Tweetie Pie
Encyclopedia
Tweetie Pie is a 1947 Merrie Melodies
cartoon directed by Friz Freleng
and produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons
, depicting the first pairing of Tweety
and Sylvester
.
When Tweety's creator, director Bob Clampett
, left the Warner Bros. studio in 1946, he was working on a fourth film starring Tweety, whom he would pair with Friz Freleng’s Sylvester, who previously appeared with Porky Pig in his cartoon Kitty Kornered (released in 1946). Freleng adopted the Tweety project and merged it with a project he was working on—a follow-up to his second Sylvester cartoon, Peck Up Your Troubles
, featuring Sylvester in pursuit of a witty woodpecker. When Freleng decided to replace the woodpecker with Tweety, producer Eddie Selzer
objected, and Freleng threatened to quit. Selzer allowed Tweety to be used, and the resulting film went on to win WB's first Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons) which Selzer accepted. After Selzer's death, the Oscar was passed on to Freleng. The cartoon would also go on to become a phenomenal success, and Tweety would always be paired with Sylvester from that point on as a result, because the duo carried a high amount of star power (in the meantime, Sylvester continued to appear in a fair amount of cartoons without Tweety).
This cartoon, like many from the period, was reissued in the 1950s as a "Blue Ribbon" release, with all titles and credits replaced. However, some a.a.p.
prints are known to contain the original audio of the film, albeit with the Blue Ribbon titles (of note, this was only one of two Sylvester/Tweety pairings to be sold to a.a.p., the other being I Taw a Putty Tat
, which was named after one of Tweety's catchphrases – it, too, was given a Blue Ribbon reissue). In August 2011, a black-and-white print of the original opening credits was found by animation historian David Gerstein.
The cat tries to get back into the house through the chimney. Tweety puts wood in the fireplace, pours gasoline on it and lights it. The phoom sends Thomas flying right back up the chimney and into a bucket of frozen water.
However, Thomas gets back in the house via a window in the basement (or study) and creates a Rube Goldberg-esque
trap (virtually identical to one in Chuck Jones
' 1945 Porky Pig
short Trap Happy Porky) to capture Tweety, which of course, backfires and injures him instead.
Finally, Thomas tries to capture Tweety by running up to the attic and sawing a hole around Tweety's cage, but he ends up causing the entire inner ceiling to collapse (sans Tweety's cage, which is being held in place by a beam). The faux pas creates such a racket that Thomas is sure the mistress will come downstairs and wallop him, and so, he takes her broom, breaks it in half, and tosses the pieces into the fire. This proves to be a bad move, as he finds himself being walloped on the head repeatedly with a shovel...by Tweety.
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 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 produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons
Warner Bros. Cartoons
Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. was the in-house division of Warner Bros. Pictures during the Golden Age of American animation. One of the most successful animation studios in American media history, Warner Bros. Cartoons was primarily responsible for the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical...
, depicting the first pairing of Tweety
Tweety
Tweety Bird is a fictional Yellow Canary in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated cartoons. The name "Tweety" is a play on words, as it originally meant "sweetie", along with "tweet" being a typical English onomatopoeia for the sounds of birds...
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...
.
When Tweety's creator, director Bob Clampett
Bob Clampett
Robert Emerson "Bob" Clampett was an American animator, producer, director, and puppeteer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes animated series from Warner Bros., and the television shows Time for Beany and Beany and Cecil...
, left the Warner Bros. studio in 1946, he was working on a fourth film starring Tweety, whom he would pair with Friz Freleng’s Sylvester, who previously appeared with Porky Pig in his cartoon Kitty Kornered (released in 1946). Freleng adopted the Tweety project and merged it with a project he was working on—a follow-up to his second Sylvester cartoon, Peck Up Your Troubles
Peck Up Your Troubles
Peck Up Your Troubles is a 1945 animated short featuring Sylvester directed by Friz Freleng.-Plot:Sylvester is determined to get a woodpecker that just moved in, high in a tree. He climbs, but the bird greases the tree; he starts to cut it down, but a mean dog stops him...
, featuring Sylvester in pursuit of a witty woodpecker. When Freleng decided to replace the woodpecker with Tweety, producer 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....
objected, and Freleng threatened to quit. Selzer allowed Tweety to be used, and the resulting film went on to win WB's first Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons) which Selzer accepted. After Selzer's death, the Oscar was passed on to Freleng. The cartoon would also go on to become a phenomenal success, and Tweety would always be paired with Sylvester from that point on as a result, because the duo carried a high amount of star power (in the meantime, Sylvester continued to appear in a fair amount of cartoons without Tweety).
This cartoon, like many from the period, was reissued in the 1950s as a "Blue Ribbon" release, with all titles and credits replaced. However, some a.a.p.
Associated Artists Productions
Associated Artists Productions was a distributor of theatrical feature films and short subjects for television. It existed from 1953 to 1958. It was later folded into United Artists. The former a.a.p. library was later owned by MGM/UA Entertainment and then Turner Entertainment. Turner continues...
prints are known to contain the original audio of the film, albeit with the Blue Ribbon titles (of note, this was only one of two Sylvester/Tweety pairings to be sold to a.a.p., the other being I Taw a Putty Tat
I Taw a Putty Tat
I Taw a Putty Tat is a 1947 short animated cartoon, released in 1948, directed by Friz Freleng. It stars Tweety and Sylvester, both voiced by Mel Blanc...
, which was named after one of Tweety's catchphrases – it, too, was given a Blue Ribbon reissue). In August 2011, a black-and-white print of the original opening credits was found by animation historian David Gerstein.
Synopsis
As the cartoon begins, Thomas (as Sylvester is called in this film) captures Tweety, whom he finds cold outside in the snow. The cat's mistress, an unseen owner, saves the bird from being eaten by the cat, whom she promptly reprimands. Tweety is brought inside, and the mistress warns Thomas not to bother the bird. Ignoring this command, Thomas initiates a series of failed attempts to get Tweety from his cage, each ending in a noisy crash bringing the lady of the house to whack Thomas with a broom, and then finally, throw him out.The cat tries to get back into the house through the chimney. Tweety puts wood in the fireplace, pours gasoline on it and lights it. The phoom sends Thomas flying right back up the chimney and into a bucket of frozen water.
However, Thomas gets back in the house via a window in the basement (or study) and creates a Rube Goldberg-esque
Rube Goldberg machine
A Rube Goldberg machine, contraption, device, or apparatus is a deliberately over-engineered or overdone machine that performs a very simple task in a very complex fashion, usually including a chain reaction...
trap (virtually identical to one in 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...
' 1945 Porky Pig
Porky Pig
Porky Pig is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. He was the first character created by the studio to draw audiences based on his star power, and the animators created many critically acclaimed shorts using the fat little pig...
short Trap Happy Porky) to capture Tweety, which of course, backfires and injures him instead.
Finally, Thomas tries to capture Tweety by running up to the attic and sawing a hole around Tweety's cage, but he ends up causing the entire inner ceiling to collapse (sans Tweety's cage, which is being held in place by a beam). The faux pas creates such a racket that Thomas is sure the mistress will come downstairs and wallop him, and so, he takes her broom, breaks it in half, and tosses the pieces into the fire. This proves to be a bad move, as he finds himself being walloped on the head repeatedly with a shovel...by Tweety.
Availability
- Tweetie Pie is available with its Blue Ribbon title sequences on Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2 is a DVD box set that was released by Warner Home Video on November 2, 2004. It contains 60 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons and numerous supplements.-Related releases:...
and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation CollectionWarner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation CollectionDue 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...
.