Release Date:

August 25, 1945

Main Character(s):

None

Summary:

Shep the seemingly faithful dog is treated like a king by his master, but only the cat is aware of Shep’s true colors: a very deceptive dog who is an expert at making himself look like the hero. After he is hailed as such in the newspaper after seemingly preventing his house from being robbed (when it was actually the cat who did so), Shep becomes aware of the Nation’s No. 1 dog (the president’s dog) and is determined to eliminate the competition.

That’s Not All, Folks:

Despite the production number being 3-15, (the third Looney Tune in the 15th release season), the cartoon was released as a Merrie Melodie.

The cartoon was given a Blue Ribbon reissue. “They Gotta Quit Kickin’ My Dawg Around” played under the opening credits:

Story: Michael Maltese

Animation: Ken Harris, Basil Davidovich, Ben Washam, and Lloyd Vaughan

Layouts and Backgrounds: Earl Klein and Robert Gribbroek

Musical Direction: Carl W. Stalling

Direction: Charles M. Jones

Two lines of dialogue were cut in the reissue due to World War II references now being irrelevant: when the master is about to have steak for dinner, he originally said “140 points for that roast, but it’s worth it” and before the master leaves for work the next day, he originally tells Shep, “I gotta go bat out a couple more battleships for my Uncle Sammy”.

Jones was a cat lover and often cast them as the heroes rather than villains with this one being a notable example (you may remember that Jones’ first cartoon, “The Night Watchman”, had a cat as the hero and mice as the villains). He would later direct another memorable cartoon with a dog as the antagonist called “Chow Hound” (1951) where a burly bulldog uses a cat (and in one instance, a mouse) to get meat from various owners but is continually annoyed at the lack of gravy. Unlike Shep, however, this dog ends up getting a well-deserved comeuppance in the end (and incidentally, this cartoon and “Chow Hound” are actually right next to each other on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 6 DVD set).

The cat resembles the one in “Odor-Able Kitty”.

The name Shep would later be used for a completely different dog in Arthur Davis’ “Bone Sweet Bone” (1948).

If this cartoon were made in either the 2010’s or the 2020’s, the cat could’ve very easily exposed Shep’s true nature on social media.

The title is a pun on “fresh air”.

“Dinner Music for a Pack of Hungry Cannibals” plays during Shep’s journey to find the No. 1 dog with the cat secretly following him.

This is the last Warner cartoon released during World War II.

Before giving the full synopsis of the cartoon, the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons describes the cartoon as “a parable on success and fame with a moral: if you are in the right place at the right time, and give the right impression, you will succeed no matter what back-stabbing you’ve done to get there”.

What I Like About This One:

“In a world torn by war- a world in which treachery, avarice, and hatred are prevalent- there is still one whose loyalty, unselfish devotion, and honesty stands as a shining example to mankind- the dog”. The camera then cuts to Shep sleeping: “But-ah- (ahem) there ARE exceptions” (animated by Ken Harris).

At dinner, Shep gets a large ham, while the cat only gets a fish bone with the clueless master grumpily saying, “Here, stupid”. The second the master leaves the room, Shep starts growling ferociously and chomps his ham before the camera pans across his body, indicating the meat going down Shep’s stomach (animated by Harris).

When the master puts his steak on the table, he goes back into the kitchen for coffee, and the second he does, Shep sneakily steals the steak and eats it. Seeing this, the cat puts his fish bone on the plate to make it look like evidence that Shep consumed his steak (animated by Robert Cannon). But the master doesn’t put two and two together and assumes the cat stole it: “Why, you contemptible sneak! Just like a cat!” before kicking him out (animated by Ben Washam). Shep offers his bone but the master chuckles that he doesn’t want it. To show his appreciation, though, he gives Shep a piece of steak (unaware that he was the true culprit). Once the master leaves, Shep becomes nauseous at the idea of consuming another steak and throws it out (animated by Harris). Thinking he can make it up to the master, the cat brings it to the front door but the master is still angry at him: “Oh, conscience got the best of you, huh? Well, it’s not gonna work because I’m gonna-” but Shep steps in and defends him. “Well, alright, you can stay but only because Shep stood up for you!” Thinking Shep has changed his ways, the cat purrs against him but Shep kicks him away himself (animated by Washam).

The master leaving for work the next day and once he’s out of sight, Shep whistles for a burglar to come to the house. Before the burglar can remove the doorknob off its hinges, Shep stops him and silently points to his mouth causing the burglar to realize the offscreen deal he made with Shep: giving him a bone to let him rob the house: “Oh, yeah. The payoff. Here you are, Quisling”. As Shep is burying his new bone, the cat spots the burglar attempting to remove the doorknob, and viciously attacks him causing the burglar to run away screaming in agony. When the master comes running home, Shep hides the cat in a trash can, ruffles up the fur on his head, and puts a piece of the burglar’s clothes in his mouth to make it appear that HE chased the crook away (animated by Basil Davidovich).

The cat furiously tearing up a newspaper about Shep’s supposed heroism (animated by Lloyd Vaughan).

Shep happily looking at several copies of his newspaper article, with the master giving him “another one for your scrapbook”. He is furious that it’s instead about the nation’s “No. 1 dog”- FDR’s dog, Fala (even though Roosevelt had passed away four months before the cartoon was released). Shep briefly puts on a happy face when the master asks him how it feels to be a hero before his thoughts turn to “No. 1 dog, huh?” (animated by Cannon).

Shep’s surreal nightmare about the “No. 1 dog” where Shep resembling a Number 2 gets chased by a Number 1, the words No. 1 dog repeatedly appear onscreen with a ghostly voice also repeating the words. Number 1’s turn into Fala’s breed, with the overlapping voices eventually causing Shep to snap out of it (animated by Lloyd Vaughan).

Realizing Shep’s up to something, the cat secretly follows Shep hopping various rides over to the White House (animated by Davidovich). Once he arrives there, Shep attempts to attack Fala (animated by Vaughan, with Cannon animating all shots of Fala), but fortunately, the cat has gotten there first and he clubs Shep into the river before he can harm Fala. Seeing Shep drown with the “one, two, three” finger count, Fala rescues him but is tired out from the deed. Once shocked people are heard arriving, Shep revives in time to make it look like he rescued Fala, and is falsely hailed as a hero again (animated by Harris).

As Shep is given his own honorary parade by the city (animated by Harris), the very frustrated cat gets mud thrown at him from the sidelines. Irritated that the world is unaware of the real Shep, the cat cries in frustration while pounding his fists against the Statue of Liberty which causes the Scales of Justice to fall on his head (animated by Washam).

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕