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Top Cat
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Top Cat was a Hanna-Barbera prime time animated television series which ran from September 27, 1961 to April 18, 1962 for a run of 30 episodes on the ABC network on Wednesdays. Re-runs may now be seen on Boomerang which is a sub-division of Cartoon Network.
central character, Top Cat — called T.C. by close friends, "providing it's with dignity" as the lyrics of the theme song say — is the leader of a gang of New York alley cats: Fancy-Fancy, Spook, Benny the Ball, The Brain, and Choo Choo.
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Encyclopedia
Top Cat was a Hanna-Barbera prime time animated television series which ran from September 27, 1961 to April 18, 1962 for a run of 30 episodes on the ABC network on Wednesdays. Re-runs may now be seen on Boomerang which is a sub-division of Cartoon Network.
History and treatment
The central character, Top Cat — called T.C. by close friends, "providing it's with dignity" as the lyrics of the theme song say — is the leader of a gang of New York alley cats: Fancy-Fancy, Spook, Benny the Ball, The Brain, and Choo Choo. Top Cat and his gang were inspired by characters from the popular situation comedy The Phil Silvers Show. It has also been said that the Bowery Boys influenced the show. Maurice Gosfield, who played Private Duane Doberman on The Phil Silvers Show, also provided the voice for Benny the Ball in Top Cat (Benny's rotund appearance was based on Gosfield too). Arnold Stang's voicing of Top Cat strongly resembled Phil Silvers' voice as well.
A frequent plotline revolved around the local policeman, Officer Charlie Dibble, and his ineffective attempts to evict the gang from the alley. The only reason that he wanted to be rid of them was that Top Cat and his gang were constantly attempting to earn a quick dollar—usually through an illegal scam. Dibble's appearance was modelled on Allen Jenkins who did his voice. The name Dibble has passed into the vernacular as slang for police officers.
Characters
Top Cat
Top Cat, a yellow cat with violet hat and vest, is the eponymous protagonist of the series and leader of the gang of cats around which the series revolves. Top Cat is laid-back and persuasive, a leader who can also be a friend. Top Cat's leadership is sometimes challenged by the rest of the gang, particularly when he has done something particularly shameful. Resolution of the revolt usually comes as capitulation by Top Cat to the will of the gang. One such incident features in "Dibble's Birthday" where Top Cat plans to give away all of Dibble's birthday gifts.
Benny the Ball
Benny is one of Top Cat's right-hand men. He is short, chubby, naive, and cute, an indigo-coloured cat with a white sweater that fastens with a single button at his neck. Benny may appear to be simple-minded, but he manages to ask the most logical questions during the gang's erratic endeavors. He is slow, not stupid. The gang relationship between Benny and Top Cat is based on a devoted friendship between them. An example of the lengths to which Top Cat will go to help Benny is illustrated by the episode "A visit from Mother" in which Top Cat arranges for Benny to appear to be the mayor of New York City. A number of episodes have focused on Benny, including "The Violin Player", "The Unscratchables" and "The Missing Heir". Benny the Ball is modeled after his voice actor Maurice Gosfield.
Choo-Choo
Choo-Choo aka Chooch is another of Top Cat's right-hand men, usually his second in command, and is enthusiastic and devoted to Top Cat even when he’s clueless on what he’s doing. He is a pink cat with a white long-sleeve turtle-neck shirt, is the tallest of the alley gang cats, and often is depicted with the eyes of a Siamese cat. He lives at the fire house as the fire house cat as seen in one episode. He had a couple of love crushes [“Choo-choo's romance”, “Choo-choo goes gaga-gaga”], however unlike Fancy-Fancy or Top Cat, Choo-Choo has no courage talking to girls.
Brain
Brain appears to be a common henchman to Top Cat. Brain is the dim-witted member of the alley gang, an orange cat with a purple shirt. Brain is notorious for being unable to keep a secret, and for his stuttering. He also seems to be in charge of the group's money (which they rarely have)
Fancy-Fancy
Fancy-Fancy appears to be a common henchman to Top Cat. He is laid-back, sweet-talking and is regularly seen chatting up the ladies before leaving them when hearing the 'dustbin lid call', a dark orange cat with a white scarf. He resembles Spook in appearance, and his voice and character were based on Cary Grant.
Spook
Spook rarely speaks in the episodes, but when he does, a torrent of "like"'s are used. He is similar to Fancy-Fancy in demeanor and appearance, a sweet talking cat whose vernacular is based on that of a beatnik. He is a pool shark with green fur and a black tie.
Officer Dibble
Officer Dibble is the policeman whose beat includes the alley. Though he usually resents the gang's presence in the alley, there are times when he respects and loves them, but wants Top Cat aka TC to clean up the alley, and to stay off his telephone.
Cameos
In one of the episodes T.C and his friends are reading comic books. If you look at the right and look at the bottom you will see a Yogi Bear and a Huckleberry Hound comic.
In another episode, the gang is wandering through a museum at night when they come upon a group of statues labled "Prehistoric Man." Choo-Choo insists that he's seen the figures before, "...maybe on T.V.," but Top Cat waves this off. Of course, the statues are modeled after Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble.
In "A visit from mother" episode "El Kabong" (Quick Draw McGraw’s alter-ego) sing is seen in the background.
Episode list
- "Hawaii Here We Come" (Sep 27, 1961)
- "Maharajah of Pookajee" (Oct 4, 1961)
- "All That Jazz" (Oct 11, 1961)
- "The $1,000,000 Derby" (Oct 18, 1961)
- "The Violin Player" (Oct 25, 1961)
- "The Missing Heir" (Nov 1, 1961)
- "Top Cat Falls In Love" (Nov 8, 1961)
- "A Visit From Mother" (Nov 15, 1961)
- "Naked Town" (Nov 22, 1961)
- "Sergeant Top Cat" (Nov 29, 1961)
- "Choo-Choo's Romance" (Dec 6, 1961)
- "The Unscratchables" (Dec 13, 1961)
- "Rafeefleas" (Dec 20, 1961)
- "The Tycoon" (Dec 27, 1961)
- "The Long Hot Winter" (Jan 3, 1962)
- "The Case of the Absent Anteater" (Jan 10, 1962)
- "T.C. Minds the Baby" (Jan 17, 1962)
- "Farewell, Mr. Dibble" (Jan 24, 1962)
- "The Grand Tour" (Jan 31, 1962)
- "The Golden Fleecing" (Feb 7, 1962)
- "Space Monkey" (Feb 14, 1962)
- "The Late T.C." (Feb 21, 1962)
- "Dibble's Birthday" (Feb 28, 1962)
- "Choo-Choo Goes Ga-Ga" (Mar 7, 1962)
- "King for a Day" (Mar 14, 1962)
- "The Con Men" (Mar 21, 1962)
- "Dibble Breaks the Record" (Mar 28, 1962)
- "Dibble Sings Again" (Apr 4, 1962)
- "Griswald" (Apr 11, 1962)
- "Dibble's Double" (Apr 18, 1962)
Cast
Broadcast history
USA
Canada
United Kingdom
- Boomerang (UK & Ireland)
- British Broadcasting Corporation
Southeast Asia
Australia
India
Latin America
DVD releases
In the USA, a boxset with all 30 episodes has been released.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date | Additional Information |
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| Top Cat- The Complete Series | 30 | December 7 2004 |
- Commentary on various episodes
- Back to Hoagy's Alley: The Making of Top Cat (retrospective featurette)
- Interviews: Cool Cats in Interview Alley
- Top Cat sing-along
- Production Sketches: Top Cat Collection (art, stills, sketches, backgrounds)
- Storyboards: Storyboard Showcase
- TV Spot: Top Cat Kellogg's commercials
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In the UK, the series has instead been divided into single DVD volumes, except for at HMV which stocks an exclusive complete boxset.
Other Appearances
- Top Cat and his gang appeared in Yogi's Ark Lark. While the others don't have dialogue, Top Cat was voiced by Daws Butler while Benny the Ball was voice by John Stephenson. It was presumed that Arnold Stang and Maurice Gosfield weren't available at the time.
- In 1985, Top Cat appeared on Yogi's Treasure Hunt with all the other Hanna-Barbera characters; he was the one who assigned the treasure hunts. Officer Dibble made an appearance in the episode "Yogi's Beanstalk" voiced by John Stephenson.
- In the "Fender Bender 500" segment of Wake, Rattle, and Roll, Top Cat and Choo Choo were one of the racers driving a trash can-modeled monster truck called the Alley Cat.
- In 1991, Top Cat became a teenage cat (but he still lived in a trash can) on NBC's Yo Yogi! voiced by Arte Johnson.
- Top Cat was seen in a Cartoon Network Rap in 1995.
- Top Cat and his gang appeared in the Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law episode "Mindless" with Top Cat and Choo Choo voiced by Tom Kenny, Benny the Ball voiced by Maurice LaMarche, and Fancy-Fancy voiced by Chris Edgerly. The Brain has no dialogue and Spook is nowhere to be seen. In that episode, Harvey Birdman takes Top Cat and his gang home. Top Cat gets sued for bookmaking and running an illegal gambling service out of Harvey's home. He is found guilty and is sentenced to probation.
Comic Books
The gang's adventures continued off-screen in comic books as Dell (which became Gold Key) published 31 issues from 1961 to 1970. Charlton Comics published 20 more issues from 1970 to 1973.
In Mexico, El Coleccion Primavera featured Don Gato in 1968.
Books
Little Golden Books and Durabooks have both produced hardcover children's books starring Top Cat.
View-Master
T.C. and friends appeared on three View-Master reels in 1962. These were titled "Medal for Meddling," "Zoo-Operation," and "No Cat Fishing."
Music
The Original TV Soundtrack was released by Colpix Records.
In 1965, Hanna-Barbera Records released an LP titled "Robin Hood Starring Top Cat." T.C. and the gang were pictured as merry men on the cover. Songs included Top Cat, M-O-N-E-Y, Dibble, Robin Hood, and Buddies. It was re-released in 1977 on Columbia Records' Special Products label.
A jazzy arrangement of the Top Cat theme can be heard most weeks over the end credits of Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour.
International broadcasters
Canada
Top Cat was among the first programs aired on CTV. The country's first private television network commenced broadcasts in October 1961.
Mexico and Latin America
In spite of the modest success of the show in the United States, the show was a massive hit in Mexico where it is recognized as one of the most famous Hanna Barbera characters ever, being as popular as the Flinstones. In Mexico the show was aired under the name Don Gato y su pandilla (literally Mr. Cat and his gang, but stands for Mr. Top Cat or just Top Cat like in America) and the main characters adopted accents from different regions of Mexico. Besides Top Cat, all the other characters from the show were very famous: Benny was renamed Benito B. Bodoque y B. and given a more child-like voice than was the case in the original dubbing, Choo Choo was renamed Cucho and spoke with a strong Yucatan accent, Fancy-Fancy was Panza (pot belly), Spook renamed as the word's rough translation Espanto, The Brain was called Demóstenes (honouring the Greek statesman Demosthenes, with whom he shares a speech impediment) and Officer Dibble renamed as Oficial Carlitos Matute. Top Cat is still rerun every few years.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the show was first aired on BBC television (now called BBC One) but renamed Boss Cat shortly after it premiered in 1962 because Top Cat was also the name of a brand of cat food. The dialogue and theme tune still referred to the character by his original name but a small cut was made in the opening credits (resulting in a slight 'jump' in the film) and a title card added before the episode proper. The new name was last used for a repeat run in 1989; by the time the series was next aired in 1999 the 'Top Cat' food brand had long since disappeared, allowing the original title to be used. This continues to be the case in the showings on Boomerang and BBC Two.
India
Top Cat was one of the early favorites on the Cartoon Network. It was aired in India in the 1990s.
Other languages
External links
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