Birds Anonymous
Encyclopedia
Birds Anonymous is a 1957 Merrie Melodies
animated short, directed by Friz Freleng
and written by Warren Foster
, starring Tweety Bird, Sylvester
and Sam. The voices were performed by Mel Blanc
.
The film is a lighthearted parody
of 1950s melodrama
s about substance abuse and drug recovery groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous
.
s who have banded together to overcome their addictions to bird
s. Sylvester lives by this motto: "Birds is strictly for the birds!"
However, Sylvester's resolve begins to break down after a short time, primarily due to constant temptation since he still lives in the same house as Tweety. The temptations begins to grow even more after he hears TV commercials featuring a stuffed turkey and bird-themed songs on the radio. Sylvester valiantly makes many attempts to control his baser urges, even physically chaining himself to a radiator at one point. After Tweety asks the cat, "Don't you wike me anymore?" Sylvester replies, "I think... I think... I think you're... I think you're... DELICIOUS!" and makes another grab for Tweety, only to be stopped by his cat friend again.
Sylvester in unable to sleep that night, and eventually gives in to his basic instincts to try and grab Tweety, but is stopped again when his cat friend pours alum in his mouth. Sylvester then attempts to literally drink Tweety through a straw but fails. Ashamed of his weakness, Sylvester collapses into sobs ("I can't stand it! I gotta have a bird! I'm weak! I'm weak, but I don't care! I can't help it! After all, I am a pussycat!"), but the cat friend consoles him, telling him severe withdrawal
symptoms are all part of the process, and that if he stays with the "Birds Anonymous" program, he will eventually succeed and come to love birds, as he does. However, when the cat kisses Tweety to prove his point, years of his denial take their toll and the B.A. cat attempts to devour Tweety himself, this time with Sylvester restraining him and telling him to control himself.
Tweety, escaping to a nearby counter, watches and sums up the whole affair with a shrug: "Like I said before: Once a bad ol' puddy tat, always a bad ol' puddy tat!"
(the creation of the junior Termite Terrace director, Chuck Jones
). The voice of the second B.A. bird was used by Blanc for the love-bird in Life With Feathers
, among other places.
The premise of this cartoon would be adapted into The Last Hungry Cat
later with Sylvester trying on his own to get rid of his hunger for Tweety.
for Best Animated Short Film in 1957 beating Tabasco Road
starring Speedy Gonzales
and his drunk friends; both shorts were eventually given Blue Ribbon reissues. When Eddie Selzer
died, the statuette was passed on to Mel Blanc, who said that this was his favorite cartoon to do voices for, especially when it came to Sylvester.
s third act "The Oswalds". , Birds Anonymous can also be found, uncut and restored, on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3
and on Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection
.
Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies is the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures between 1931 and 1969.Originally produced by Harman-Ising Pictures, Merrie Melodies were produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions from 1933 to 1944. Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. in 1944,...
animated short, directed by Friz Freleng
Friz Freleng
Isadore "Friz" Freleng was an animator, cartoonist, director, and producer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros....
and 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....
, starring Tweety Bird, Sylvester
Sylvester
Sylvester is a name derived from the Latin adjective silvestris meaning "wooded" or "wild", which derives from the noun silva meaning "woodland". Classical Latin spells this with i. In Classical Latin y represented a separate sound distinct from i, not a native Latin sound but one used in...
and Sam. The voices were performed by Mel Blanc
Mel Blanc
Melvin Jerome "Mel" Blanc was an American voice actor and comedian. Although he began his nearly six-decade-long career performing in radio commercials, Blanc is best remembered for his work with Warner Bros...
.
The film is a lighthearted parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of 1950s melodrama
Melodrama
The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
s about substance abuse and drug recovery groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
.
Plot
The short opens with Sylvester once again attempting to catch Tweety, this time succeeding and closing the blinds to hide the evidence. Before he can eat Tweety, however, he is interrupted by a crimson, erudite, milquetoast cat (named "Clarence" or "Sam" in some sources but unnamed in the short itself), who tells him that his constant cravings for Tweety are a sign of profound personal weakness, and that the only way for him to overcome this weakness is to kick the habit for good. Believing that he is in need of help, Sylvester proudly joins "Birds Anonymous", a group of catCat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s who have banded together to overcome their addictions to bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s. Sylvester lives by this motto: "Birds is strictly for the birds!"
However, Sylvester's resolve begins to break down after a short time, primarily due to constant temptation since he still lives in the same house as Tweety. The temptations begins to grow even more after he hears TV commercials featuring a stuffed turkey and bird-themed songs on the radio. Sylvester valiantly makes many attempts to control his baser urges, even physically chaining himself to a radiator at one point. After Tweety asks the cat, "Don't you wike me anymore?" Sylvester replies, "I think... I think... I think you're... I think you're... DELICIOUS!" and makes another grab for Tweety, only to be stopped by his cat friend again.
Sylvester in unable to sleep that night, and eventually gives in to his basic instincts to try and grab Tweety, but is stopped again when his cat friend pours alum in his mouth. Sylvester then attempts to literally drink Tweety through a straw but fails. Ashamed of his weakness, Sylvester collapses into sobs ("I can't stand it! I gotta have a bird! I'm weak! I'm weak, but I don't care! I can't help it! After all, I am a pussycat!"), but the cat friend consoles him, telling him severe withdrawal
Withdrawal
Withdrawal can refer to any sort of separation, but is most commonly used to describe the group of symptoms that occurs upon the abrupt discontinuation/separation or a decrease in dosage of the intake of medications, recreational drugs, and alcohol...
symptoms are all part of the process, and that if he stays with the "Birds Anonymous" program, he will eventually succeed and come to love birds, as he does. However, when the cat kisses Tweety to prove his point, years of his denial take their toll and the B.A. cat attempts to devour Tweety himself, this time with Sylvester restraining him and telling him to control himself.
Tweety, escaping to a nearby counter, watches and sums up the whole affair with a shrug: "Like I said before: Once a bad ol' puddy tat, always a bad ol' puddy tat!"
Production
The voice of the erudite, milquetoast cat's (retroactively named Clarence in modern Looney Tunes comics) sounds similar to Marvin the MartianMarvin the Martian
Marvin the Martian is a fictional character appearing in the Looney Tunes cartoons. Marvin's likeness appears in miniature on the Spirit rover on Mars.-Conception and creation:...
(the creation of the junior Termite Terrace director, Chuck Jones
Chuck Jones
Charles Martin "Chuck" Jones was an American animator, cartoon artist, screenwriter, producer, and director of animated films, most memorably of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts for the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio...
). The voice of the second B.A. bird was used by Blanc for the love-bird in Life With Feathers
Life With Feathers
Life with Feathers is a 1945 Merrie Melodies cartoon, directed by Friz Freleng and produced and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Animated Short Film...
, among other places.
The premise of this cartoon would be adapted into The Last Hungry Cat
The Last Hungry Cat
The Last Hungry Cat is a "Merrie Melodies" cartoon animated short starring Tweety and Sylvester. Released December 2, 1961, the cartoon is directed by Friz Freleng and Hawley Pratt...
later with Sylvester trying on his own to get rid of his hunger for Tweety.
Honors
Birds Anonymous won the Academy AwardAcademy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for Best Animated Short Film in 1957 beating Tabasco Road
Tabasco Road
Tabasco Road is a 1957 Speedy Gonzales cartoon, part of the Looney Tunes series.It was an Academy Award nominee for best short subject but it lost out to Birds Anonymous...
starring Speedy Gonzales
Speedy Gonzales
Speedy Gonzales is an animated caricature of a mouse in the Warner Brothers Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. He is portrayed as "The Fastest Mouse in all Mexico" with his major traits being the ability to run extremely fast and speaking with an exaggerated Mexican accent...
and his drunk friends; both shorts were eventually given Blue Ribbon reissues. When Eddie Selzer
Eddie Selzer
Edward "Eddie" Selzer was an American film producer, most noted for been the producer of Warner Bros. Cartoons from 1944 to 1957....
died, the statuette was passed on to Mel Blanc, who said that this was his favorite cartoon to do voices for, especially when it came to Sylvester.
Availability
This film appeared in The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny MovieThe Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie
The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie is a 1981 Looney Tunes film with a compilation of classic Warner Bros. cartoon shorts and animated bridging sequences produced by Friz Freleng, hosted by Bugs Bunny...
s third act "The Oswalds". , Birds Anonymous can also be found, uncut and restored, on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3 is a DVD box set from Warner Home Video that was released on October 25, 2005. It contains 60 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical short subject cartoons, 9 documentaries, 32 commentary tracks from animators and historians, 11 "vintage treasures from...
and on Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection
Due to the success of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection and Popeye DVD series, Warner Home Video issued a 3-DVD set on February 12, 2008 showcasing the various animation properties that they own including their home-grown product Looney Tunes...
.