The Catillac Cats
Encyclopedia
The Catillac Cats is the name of an animated series made in 1984
by DiC
. The Catillac Cats formed the second half of each episode of the animated series Heathcliff.
The segment starred a group of cats who lived in a junkyard. The group was headed by Riff-Raff, a short, tough, streetwise alley cat
whose main residence was one-half of an old transport plane which stood precariously at the top of a pile of junk overlooking the yard.
The other cats in the group were Hector, Wordsworth, and Mungo.
Hector, a brown Himalayan cat who speaks with a New Jersey
accent, was sometimes depicted as feeling that he should be the head of the group, and becomes so on some occasions, such as the episode "Hector's Takeover". Riff-Raff and Hector's conflicts formed the basis of a number of episodes.
Wordsworth, named after poet William Wordsworth
, is a white cat who wears roller skates, headphones, and goggles, and speaks in rhyme. Within the show, his full name is given as Wordsworth W. Wordsworth III.
Mungo is a large, dim-witted purple cat who acts as a lackey for Riff-Raff.In one episode, he falls off of a tightrope and Riff-Raff saves him. He does every thing he can to repay him. He then succeeds ,only to be rescued by Cleo.
Most episodes revolved around Riff-Raff's Get-rich-quick scheme
s or searches for food.
Riff-Raff had a girlfriend named Cleo (who possessed a curvaceous figure like most of the popular female cats seen) who did not live in the junkyard, but in a music store. The music store was constantly guarded by a sheepdog named Bush who had long hair and could not see where he was going (a running gag involved Riff-Raff entering the store, then Bush attempting to chase Riff-Raff out and breaking a musical instrument in the process). In the flashback episode "Christmas Memories", it is revealed that Cleo is in fact one of the Catillac Cats herself, even coining the name, and not simply a household pet who happens to be Riff-Raff's paramour. On more than one occasion, Riff-Raff ends up 'two-timing' Cleo with another female cat (accidental or otherwise). In fact, Riff-Raff agrees in one episode, Kitten Around, to "go steady" with Cleo, but immediately falls for another cat named Roxy. As expected, Cleo is furious and soon gets payback. Strangely enough, they both end up together again in the next episode.
that featured prominently in their adventures. Hector, Mungo, and Wordsworth were shown to live in the car in the junkyard, while Riff-Raff had a more palatial home made out of a portion of a passenger jumbo jet. The Cadillac itself had the ability to transform into an airboat and a camper. The camper possesses some additional parts, including a stove chimney and a TV antenna. When the car is shown transforming atop its customary mountain of trash, the extra parts are somewhat consistently shown to be shifted to stationary positions at the top of the junk pile (the chimney is even left attached to a small wood-burning stove always seen in the pile just below the car/camper). When the camper form is mobile, however, the parts simply vanish inside along with the other oddities of its transformation. In one episode, its car form was modified into a submarine. Despite usually being depicted with no tires, the Cadillac was also shown to be very fast (perhaps being the fastest car in the city). Its hood ornament was a silver trophy cup, and a blue and white striped wind-sock dangled from its radio antenna. Like all of the characters, the Cadillac was also featured in the credits (shifting from camper to car to boat).
and Bruno Bianchi, while Hector, Wordsworth, and Mungo were created specifically so they could appear in either series. The only time in which Heathcliff and Riff-Raff appear on-screen together is in the end credits, when Riff-Raff snatches his hat back from Heathcliff.
car company would have a problem, so throughout most of the first season, the gang name The Catillac Cats was not used until "Hector's Takeover." In the second season, the gang name was used more, suggesting that any concern that may have existed had been worked out.
Early Heathcliff VHS
releases used the spelling "The Cadillac Cats", until DiC put out an all 'Cats & Co' tape, which included the first use of the spelling "The Catillac Cats".
, the theme song gave Heathcliff and Riff-Raff equal treatment, highlighting the differences between them: Heathcliff the domesticated animal, Riff-Raff the alley cat, but both equally cunning and troublesome in their own ways — whereas the American version had put the whole emphasis on Heathcliff.
1984 in television
This article is a list of television-related events in 1984.-Events:*January 9 – Wendy's "Fluffy Bun" ad first airs, which propels Clara Peller and her "Where's the beef?" catchphrase to national prominence....
by DiC
DIC
- Science :* Differential interference contrast microscopy, an illumination technique in optical microscopy* Diisopropylcarbodiimide, a reagent in organic chemistry* Digital Integrating Computer, a digital implementation of a Differential Analyzer...
. The Catillac Cats formed the second half of each episode of the animated series Heathcliff.
The Gang
Cat
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...
whose main residence was one-half of an old transport plane which stood precariously at the top of a pile of junk overlooking the yard.
The other cats in the group were Hector, Wordsworth, and Mungo.
Hector, a brown Himalayan cat who speaks with a New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
accent, was sometimes depicted as feeling that he should be the head of the group, and becomes so on some occasions, such as the episode "Hector's Takeover". Riff-Raff and Hector's conflicts formed the basis of a number of episodes.
Wordsworth, named after poet William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication Lyrical Ballads....
, is a white cat who wears roller skates, headphones, and goggles, and speaks in rhyme. Within the show, his full name is given as Wordsworth W. Wordsworth III.
Mungo is a large, dim-witted purple cat who acts as a lackey for Riff-Raff.In one episode, he falls off of a tightrope and Riff-Raff saves him. He does every thing he can to repay him. He then succeeds ,only to be rescued by Cleo.
Most episodes revolved around Riff-Raff's Get-rich-quick scheme
Get-rich-quick scheme
A get-rich-quick scheme is a plan to acquire high rates of return for a small investment. The term "get rich quick" has been used to describe shady investments since at least the early 1900s....
s or searches for food.
Cleo
Leroy
Another character was Leroy, a dog who also lived in the junkyard. He and the Catillac Cats have a love-hate relationship: Leroy often tried to chase them out, to no avail, though other times he was cast in the light of an ally to them, helping them chase out other outsiders. In the Christmas episode, it is revealed that Leroy is part of a gang put in charge of guarding the junkyard. His name is attributed to the song "Bad Bad Leroy Brown".The red and white Cadillac
The group named itself the Catillac Cats after the red and white CadillacCadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
that featured prominently in their adventures. Hector, Mungo, and Wordsworth were shown to live in the car in the junkyard, while Riff-Raff had a more palatial home made out of a portion of a passenger jumbo jet. The Cadillac itself had the ability to transform into an airboat and a camper. The camper possesses some additional parts, including a stove chimney and a TV antenna. When the car is shown transforming atop its customary mountain of trash, the extra parts are somewhat consistently shown to be shifted to stationary positions at the top of the junk pile (the chimney is even left attached to a small wood-burning stove always seen in the pile just below the car/camper). When the camper form is mobile, however, the parts simply vanish inside along with the other oddities of its transformation. In one episode, its car form was modified into a submarine. Despite usually being depicted with no tires, the Cadillac was also shown to be very fast (perhaps being the fastest car in the city). Its hood ornament was a silver trophy cup, and a blue and white striped wind-sock dangled from its radio antenna. Like all of the characters, the Cadillac was also featured in the credits (shifting from camper to car to boat).
Heathcliff association
Although both Heathcliff and the Catillac Cats were set in the city of Westfinster, only Hector, Wordsworth and Mungo appeared in both segments. When the trio appeared in Heathcliff episodes, Hector was depicted as the leader of the group. Riff-Raff and Cleo never appeared in a Heathcliff episode (though Riff-Raff is present in a crowd scene cheering for Heathcliff as he fought a dog, and is mentioned a couple of times), and neither Heathcliff nor any other characters from the Heathcliff series (with the small exception of the fish store owner who did have a brief cameo in one Catillac Cats episode) ever appeared in a Catillac Cats episode. The reason is unclear, but some suspect that the McNaught company who owned Heathcliff did not want any outside characters appearing on Heathcliff. Riff-Raff and Cleo were primarily invented by Jean ChalopinJean Chalopin
Jean Chalopin is a French producer and writer. In 1971, Chalopin created the company DIC Audiovisuel, which later evolved into DIC Entertainment, and wrote and produced programs animated by Japanese studios. Jean Chalopin is married to Chinese/Singaporean ex-Model, Ethel Chalopin...
and Bruno Bianchi, while Hector, Wordsworth, and Mungo were created specifically so they could appear in either series. The only time in which Heathcliff and Riff-Raff appear on-screen together is in the end credits, when Riff-Raff snatches his hat back from Heathcliff.
Alternate title
In the end credits and on home videos, the Catillac Cats series is commonly referred to as Cats & Company, or Cats & Co. DiC did want the title to be The Catillac Cats, however the company was unsure if the CadillacCadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
car company would have a problem, so throughout most of the first season, the gang name The Catillac Cats was not used until "Hector's Takeover." In the second season, the gang name was used more, suggesting that any concern that may have existed had been worked out.
Early Heathcliff VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
releases used the spelling "The Cadillac Cats", until DiC put out an all 'Cats & Co' tape, which included the first use of the spelling "The Catillac Cats".
Foreign versions
When the series was broadcast in FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, the theme song gave Heathcliff and Riff-Raff equal treatment, highlighting the differences between them: Heathcliff the domesticated animal, Riff-Raff the alley cat, but both equally cunning and troublesome in their own ways — whereas the American version had put the whole emphasis on Heathcliff.
Main voice actors
- Riff-Raff - Stanley JonesStan Jones (actor)Gordon Stan Jones , sometimes credited as G. Stanley Jones, Staley Jones or Stanley Jones, was a Canadian film and television actor.-Career:...
, Charlie Adler (current) - Hector - Danny MannDanny MannDaniel "Danny" Mann is an American voice actor, writer, singer, musician, and production manager. He is best known for his voice of Hector from Heathcliff and the Catillac Cats, Freeway, Cloudraker and Lightspeed in Transformers, Backwoods Beagle in DuckTales, Kaltag in Balto, Ferdinand from Babe,...
- Mungo - Ted Zeigler
- Wordsworth - Stanley JonesStan Jones (actor)Gordon Stan Jones , sometimes credited as G. Stanley Jones, Staley Jones or Stanley Jones, was a Canadian film and television actor.-Career:...
- Cleo - Donna Christie, Jodi CarlisleJodi CarlisleJodi Carlisle is an American actress. She appeared in several television and film roles since 1982.-Voice work:Voice actress Jodi Carlisle has been doing voice work for a number of years, beginning on the cartoon series Pac Man in 1982...
(current) - Leroy - Ted Zeigler
- Bush - Danny WellsDanny WellsDanny Wells is a Canadian movie and television actor and voice actor. He is perhaps best known for his occasional role as Charlie the bartender on The Jeffersons as well as playing the role of the video game character Luigi, brother of Nintendo's mascot Mario, in the live-action segments of The...
External links
- Heathcliff and The Catillac Cats from Shout! FactoryShout! FactoryShout! Factory is an entertainment company founded in 2003 that was started by Richard Foos , Bob Emmer and Garson Foos initially as a specialty music label...
- Classic Nick Online profile