The Last Hungry Cat
Encyclopedia
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
. The voices were performed by Mel Blanc
and an un-credited June Foray
and Ben Frommer who voiced the Alfred Hitchcock caricature.
The cartoon is a parody of Alfred Hitchcock Presents
and contains a plot similar to both Hitchcock's movie Blackmail
and the previous cartoon short Birds Anonymous
.
— the shadow of a bear walking up to a silhouette of himself — appears in the opening segment. In a Hitchcock-like accent, the bear announces tonight's story "about a murder."
As Sylvester waits in an alley trash can, Granny bids Tweety good night. After Granny leaves to visit a neighbor, Sylvester sneaks into the apartment and stacks a bunch of furniture to reach the caged bird. However, Sylvester loses his balance, knocking down the cage and knocking himself unconscious. Tweety escapes unscathed but decides to hide in another room.
When Sylvester comes to, he notices a bird feather on his lip, shortly before he overhears Granny about to return home. Sylvester flees the apartment and down the alley, when "Hitchcock" begins talking to Sylvester — "Well, you did it, didn't you? You got rid of that helpless little bird, (and) menace to society once and for all" — suggesting to the cat that, while unconscious, he swallowed Tweety and that the canary is now dead. ("Sardines and milk wouldn't have done it. You had to commit murder.") Sylvester laughs off the suggestion that he committed murder and that he will probably get away with his actions, until he hears sirens and sees the newspaper headline "Police hunt 'The Cat'" (referring to a criminal who has menaced the city, although Sylvester worries he may be the suspect the authorities are after).
Sylvester flees to a nearest house to attempt to forget Hitchcock's taunts that he wishes "you could get away from your conscience." However, turning on the radio for music — the announcer flubs his lines to say, "Your local company will present gas chamber music ... I mean, your local gas company will present chamber music for your enjoyment" — and trying to read a story about a family of birds (the baby bird fits Tweety's description) turns the cat into a nervous wreck. The cat eventually wears a groove through the floor (and falls through it).
Eventually, a jittery Sylvester downs several cups of coffee and smokes six cigarettes before trying to get some sleep (see "Censorship"). However, he spends five agonizing hours in bed before snapping:
The cat eats handfuls of sedatives (again, see "Censorship"), then collapses into tears, crying that he is a normal pussy cat and that other cats have eaten birds ("I can't take it anymore! I just can't! After all, I am a pussycat with normal weaknesses. Other pussycats have eaten birds! Why pick on me?! Why?! (sobbing)). Hitchcock suggests to Sylvester that he give himself up and accept the consequences. The cat takes the recommendation to heart and flees to Granny's house to admit his "crime" ... until he sees the bird safe and sound, sleeping in his cage. Sylvester is overjoyed, grabs the bird and begins to kiss him. However, the taste of the bird leaves the cat wanting to eat his prey. Granny comes in just in time and shoos Sylvester away. Tweety observes, "That puddy tat gonna have an awful headache in da morning!"
Hitchcock attempts to relate the moral: "In the words of The Bard
, 'Conscience makes cowards of us all!'" Sylvester (offscreen) throws a brick at the bear and tells him: "Ah, shut up!". The bear says "Good evening," then walks off with a lump on his head, the lump also having grown on his outline as the cartoon fades out.
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,...
" cartoon animated short starring Tweety and Sylvester
Sylvester (Looney Tunes)
Sylvester J. Pussycat, Sr., Sylvester the Cat or simply Sylvester, is a fictional character, a three-time Academy Award-winning anthropomorphic Tuxedo cat in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies repertory, often chasing Tweety Bird, Speedy Gonzales, or Hippety Hopper...
. Released December 2, 1961, the cartoon is 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 Hawley Pratt
Hawley Pratt
Hawley Pratt was an American film director, animator, and illustrator. He is best known for his work during the heyday of Warner Bros. Cartoons and as the right-hand man of director Friz Freleng as a layout artist and later as a director...
. 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...
and an un-credited June Foray
June Foray
June Foray is an American voice actress, best known as the voice of many animated characters...
and Ben Frommer who voiced the Alfred Hitchcock caricature.
The cartoon is a parody of Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. By the premiere of the show on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades...
and contains a plot similar to both Hitchcock's movie Blackmail
Blackmail (1929 film)
Blackmail is a 1929 British thriller drama film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Anny Ondra, John Longden, and Cyril Ritchard, and featuring Donald Calthrop, Sara Allgood and Charles Paton. The film is based on the play Blackmail by Charles Bennett, as adapted by Hitchcock, with dialogue by...
and the previous cartoon short Birds Anonymous
Birds Anonymous
Birds Anonymous is a 1957 Merrie Melodies animated short, directed by Friz Freleng and written by Warren Foster, starring Tweety Bird, Sylvester and Sam...
.
Story
A caricature of Alfred HitchcockAlfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
— the shadow of a bear walking up to a silhouette of himself — appears in the opening segment. In a Hitchcock-like accent, the bear announces tonight's story "about a murder."
As Sylvester waits in an alley trash can, Granny bids Tweety good night. After Granny leaves to visit a neighbor, Sylvester sneaks into the apartment and stacks a bunch of furniture to reach the caged bird. However, Sylvester loses his balance, knocking down the cage and knocking himself unconscious. Tweety escapes unscathed but decides to hide in another room.
When Sylvester comes to, he notices a bird feather on his lip, shortly before he overhears Granny about to return home. Sylvester flees the apartment and down the alley, when "Hitchcock" begins talking to Sylvester — "Well, you did it, didn't you? You got rid of that helpless little bird, (and) menace to society once and for all" — suggesting to the cat that, while unconscious, he swallowed Tweety and that the canary is now dead. ("Sardines and milk wouldn't have done it. You had to commit murder.") Sylvester laughs off the suggestion that he committed murder and that he will probably get away with his actions, until he hears sirens and sees the newspaper headline "Police hunt 'The Cat'" (referring to a criminal who has menaced the city, although Sylvester worries he may be the suspect the authorities are after).
Sylvester flees to a nearest house to attempt to forget Hitchcock's taunts that he wishes "you could get away from your conscience." However, turning on the radio for music — the announcer flubs his lines to say, "Your local company will present gas chamber music ... I mean, your local gas company will present chamber music for your enjoyment" — and trying to read a story about a family of birds (the baby bird fits Tweety's description) turns the cat into a nervous wreck. The cat eventually wears a groove through the floor (and falls through it).
Eventually, a jittery Sylvester downs several cups of coffee and smokes six cigarettes before trying to get some sleep (see "Censorship"). However, he spends five agonizing hours in bed before snapping:
- 12:03 AM: Sylvester has hidden himself behind the bed.
- 1:21 AM: Sylvester is lying across the bed.
- 2:50 AM: Sylvester is lying in the bed, face down.
- 4:44 AM: Sylvester lies in the bed, his feet on the pillow.
- 5:07 AM: Sylvester lies in bed, his eyes are red, which the camera zooms to his eyes. He jumps up, screams and goes to get some sedatives.
The cat eats handfuls of sedatives (again, see "Censorship"), then collapses into tears, crying that he is a normal pussy cat and that other cats have eaten birds ("I can't take it anymore! I just can't! After all, I am a pussycat with normal weaknesses. Other pussycats have eaten birds! Why pick on me?! Why?! (sobbing)). Hitchcock suggests to Sylvester that he give himself up and accept the consequences. The cat takes the recommendation to heart and flees to Granny's house to admit his "crime" ... until he sees the bird safe and sound, sleeping in his cage. Sylvester is overjoyed, grabs the bird and begins to kiss him. However, the taste of the bird leaves the cat wanting to eat his prey. Granny comes in just in time and shoos Sylvester away. Tweety observes, "That puddy tat gonna have an awful headache in da morning!"
Hitchcock attempts to relate the moral: "In the words of The Bard
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
, 'Conscience makes cowards of us all!'" Sylvester (offscreen) throws a brick at the bear and tells him: "Ah, shut up!". The bear says "Good evening," then walks off with a lump on his head, the lump also having grown on his outline as the cartoon fades out.
Censorship
- On CBS, the part after Sylvester falls through the groove in the floor, where Sylvester is shown nervously chain-smoking and downing two cups of coffee was cut.
- On ABC, the part after Sylvester leaps out of bed screaming, where he runs in the bathroom and ingests a bottle of sleeping pills (while rubbing some under his arms and on his head), was cut. Also on ABC, the part where Granny beats Sylvester with a broom had the beatings shortened.
- The Cartoon Network version of this cartoon cuts out both drug scenes that were edited out on CBS and ABC. Formerly, Cartoon Network only edited out the scene of Sylvester chain-smoking and downing two cups of coffee while leaving the pill ingestion scene intact.
Availability
- "The Last Hungry Cat" can be found (uncensored and uncut) on the DVD collection Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3Looney 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 is also available on Looney Tunes Super Stars' Tweety & Sylvester: Feline FwenzyLooney Tunes Super Stars' Tweety & Sylvester: Feline Fwenzy"Looney Tunes Super Stars' Tweety & Sylvester: Feline Fwenzy is a DVD of fifteen Sylvester and Tweety cartoons that was released on November 30, 2010...
.