a string when the people turn away.

Chow Hound - orange and white cat being held up by bulldog

Chow Hound - bulldog presenting lost orange and white cat to owner in basket

Chow Hound - orange and white cat being pulled out of basket with string by bulldog

He then brings the cat to the zoo. The bulldog is dressed as a big game hunter and the mouse is dressed in an extremely non-PC African native outfit.

Chow Hound - bulldog and mouse dressed as safari bringing back orange and white cat as Saber-Toothed Alley Cattus

The bulldog takes his money and buys a meat market where he over-indulges, so much so he lands in a dog hospital, lying on a table unable to move. After the veterinarians leave the room, the cat and mouse poke their heads in. “This time we didn’t forget the gravy!” the cat states.

Chow Hound - orange and white cat and mouse looking into room

They proceed to bring a super large can of gravy and a funnel over to the dog who begs them “No!” They start to pour the gravy down his throat as the cartoon ends.

Chow Hound - orange and white cat and mouse preparing to fill bloated bulldog up with gravy

Final Mewsings: Be careful what you wish for!


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