A Tale of Two Kitties
Encyclopedia
A Tale of Two Kitties is an American cartoon
, released in 1942, notable for the first appearance of A yellow canary, who would come to be known as Tweety
. It was directed by Bob Clampett
, written by Warren Foster
, and features music by Carl W. Stalling. It was also the first appearance of Babbit and Catstello, based on the popular comedy duo Abbott and Costello
. The title is an obvious pun on the Charles Dickens
classic, A Tale of Two Cities
.
It is one of many a.a.p.
-owned cartoons to fall in the public domain
, as United Artists
did not renew the copyright in time. It was released to DVD commercially on Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 5
.
Even in this initial appearance, Tweety reveals early on that his cute appearance masks a willingness to be merciless, even sadistic, towards anyone who threatens him. After slipping one of the cats a bomb
which explodes (offscreen), the bird remarks, "Aw, da poor putty tat - he cwushed his widdow head!" Followed by a big grin. (This line was patterned after a catchphrase from a Red Skelton
character, and would be used in other Warner cartoons, such as Easter Yeggs
.)
The bird was unnamed in the short, although at the time the staff called it "Orson".
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
, released in 1942, notable for the first appearance of A yellow canary, who would come to be known as Tweety
Tweety
Tweety Bird is a fictional Yellow Canary in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated cartoons. The name "Tweety" is a play on words, as it originally meant "sweetie", along with "tweet" being a typical English onomatopoeia for the sounds of birds...
. It was directed by Bob Clampett
Bob Clampett
Robert Emerson "Bob" Clampett was an American animator, producer, director, and puppeteer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes animated series from Warner Bros., and the television shows Time for Beany and Beany and Cecil...
, written by Warren Foster
Warren Foster
Warren Foster , was a writer, cartoonist and composer for the animation division of Warner Brothers and later with Hanna-Barbera....
, and features music by Carl W. Stalling. It was also the first appearance of Babbit and Catstello, based on the popular comedy duo Abbott and Costello
Abbott and Costello
William "Bud" Abbott and Lou Costello performed together as Abbott and Costello, an American comedy duo whose work on stage, radio, film and television made them the most popular comedy team during the 1940s and 1950s...
. The title is an obvious pun on the Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
classic, A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities is a novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. With well over 200 million copies sold, it ranks among the most famous works in the history of fictional literature....
.
It is one of many a.a.p.
Associated Artists Productions
Associated Artists Productions was a distributor of theatrical feature films and short subjects for television. It existed from 1953 to 1958. It was later folded into United Artists. The former a.a.p. library was later owned by MGM/UA Entertainment and then Turner Entertainment. Turner continues...
-owned cartoons to fall in the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
, as United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
did not renew the copyright in time. It was released to DVD commercially on Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 5
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 5
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 5 is a Looney Tunes collection on DVD. Following the pattern of one release each year of the previous volumes, it was released on October 30, 2007....
.
Even in this initial appearance, Tweety reveals early on that his cute appearance masks a willingness to be merciless, even sadistic, towards anyone who threatens him. After slipping one of the cats a bomb
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
which explodes (offscreen), the bird remarks, "Aw, da poor putty tat - he cwushed his widdow head!" Followed by a big grin. (This line was patterned after a catchphrase from a Red Skelton
Red Skelton
Richard Bernard "Red" Skelton was an American comedian who is best known as a top radio and television star from 1937 to 1971. Skelton's show business career began in his teens as a circus clown and went on to vaudeville, Broadway, films, radio, TV, night clubs and casinos, all while pursuing...
character, and would be used in other Warner cartoons, such as Easter Yeggs
Easter Yeggs
Easter Yeggs is a 1947 Looney Tunes animated short originally released theatrically on June 28, 1947. The title is a play on "Easter eggs" and on "yegg", a slang term for a burglar or safecracker....
.)
The bird was unnamed in the short, although at the time the staff called it "Orson".
Influences in other media
- This short is referenced in Who Framed Roger RabbitWho Framed Roger RabbitWho Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 American fantasy-comedy-noir film directed by Robert Zemeckis and released by Touchstone Pictures. The film combines live action and animation, and is based on Gary K. Wolf's novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, which depicts a world in which cartoon characters...
, where Eddie Valiant finds Tweety when he hangs from the pole of a building. Tweety drops Eddie by playing "This Little PiggyThis Little Piggy"This Little Piggy" or "This little pig" is an English language nursery rhyme and fingerplay. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 19297.-Lyrics:The most common modern version is:-Origins:...
" in the exact manner as he does in this short. - In the Mighty MouseMighty MouseMighty Mouse is an animated superhero mouse character created by the Terrytoons studio for 20th Century Fox.-History:The character was created by story man Izzy Klein as a super-powered housefly named Superfly. Studio head Paul Terry changed the character into a cartoon mouse instead...
short Prehistoric Perils, Oil Can Harry uses the same tactic to drop Pearl Pureheart off a power line. - In an episode of The Plucky Duck ShowThe Plucky Duck ShowSteven Spielberg Presents The Plucky Duck Show, usually referred to as The Plucky Duck Show, was an animated television series created by Warner Bros. It was a short-lived spin-off of Tiny Toon Adventures, the first collaboration between Steven Spielberg and the newly reborn Warner Bros. Animation...
"The Return of Batduck", Plucky says "Is there an insurance salesman in the audience?" as Catstello does in this film.
Censorship
- The cartoon takes a direct shot at the then-censorship bureau known as the Hays Office. Catstello is atop a ladder trying to reach Tweety. Babbit is at the bottom of the ladder, yelling to his corpulent pal, "Give me the bird! Give me the bird!" Catstello turns to the audienceFourth wallThe fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
and says in his BrooklynBrooklynBrooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
ese way, "If da Hays Office would only let me... I'd give him 'da boid' all right" (with the "Boid" being a euphemism for "the fingerFinger (gesture)In Western culture, the finger , also known as the middle finger, is an obscene hand gesture, often meaning the phrases "fuck off" , "fuck you" or "up yours"...
"). The WB removed that line when the short aired on "The Bugs N' Daffy Show".
External links
- A Tale of Two Kitties at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- A Tale of Two Kitties at Cinemaniacal