A Tale of Two Kitties
| A Tale of Two Kitties | |
|---|---|
| Merrie Melodies (Tweety/Babbit and Catstello) series | |
 Blue Ribbon reissue title card | |
| Directed by | Bob Clampett |
| Produced by | Leon Schlesinger |
| Story by | Warren Foster |
| Voices by |
Mel Blanc Tedd Pierce (uncredited) |
| Music by | Carl W. Stalling |
| Animation by |
Rod Scribner Additional Animation: Robert McKimson (uncr.) Sid Sutherland (uncr.) Revalee Chaney (uncr.) Virgil Ross (uncr.)[1] |
| Layouts by | Bob Clampett (uncr.)[1] |
| Backgrounds by | Richard H. Thomas (uncr.)[1] |
| Studio | Leon Schlesinger Studios |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | November 21, 1942 (USA) |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Running time | 7 minutes (one reel) |
| Language | English |
| Preceded by | Wacky Blackout |
| Followed by | Birdy And The Beast |
A Tale of Two Kitties is an American Merrie Melodies cartoon, released in 1942, notable for the first appearance of a flesh colored 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".
Cast
Mel Blanc as Tweety and Catstello (uncredited)
Tedd Pierce as Babbit (uncredited)
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Influences in other media
I did, I taw a putty tat!
- This short is referenced in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, where Eddie Valiant finds Tweety when he hangs from the pole of a building. Tweety drops Eddie by playing "This Little Piggy" in the exact manner as he does in this short.
- In the Mighty Mouse 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 Show "The Return of Batduck", Plucky says "Is there an insurance salesman in the audience?" as Catstello does in this film.
See also
References
External links
- A Tale of Two Kitties at the Internet Movie Database
- A Tale of Two Kitties on YouTube
- A Tale of Two Kitties at Cinemaniacal