Snuffles

Quick Draw McGraw cartoons are fun for a bunch of reasons, including the concept that a dog gets so ecstatic over dog biscuits, he sproings into the air and floats down in satisfaction.

Snuffles appeared in seven Quick Draw cartoons, three in the first season, two in the second and two in the third (plus once in a Snagglepuss cartoon). His appearances all featured the same routine where Snuffles hugged himself before leaping up.

For fun, let’s look at the frames of the version used in both second season cartoons, drawn by Dick Lundy to the best of my knowledge. There are ten frames as he turns to his right. The drawings are shot twice. You’ll notice his movements get smaller as he gets to the end of his hug.



Now the turn the other way. It was decided not to simply turn around drawings. Lundy comes up with new ones. These are shot on twos as well.



Besides kids who watched Quick Draw, someone else liked Snuffles. Joe Barbera told TV columnist Charles Witbeck in 1960: “Well, the sponsors like Snuffles. He’ll decorate their packages and help sell their product. So we have to write three new Snuffles stories. Our character actors have become leading men.”

As you can see to the right, Snuffles was well-enough known to have Paul Parnes write a song about him for Golden Records. Just about anyone who showed up with any regularity on a Hanna-Barbera cartoon by 1960 got his own Golden record including Ubble Ubble of Ruff and Reddy and Iddy Biddy Buddy, the duck on Yogi Bear cartoons who was modified into Yakky Doodle. A whole bunch of them were posted years ago but Snuffles wasn’t. However, you can find the darndest things on the internet, and someone has posted the Snuffles song on a video site.

I must warn you the voice of Quick Draw McGraw on this record is not Daws Butler. Daws was signed to a contract with Colpix Records, the music recording arm of Columbia Pictures (which helped produce Quick Draw through its sister company, Screen Gems). Colpix was based on New York, so it got New York voice people to imitate the Hanna-Barbera characters, mainly Gil Mack and Frank Milano. Both were accomplished actors on radio. Both were, unfortunately, not great at replicating the sounds of Daws Butler’s characters. I believe Milano is Quick Draw here. You will not go into Snuffles-like ecstasy over his performance. In case at some future time the video link goes dead, an audio link has been posted as well.



Snuffles Song

Quick Draw McGraw — Mine Your Manners

Produced and Directed by Joe Barbera and Bill Hanna.
Credits: Animation – Bob Bentley, Dick Lundy (uncredited); Layout – Tony Rivera; Backgrounds – Art Lozzi; Written by Mike Maltese; Story Director – John Freeman; Titles – Art Goble; Production Supervision – Howard Hanson.
Voice Cast: Quick Draw McGraw, Baba Looey, Snuffles, Jack Pott – Daws Butler; Narrator, skunk, miner, store owner – Don Messick.
First Aired: 1961-62 season.
Episode: Quick Draw McGraw Show M-043, Production J-130.
Plot: Quick Draw employs Snuffles to get a skunk out of a mine.

This cartoon appears to have served two purposes. One was to make people laugh. The other was to kiss up to Kellogg’s and its ad agency, Leo Burnett.

Kellogg’s, of course, sponsored “The Quick Draw Show” in its original run in syndication (in the U.S.) and Kellogg’s cereals were plugged in the opening and closing credits, and between the cartoons. Kellogg’s was also the maker of Gro-Pup T-Bone dog biscuits. Is it any coincidence that Quick Draw’s bloodhound Snuffles went into ecstasy over dog biscuits? And of a certain kind with the box featured in the cartoons themselves?

No doubt Kellogg’s was happy to see the free plugs in this cartoon. Quick Draw holds the box in several scenes, and then Baba Looey has to buy a box from a nearby store after the supply runs out.



There are at least two animators on this cartoon. In an earlier post, we went into how the Snuffles ecstasy animation was reused in later cartoons. It originated in “Ali Baba Looey,” a second season cartoon animated by Dick Lundy. The exact same drawings were used in “Dynamite Fright” the following season (the credited animator was Hicks Lokey). In this cartoon, the drawings aren’t reinked exactly the same way but they’re obviously from the same artwork and the same timing is used as in the other two cartoons. Here’s an example. On the left is a frame from this cartoon and on the right is one from “Dynamite Fright.” You’ll see the line under the eyeball isn’t identical, the neck lumps go back to a different place on the collar, the body isn’t positioned at the same angle, among other things. But they must have originated with Lundy’s work, so Lundy should get a credit in my view.



Let’s check out Art Lozzi’s desert background. You can see where the background repeats. The mine is on an overlay.



The whole plot centres around Cartoon Law No. 1256H—namely, “Skunks in cartoons must smell all the time.” Naturally, we all know that skunks only spray when they’re in danger. Otherwise, they waddle around on their merry way, stopping to sniff things. The skunk in this cartoon smiles most of the time and seems quite self-satisfied about being a skunk.

Let’s take you through the story, which begins with Don Messick’s narrator explaining how poor Jack Pott became rich by striking gold which falls on top of him. The gag is the stars he sees after being knocked on the noggin by nuggets turn into dollar signs.



Fast forward many years to when Jack Pott is a rich man—but suddenly thwarted when the skunk trots into his mine and the smell makes everyone run for their lives “and some fresh air.”

Narrator: So, old Jack Pott sent for none other than that famous lawman...er, uh, uhh, ohh, what’s his name? Um...
Quick Draw (displeased): This is terrible embarrassin’.

The rest of the cartoon goes pretty much as you might expect. Pott promises to make Quick Draw a rich man if he gets rid of the skunk. That’s when Snuffles enters the picture. Snuffles gets one biscuit, then two, but can’t handle the skunk smell and demands a third biscuit to perform his job. Quick Draw promises to pay later (Snuffles mutters about Quick Draw being a cheapskate and a welsher) and when it turns out the biscuit box is empty, Snuffles puts the skunk back in the mine. Quick Draw dons a clothespin on his nose and decides to do the job himself. Snuffles is a jerk here. His extremely long arm reaches into the mine grabs the clothespin, and then he rolls the entrance shut and traps Quick Draw (holding his breath) with the smelly skunk. Baba runs to the store, gets another box of biscuits (“it’s a matter of life and breath,” says Baba to the storekeeper). Snuffles lets the blue-in-the-face Quick Draw out of the mine.

Ah, but Snuffles is forgiven for his actions (after all, Quick Draw’s rich because of him), and the cartoon ends with the skunk in a sack being given a dog biscuit and going into Snuffles-like rapture (complete with moaning and floating from mid-air). Baba ends the cartoon: “I like that Quickstraw. He’s got a soft heart—and a head to match.”

Hoyt Curtin wrote some nice little western cues; a jaunty clip-clop with muted trumpet opens the cartoon. There’s a nice medium, lilting cue when Quick Draw McGraw arrives, but it should have been cut when Baba started singing the Quick Draw theme. One of the Top Cat “hurry-in-the-city” cues is used when Baba rushes to and from the store to buy some dog biscuits. The selections are all pretty good. A bassoon laughing cue when Quick Draw’s regaining his breath wasn’t used too often, if I recall. Some Lippy/Wally/Touché cues surface as well, include one every time Snuffles runs into the mine (also heard on the “The Flinstones.”)

Quick Draw says “Hold on thar!” but we don’t get an “I’ll do the thinnin’ around here” or “Oooh! That smarts!” in this cartoon.

This is one of three Quick Draws to have “Hanna-Barbera” on the title card and the only one with script calligraphy.

Quick Draw McGraw — Dynamite Fright

Produced and Directed by Joe Barbera and Bill Hanna.
Credits: Animation – Hicks Lokey, Layout – Paul Sommer, Backgrounds – Vera Hanson, Written by Mike Maltese, Story Direction – Alex Lovy, Titles – Art Goble, Production Supervision – Howard Hanson.
Voice Cast: Narrator, Dynamite Kaboom, Brown Hat Cowboy, Sheriff, Assorted Townsmen – Doug Young; Quick Draw, Baba Looey, Snuffles, Snuffles' kids, Paymaster, White Hat Cowboy, Deputy, Assorted Townsmen – Daws Butler.
Music: Hoyt Curtin.
First Aired: 1961.
Episode: Quick Draw McGraw Show M-041, Production J-110.
Plot: Quick Draw and Snuffles try to stop Dynamite Kaboom from blowing up the dam.

What do you do with a cartoon character when he’s only got one piece of schtick? You use him judiciously so he doesn’t wear himself out. That’s what Mike Maltese did with Snuffles. The biscuit-loving dog only appeared in seven Quick Draw McGraw cartoons. His routine never became tired, even with continual reruns of the cartoons.

In “Dynamite Fright,” Maltese added something to make things different—four identical little Snuffles who mimic his actions. Maltese likely had no choice but to use Snuffles; the dog was appearing in commercials for Kellogg’s Gro-Pup dog biscuits and the studio was even putting the packages on screen in Quick Draw McGraw cartoons. Nothing subtle about it.

This was one of six new Quick Draws made for the 1961-62 season, though in looking at the production numbers on the internet (not all of which have turned out to be correct) it was begun before one which appeared on the previous season. Snuffles appeared in two of them.

Maltese uses some pretty matter-of-fact dialogue in the first couple of minutes to set up the plot. Dynamite Kaboom, for reasons left to your imagination, wants to blow up a dam and flood a little western town in the process. There’s a little right-to-left pan over a Vera Ohman Hanson background.


There are townspeople running in fear. Here are Hicks Lokey’s drawings on twos. Anticipation drawings then a quick flee.



Now for some fun Maltese dialogue.

Sheriff: Quick Draw, I sent for you because Dynamite Kaboom is a-goin’ to blow up the new dam. Well, I don’t mind a little rain once in a while, but one big kersplash I don’t like. Uh, will you stop Dynamite Kaboom? For the sake of the settlers?
Quick Draw: I sure will! And thanks for the ten-thousand-dollars reward.
Sheriff: Now who said anything about a ten-thousand-dollar reward? Uh, how about a grand?
Quick Draw: A grand what?
Sheriff: A grand total of fifty dollars.
Quick Draw: I’ll take it.

Now Snuffles is introduced into the cartoon, with a brief appearance by his offspring. All have three hairs on their heads growing from the same place, like Dino on the Flintstones. Snuffles will do anything for a dog biscuit, including jumping through a window. Which he demonstrates.



The second half of the cartoon features the hunt for Dynamite Kaboom, interrupted as Quick Draw proves to himself a stick found by Snuffles is dynamite by blowing himself up. Snuffles captures the bad guy and gets his usual reward (see our post about the ecstasy animation HERE). But Dynamite Kaboom has a timer attached to his bundle of dynamite which threatens to blow up the dam and flood the town any second. Will Quick Draw save the town? There’s some real suspense here only because Quick Draw is so inept in his cartoons, and doesn’t always win in the end, you never know how the plot is going to play out. The uncertainty adds to Maltese’s story.

As it turns out (after Quick Draw says “hold on thar!” to the bundle of dynamite), the dynamite is tossed into the water, Quick Draw is kicked into the water by Dynamite Kaboom, who is kicked into the water by Baba Looey. Neither Quick Draw nor Dynamite Kaboom can swim, but Quick Draw is rescued from under the water because he conveniently has a dog biscuit to bribe Snuffles. The bad guy isn’t as well stocked (“Awww,” says Snuffles, shaking his head over the drowning villain’s plight). But Baba pulls Kaboom out of the water and it’s off to jail.

The wind-up scene has the Gro-Pup product placement, the four sons of Snuffles duplicating dad’s routine after eating biscuits, with Baba ending the cartoon by superfluously remarking “That’s what I call ‘like father, like sons’.”



Quick Draw doesn’t fit in his “I’ll do the thinnin’ around here” or “Oooh, that smarts” catchphrases in this cartoon.

You’ll recognise a number of short Flintstones cues in this cartoon, as well a dramatic horn cue during a shot of the bundle of dynamite that was used later on “Jonny Quest.” There are stretches of the cartoon where no music is heard (like the scene where the sheriff and Quick Draw discuss the reward). “That’s Quick Draw McGraw” accompanies the arrival of our hero, sung by Doug Young.

The Many Fingers of Snuffles

Who doesn’t love Snuffles? Right! We all do. So let’s look at some drawings courtesy of the internet.



Here’s what I presume (due to a lack of dialogue underneath) is a layout drawing from “Bow-Wow Bandit,” the first Snuffles cartoon. The layout man on this cartoon was Walt Clinton. To compare, here’s the closest matching animation by Ken Muse. The production number of the cartoon was J-30 (the 30th cartoon on the Quick Draw show to put into production) but it was the fourth Quick Draw McGraw cartoon to air. I suspect it was aired early at the behest of the sponsor, as Kellogg’s loved Snuffles and used him to push its Gro-Pup Dog Food and Dog Biscuits (evidently, Yowp was not deemed a suitable spokes-dog). I will show my ignorance of animation production by telling you have no idea what the “8FC” stands for; I presume it’s some kind of instruction.



Next we have another Snuffles (outlined in green) with some colour notations.



I’m at a loss to tell you which cartoon used this drawing. I’ve watched all seven cartoons on the Quick Draw show that Snuffles was in and none have him running with his feet in that position. The production numbers I have for the second season are not accurate (they are from a web site), as J-86 supposed to be a Snooper and Blabber cartoon. J-86 would have been in the 1960-61 season, which included Snuffles appearances in “Ali-Baba Looey” and “Scooter Rabbit.” The only run cycle in the latter doesn’t look anything like this drawing, though there’s walk cycle where Snuffles has the same wavy-mouthed expression. Note that Snuffles is running behind “BG10.” Perhaps it is from a deleted scene. No, I don’t know the significance of “Dog Driven;” there was no Quick Draw cartoon with that name. (Late note: our smart readers have figured this out. See the comment section).

Here’s a comparison of some of the animators’ work on Snuffles pointing.



Ken Muse animated “Bow-Wow Bandits.” Snuffles isn’t named in this cartoon and he doesn’t float up, either. The story has Snuffles pointing a couple of times but Muse didn’t re-use the animation. Here’s a sheet of nine panels that Muse followed pretty closely:





Here’s Muse again in “Bronco Bustin’ Boobs,” a second-season cartoon.



Dick Lundy drew Snuffles in “Cattle Battle Rattled” in the first season.



This is Lundy again, from the second-season “Ali-Baba Looey.” Note the teeth and the leash attached to the collar. The leash disappears during the ecstasy part; just the ring on the collar remains.



Bob Bentley’s version of pointing Snuffles from “Scooter Rabbit,” a second-season cartoon. Like Muse, Bentley doesn’t re-use animation later in the cartoon when Snuffles points at himself while facing the other direction. He draws Snuffles with three or four spots on his muzzle then.



This is from “Dynamite Fright,” animated by Hicks Lokey in the third season. Sure looks the same as Lundy’s from “Ali-Baba Looey” but it’s not. Maybe Lokey re-worked Lundy’s drawings but the crook of the finger isn’t the same and Lokey’s mouth is a little wider.



Finally, here’s Bob Bentley again, this time from “Mine Your Manners,” Snuffles’ last appearance on the Quick Draw show. I’ve cheated as I’ve flipped the drawing for a better comparison. His snout is horizontal while his open mouth is at a bit on an angle.



This is from later in the cartoon. Other than the arm position, it looks like re-used drawings from the Lokey cartoon, which seem to be based on Lundy’s drawings.

I’ve never had a chance to compare the hugging and floating animation from the last two seasons but at first glance, it appears the animation was re-used. I’ll try to compare those drawings in a future post.