Judge Rummy


Judge Rummy was an American comic strip by Tad Dorgan published from 1910 until 1922. It featured an anthropomorphic dog. Between 1918 and 1922 the character was also the subject of a series of short animated cartoons.
S. J. Perelman stated in 1978 that Dorgan's inspiration for the strip had been the murder trial of Harry K. Thaw, and that the strip led Dorgan to be threatened with libel lawsuits more than once.

Fictional biography

Alexander Rumhauser, better known as Judge Rummy, works as a court judge as his moniker implies. However, he is often seen doing other things like drinking alcohol and having affairs with women despite being married. Whenever he interacts with other characters, the strip often ends with at least one of them being upside down and showing only the feet.
He had a minor role in an earlier strip in which his best friend was the protagonist, but later strips began focusing on him.
His wife is an obese lady who is four times his size. Whenever Judge Rummy dates a woman other than her or does something she finds unfavorable, the hefty wife would resort to brawling and roughing him up. Unlike other characters in the strip, she calls him either by his real name or sometimes "Alecthander".
Judge Rummy's best friend is a look-alike dog named Silk Hat Harry. Both dogs share similar interests in drinking booze and pursuing ladies.

In film

Judge Rummy also appears in short films created by the International Film Service and Bray Productions from 1918 to 1922. The cartoons were directed by Gregory La Cava, Jack King, Burt Gillett and Grim Natwick.
  • 1918: "Judge Rummy's Off Day", "Hash and Hypnotism", "Twinkle Twinkle"
  • 1919: "Snappy Cheese", "The Sawdust Trail", "The Breath of a Nation", "Good Night Nurse", "Judge Rummy's Miscue", "Rubbing It In", "A Sweet Pickle"
  • 1920: "Shimmie Shivers", "A Fitting Gift", "His Last Legs", "Smokey Smokes", "Doctors Should Have Patience", "A Fish Story", "The Last Rose of Summer", "The Fly Guy", "Shedding the Profiteer, "The Sponge Man", "The Prize Dance", "Hypnotize Hooch", "The Hooch Ball", "Kiss Me", "Snap Judgement", "Why Change Your Husband", "Bear Facts, "Yes Dear"
  • 1921: "Too Much Pep", "The Chicken Thief", "The Skating Fool"