A Mutt in a Rut (1949)
Article 6025 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 11-14-2021
Directed by Izzy Sparber and Dave Tendlar
Featuring the voices of Jack Mercer, Arnold Stang, Jackson Beck
Country: USA
What it is: Bad tempered dog gets a cartoon comeuppance

Dogface becomes insanely jealous of a stray kitten allowed into the house during a wintry night, but will there be a punishment for his bad behavior?

What we have here is another manifestation of the “A Christmas Carol” plot – a miscreant is taught a lesson in his dreams.  A dog mistreats a kitten until he has an accident, dreams he has died, and goes to heaven only to find that he may not have gained admittance and must sit in judgment by Saint Bernard.  It’s probably one of the better Famous Studio cartoons of that time, and even at that it’s quite predictable and only mildly funny.  Dogface is another forgotten cartoon character, and his presence made me start wondering how many new characters Famous Studios created over their last twenty years that didn’t last; it seems like that Popeye remained far and away their most famous character.