Nomination: Best Short Subject, Cartoons - William Hanna and Joseph Barbera
The 21st of 24 entries in the Droopy cartoon short series, "One Droopy Knight" earned William Hanna and Joseph Barbera the second and final Oscar nominations of their careers (Fred Quimby was named as the nominee and winner of many of the films produced by Hanna-Barbera). Of all the Droopy cartoons, I'm not sure why this one received the honor of an Oscar nomination. Perhaps the Academy knew that Droopy was coming to an end - the final Droopy cartoon "Droopy Leprechaun" was released less than four months after the Academy Awards in which it was nominated - and wanted to honor the series. Though "One Droopy Knight" isn't my favorite of the Droopy offerings, it's a solid effort and is a good introduction to the Droopy character.
Droopy does seem to have been largely forgotten by modern audiences, and the holders of the Droopy intellectual property have done an abysmal job promoting its legacy. Some cheap shorts were made in 1980 and he has made cameos in a few films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, but the only exposure most modern audiences have had to Droopy is Jon Stewart employing the voice in his impersonations of former Senator Joseph Lieberman.
Here's hoping Droopy's protectors get their act together and bring back this wonderful character. They better be careful if they don't, because you don't want to know what happens when you make Droopy mad.
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