A Tale of Two Kitties

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.[2] The short was released on November 21, 1942, and features Tweety in his debut, who delivers the line that would become his catchphrase: "I tawt I taw a puddy tat!"[3]

This article is about the 1942 film. For the 2006 film, see Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties.
A Tale of Two Kitties
Blue Ribbon reissue title card
Directed byRobert Clampett
Produced byLeon Schlesinger
Story byWarren Foster
Starring
Music by
Edited byTreg Brown (uncredited)
Animation by
Layouts byRobert Clampett (uncredited)[1]
Backgrounds byRichard H. Thomas (uncredited)[1]
Color processTechnicolor
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • November 21, 1942 (1942-11-21)
Running time
7 minutes (one reel)
LanguageEnglish

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. 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 shut down. The bird walks by, and just as Babbit and Catstello are about to catch him, the bird screams at the cats to "TURN OUT THOSE LIGHTS!"

Voice cast

Home media
  • (1988) VHS - Cartoon Moviestars: Tweety and Sylvester
  • (1991) VHS - The Golden Age of Looney Tunes Volume 2: Firsts
  • (1991) LaserDisc - The Golden Age of Looney Tunes Volume 1,Side 2: Firsts
  • (2005) DVD - They Died With Their Boots On, Blue Ribbon reissue titles, 1995 Turner dubbed version
  • (2007) DVD - Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 5, Disc 3
  • (2007) DVD - Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection: Volume 5, Disc 2
  • (2011) Blu-ray, DVD - Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1, Disc 1
  • (2020) Streaming - HBO Max

Production notes
  • This short subject is notable for being Tweety's debut, although the bird was known as Orson in this short, according to the staff. The cartoon 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.
  • 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.) This is one of the few Tweety shorts that did not feature his main antagonist Sylvester, who would make his official debut in Life with Feathers (1945).
  • A Tale of Two Kitties is remarkable for a clearly adult reference in 1942. Catstello, breaking the fourth wall, takes a direct shot at the Hays Office, making a thinly-veiled reference to giving the middle finger.
  • The short was reissued as a Blue Ribbon cartoon on July 31, 1948.[4] Associated Artists Productions acquired the short's distribution rights for television. United Artists, the successor of A.A.P.'s ownership, failed to renew the copyright in time in 1970, so the short is now in the public domain in the United States. As such, it can be found on bootleg home video VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray sets.

See also

References
  1. "Bob Clampett's "A Tale Of Two Kitties" (1942) |". cartoonresearch.com. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 52. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
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