| A Tale of Two Kitties | |
|---|---|
 Blue Ribbon reissue title card | |
| Directed by | Robert Clampett |
| Story by | Warren Foster |
| Produced by | Leon Schlesinger |
| Music by | Carl W. Stalling |
| Animation by | Rod Scribner |
| Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 7 minutes (one reel) |
| Language | English |
A Tale of Two Kitties is a 1942 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Bob Clampett, written by Warren Foster, and features music by Carl W. Stalling. [1] The short was released on November 21, 1942, and features the debut of Tweety, originally named Orson until his second cartoon, who delivers the line that would become his catchphrase: "I tawt I taw a puddy tat!" [2]
The short was reissued as a Blue Ribbon cartoon on July 31, 1948. [3]
Plot
Two cats, Babbit and Catstello, are looking for food to alleviate their hunger. Babbit gets a ladder when they see a bird. Catstello is at first reluctant, but manages to go up the ladder, where he breaks the fourth wall and makes a direct jab at the movie industry's self-censorship bureau by making a reference to the middle finger ("If the Hays Office would only let me, I'd give him the 'boid,' all right!").
After several failed attempts, Babbit and Catstello construct a makeshift glider and try to swoop down and catch the bird, but the bird reports an air raid, followed by a blackout, and Catstello is shot down. The bird walks by acting as an air raid warden and demanding a "total bwackout", and just as Babbit and Catstello are about to catch him, the bird screams at the cats to turn out the lights.
Production Staff
- Supervision: Bob Clampett
- Story: Warren Foster
- Animation:
Rod Scribner
- Additional Animation: Robert McKimson, Sid Sutherland, Rev Chaney, Virgil Ross [4]
- Character Designs: Rod Scribner
- Layouts Artists: Michael Sasanoff, Bob Clampett
- Backgrounds: Richard H. Thomas
- Musical Direction: Carl Stalling
- Producer: Leon Schlesinger
Voice Characterizations
- Mel Blanc as Catstello, Tweety
- Tedd Pierce as Babbit
See also
- List of films in the public domain in the United States
- List of animated films in the public domain in the United States
References
- ^ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 135. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
- ^ Beck, Jerry (1991). I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat: Fifty Years of Sylvester and Tweety. New York: Henry Holt and Co. p. 35. ISBN 0-8050-1644-9.
- ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 52. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ "Bob Clampett's "A Tale Of Two Kitties" (1942) |". cartoonresearch.com. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
External links
- A Tale of Two Kitties at IMDb
- A Tale of Two Kitties on YouTube
- A Tale of Two Kitties at Cinemaniacal
- 1942 films
- 1940s English-language films
- 1942 short films
- 1942 animated films
- 1940s animated short films
- 1940s Warner Bros. animated short films
- American animated short films
- Merrie Melodies short films
- Tweety films
- Films based on real people
- Animation based on real people
- Cultural depictions of Abbott and Costello
- Animated films about cats
- Films directed by Bob Clampett
- Films produced by Leon Schlesinger
- Films scored by Carl Stalling
- Warner Bros. Cartoons animated short films
- Films with screenplays by Warren Foster
- Babbit and Catstello