Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog
Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog | |
---|---|
Looney Tunes character | |
First appearance | Don't Give Up the Sheep (January 3, 1953 ) |
Created by | Chuck Jones |
Voiced by | Ralph Wolf: Mel Blanc (1953–1963) Bob Bergen (1998)[1][2] Jeff Bergman (2001, 2020–present)[3][4][5] Eric Bauza (2018) Sam Sheepdog: Mel Blanc (1953–1963) Jim Cummings (1994) Jeff Bergman (2001, 2023–present)[3][4] Eric Bauza (2018)[6] Fred Tatasciore (2020–present)[5] |
In-universe information | |
Species | Ralph Wolf: Wolf Sam Sheepdog: Briard |
Gender | Male (both) |
Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog are characters in a series of animated cartoons in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons. The characters were created by Chuck Jones.[7]
Ralph Wolf has virtually the same character design as another Chuck Jones character, Wile E. Coyote—brown fur, wiry body, and huge ears, but with a red nose in place of the Coyote's black one; (usually) white eyes instead of the Coyote's yellow ones; and, occasionally, a fang protruding from his mouth. He also shares the Coyote's appetite and persistent use of Acme Corporation products, but he covets sheep instead of roadrunners and, when he speaks (which is only in some cartoons, and even then usually only at the start and end of the cartoon), does not have the upper-class accent or the egotistical bearing of the Coyote. Another crucial difference is that of personality: Ralph does not have the fanatical drive of the Coyote in pursuing his prey; instead catching the sheep is only his weekday job as indicated by the time clock both he and Sam the Sheepdog punch at the start and end of the workday.
Sam
Original appearances
Inspired by the Friz Freleng cartoon The Sheepish Wolf of a decade earlier (October 17, 1942),[8] Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese (who had written the earlier Freleng cartoon) created Ralph and Sam for a series of shorts. The first of these was Don't Give Up the Sheep, released on January 3, 1953(although an onscreen copyright line gives the year 1951).[9] In this first entry of the characters, only the sheepdogs are seen clocking in and out in this cartoon, except for "Ralph" attempting to clock out while disguised as "Sam's" replacement before being unmasked and pummeled. The next cartoon "Sheep Ahoy" (1954, with a 1953 copyright line) ended with a changing shift for both the sheepdog and wolf character clocking out with their replacement clocking in, the violence continuing wherever the predecessors had left off, setting in motion the fully realized version of the joke of both predator and protector just doing their jobs over the course of a day.
The cartoons proved a success, prompting Jones to repeat the formula four more times between 1955 and 1962. In 1963, ex-Jones animators Phil Monroe and Richard Thompson also starred the duo in their cartoon Woolen Under Where.[10]
The series is built around the satiric idea that both Ralph and Sam are blue collar workers who are just doing their jobs. Most of the cartoons begin at the beginning of the workday, in which they both arrive with
At the end-of-the-day whistle at 5:00 PM (or sometimes 6:00 PM) Ralph and Sam punch out their
Shorts
- Don't Give Up the Sheep (1953) - Sam is referred to as Ralph; Ralph is unnamed
- Sheep Ahoy (1954) - Sam is referred to as Fred; Ralph is referred to as George; Their respective coworkers are named Ralph and Sam.
- Double or Mutton (1955)
- Steal Wool (1957)
- Ready, Woolen and Able (1960)
- A Sheep in the Deep (1962)
- Woolen Under Where (1963)
Derivative appearances
Sam and Ralph have appeared in a handful of Warner Bros. projects since the closing of the studio's animation department in 1964. Sam made a cameo in the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit during the final scene (Ralph does not appear, however), and they occasionally feature in the Looney Tunes comic books published by DC Comics.
- Road Runnermakes a cameo appearance in the training level and also in the final level, racing in the desert against Ralph. Neither Ralph nor Sam have voiced lines in the game.
- Sam Sheepdog appeared in the Taz-Mania episode "Mutton for Nothing", voiced by Jim Cummings. In this episode, Taz was sent by the "Predators 'R' Us" temp agency to cover for Ralph Wolf while he is on vacation. Taz tries unsuccessfully to steal the sheep from Sam Sheepdog. A bit of character confusion is at play in this episode, as Sam references Ralph as being "that coyote".
- Sam made a cameo appearance in the 1996 film Space Jam. Though he is mostly seen in the background in the audience during the final basketball match between the Tune Squad and the Monstars, he is seen putting on rabbit ears while cheering for Bugs Bunny and is later visibly shocked when one of the players is squashed by a Monstar named Pound. He also makes a cameo appearance in the 2021 stand-alone sequel Space Jam: A New Legacy in Bugs Bunny's flashback leaving Tune World with the other Tunes.
- Ralph and Sam made a brief cameo in the 2003 feature film Looney Tunes: Back in Action. In the movie, during the scene at the restaurant, Ralph and Sam can be seen walking to a table in the background as Kate talks to Bugs Bunny about his cross-dressing tricks. Then, they are seen eating lunch at said table when Ralph reveals that he finally caught a sheep and is about to eat it, but Sam grabs him by the neck and continuously punches him in the face, allowing the sheep to escape.
- Sam Sheepdog makes an appearance in Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas.
- Sam Sheepdog appears in The Looney Tunes Show opening.
- Ralph and Sam appear in Looney Tunes Cartoons with Ralph voiced by Jeff Bergman and Sam voiced by Fred Tatasciore. The three shorts they star in are titled "Fleece & Desist" (2020), "A Wolf in Cheap Clothing" (2021), and "Winter Hungerland" (2023)
- Sam Sheepdog has made appearances in Bugs Bunny Builders.
Pop culture references
On the episode "
Chris Rock mentions Ralph and Sam in his book Rock This!. According to the text, a white classmate of Rock's who racially harassed him in high school not only resurfaced years later as his chauffeur, but also attempted to be amicable and suggested that they get together for coffee. Rock employs the "time clock" concept to racial tensions in schools by asserting that his tormentor was simply playing the role that he was dealt.
The NewsRadio episode "Twins" played with the reference in reverse. Bill McNeal and Jimmy James pass each other while stepping through Dave's window. Jimmy (the station owner) says, "Mornin' Sam," Bill (the office troublemaker) replies, "Mornin' Ralph," and Jimmy comments, "I love that joke."
A deleted scene[citation needed] for the Family Guy episode "Tales of a Third Grade Nothing" featured Peter Griffin as Sam Sheepdog at the time clock with Ralph Wolf.
A resemblance of Ralph Wolf and Big Bad Wolf appears in Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures comics issued by IDW Publishing issue #7.
In the episode "Blood in the Water" of the USA Network legal drama
Journalist
The names of Ralph and Sam have been applied to two sets of characters in the
During a scene in the Tomb Raider video game Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Porvenir Oil Fields), two members of the Trinity organization can be overheard greeting one another with an "Evening Ralph, Evening Sam" exchange.
References
- ^ "Looney Tunes DVD and Video Guide: VHS: Misc". The Inernet Animation Database. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
- ^ "Ralph Wolf". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ a b "Captain Planet--Recycle This!". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
- ^ a b "Hanna-Barbera ScreenCaps on Twitter: "Happy Earth Day!"". Twitter. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
- ^ a b Trumbore, Dave (5 May 2020). "First Images from HBO Max's 'Looney Tunes Cartoons' Go All-In on the Classic Characters". Collider. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ "Looney Tunes World of Mayhem". Retrieved 2020-04-14.
- ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
- ^ "The Sheepish Wolf". www.bcdb.com, May 13, 2012
- ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
- ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
- ISBN 0-13-275561-0. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- ^ Leibovich, Mark (11 October 2016). "'I'm the Last Thing Standing Between You and the Apocalypse'". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
External links
- Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016.
- All about Ralph Wolf on Chuck Jones Official Website.
- All about Sam Sheepdog on Chuck Jones Official Website.