Truly Dreadful Film

Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

A Brilliant Conflict

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

"Wags to Riches" is an American 7-minute cartoon from 1949, so this one has its 70th anniversary next year and it is not one by Disney or Warner Bros, but by MGM and Tex Avery and while many of theirs do not have recurring characters, we got one of their trademark figures here: Droopy. And the usual approach for him is that he is not really in the center of it all, but Spike is, the other dog hoping he could inherit a fortune from Droopy in the event of the latter's (untimely) death, so Spike actually tries all kinds of ways to kill Droopy and it backfires each and every time obviously because Droopy is a real talent when it comes to survivalism. This is basically the key approach here and it is many really short films packed into one. These very short films are funny, some more some less, but the best thing here was maybe the first 90 seconds, the introduction to the whole scenario and how we see how Spike (thinks he) fits the descriptions from his owner in the man's will. But even after that it is a pretty funny, highly creative little work. I'm personally not the biggest Droopy fan, but if you like him more than I do, then maybe you will appreciate this one even more. Still i give it a thumbs-up and recommend checking it out, especially to those who love old cartoons. Go for it. And yes this one was successful enough to get remade even. And it also got referenced far more frequently in other works than you'd expect from a cartoon from around that time. Both these facts show the success and how appreciated it was, still is. Positively recommended.

This is a fun little Droopy carton where the melancholy dog and his nemesis Spike battle over who keeps the fortune that a millionaire has left Droopy. It's lots of laughs seeing Spike try to eliminate Droopy so he could have the fortune. Plenty of slapstick stuff.Grade A

There was a later remake of this cartoon (Millionaire Droopy). In fact, aside from cheaper backgrounds, it's really the exact same film. So, considering this is the original and it looks a heck of a lot better, try seeing this film first or don't even bother with the other one.Tex Avery did a good job here in creating an entertaining short cartoon featuring Droopy Dog. He and his "friend" Butch the dog are both named in the will of a millionaire. Droopy is the sole heir but Butch is to inherit everything should anything happen to Droopy--so you can easily guess where the cartoon is going next! Well, despite Butch's efforts, he keeps being the recipient of all the tricks and traps and Droopy is left unharmed. A good cartoon and a lotta fun.

This is another classic cartoon in true Tex Avary style! The premise is simple, Droopy was left a fortune but if he should die all the money goes to Spike. Obviously Spike will do anything within his power to kill Droopy and make it look accidental. And what follows is another blend of classic Avary gags.3(***)out of 4(****)stars