Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog

Posted on April 21, 2021

The Road Runner is a natural choice to run with today but I’m going to wait to draw him later in the alphabet with Wile. Instead, I’m going with a character I had forgotten about, Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog.

At first glance you’d swear Ralph Wolf is Wile E. Coyote but there are minor differences in their appearances which I never picked up on until I read Wiki’s write up which they say Ralph has a red nose whereas Wile’s is black; white eyes instead of yellow; and occasionally has a fang sticking out of his mouth.  My black and white sketch can’t easily distinguish these feature changes but when I colorize it later on then it’ll come to life.  Here’s Ralph and Sam clocking in for work.

 

Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog appeared in Don’t Give Up The Sheep (1953 B&W film).  The creator has Ralph and Sam are blue collar workers going doing their jobs like they do every other day.  The normalcy of the routine resonates with us humans while giving us loads of giggles to see how well each does his job.  One successful and the other not so much.  I remember the 1953 feature as a kid but it was colorized by the time it aired on Saturday morning cartoons.

The pair appeared in five other shorts  Sheep Ahoy (1954 B&W), Double or Mutton (1955), Steal Wool (1957 B&W), Ready Woolen and Able (1960 B&W), A Sheep in the Deep (1962), and Woolen Under Where (1963).

Thanks for allowing me to be a part of your day.  Please leave a direct link for today’s post in comments to ensure others can find an easy way back to you.  I’m heading over to the A2Z headquarters to see who’s joined the party now.  I hope to see you again tomorrow for the next letter in the alphabet in my Looney Tunes Art Sketch series! X💋X💋 Cathy

 

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16 thoughts on “Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog”

  2. When my husband and I were reminiscing and laughing about Looney Tunes the other day, we could only remember Ralph’s name. The whole clocking-in-for-work concept was so funny!

  7. Thanks for sharing this wonderful post with us. Seeing these brings back so many excellent memories as a kid when watching the Warner Bros cartoons. Have a great rest of your day.

  9. I love these 2 characters and found them so much fun especially that they eat lunch together and have a smoke before getting back to the business at hand. I love your sketch again and looking forward to it in colour. You have finally explained the difference between Wiley E and Ralph because I just thought it was Wiley E going by another name..how kids think. OK i am 56 but still 🙂

  11. I remember the sheep dog! Ralph Wolfe was sneaky. I laughed out loud when I saw his long tongue as he was salivating over the sheep.

  12. Ralph and Fred have things well in hand. Great cartoon. I laughed out loud many times and when the Acme arrived I knew it would never touch the dog.

    Love your sketch. You are the bomb.

    Have a fabulous day, Cathy. Love and hugs. ♥

  15. I was remembering the one where Ralph puts on a sheep costume. I love when the punch and punch out…. always loved these two (grumpy old men) as a kid. I think I thought that Ralph was Wile E. but never gave it a second thought as to why they had different names. Now that you have mentioned it about the nose, I guess they are significantly different in that aspect. This has been so much fun and I’m going to be sad to see it end. You must tell me when you color the pics and I’ve got to scope out your site more…. you must you sell your work??? You visited me before I could visit you so no linky needed, I’ll just sign with this
    ♥
    Crackerberries

  16. Hi, Cathy!

    Happy R-day, dear friend!

    Although their shorts were first released during my childhood in the 50s, I don’t remember the cartoon pair of Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog. I admire your detailed sketch of the two characters arriving at the meadow to punch the time clock and begin their hard day’s work. Clearly the wolf and sheepdog story lines were similar to those in the Roadrunner and Coyote series. The villainous character devises a multitude of clever plots to catch his prey and is thwarted over and over again by the equally resourceful hero character. It was fun to watch Ralph speeding up the clock and tricking Sam into leaving his post as protector of the herd so that he, Ralph, could steal the sheep. As always happens in these cartoons, the bad guy gets what’s coming to him. Sam, disguised as a tree, turns the tables, stalks Ralph and repeatedly whacks him on the head with a tree branch. Next, Ralph tries playing the pipes of Pan to lull the watchdog to sleep. His plan fails miserably. Ralph’s next strategy is to dig a tunnel beneath the innocent sheep and steal them one by one. He’s caught and left licking his wounds. Ralph then turns to the trusted Acme Company and buys a wildcat in a box. The sight of Sam scares the cat away. Next comes a series of sight gags involving falls from high elevations, including cutting a rope the wolf was using to swing out over the herd, sawing off tree branches and falls from cliffs, stunts used in many cartoons of the period. Next, the wolf uses a trick often seen in Western movies and TV series – using a reed to breathe, hide and navigate underwater. The plot blows up on Ralph when Sam drops dynamite into the airway. Finally Ralph disguises himself as a sheepdog and punches the time clock to go on duty. Sam smells a rat and pummels Ralph. Sam clocks out at the end of his shift and is replaced by a buddy sheepdog who continues to administer the beating to Ralph. Its all in a day’s work for these funny cartoon critters, and I look forward to seeing them In Living Color someday.

    Have a wonderful Wednesday, dear friend Cathy and I’ll be back tamale for your S-day post!

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