A Tale of Two Kitties

This article is about the 1942 film. For the 2006 film, see Garfield: A Tail 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.^[1] The short was released on November 21, 1942, and features the debut of Tweety, originally named Orson until his second cartoon, who delivers the line that would become his catchphrase: "I tawt I taw a puddy tat!"^[2]

A Tale of Two Kitties
Blue Ribbon reissue title card
Directed by	Robert Clampett
Story by	Warren Foster
Produced by	Leon Schlesinger
Music by	Carl W. Stalling
Animation by	Rod Scribner
Color process	Technicolor
Production company	Leon Schlesinger Productions
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date	November 21, 1942 (1942-11-21)
Running time	7 minutes (one reel)
Language	English

The film

The short was reissued as a Blue Ribbon cartoon on July 31, 1948.^[3]

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, where he breaks the fourth wall and makes a direct jab at the movie industry's self-censorship bureau by making a reference to the middle finger ("If the Hays Office would only let me, I'd give him the 'boid,' all right!").

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 shot down. The bird walks by acting as an air raid warden and demanding a "total bwackout", and just as Babbit and Catstello are about to catch him, the bird screams at the cats to turn out the lights.

Production Staff

• Supervision: Bob Clampett
• Story: Warren Foster
• Animation: Rod Scribner
  • Additional Animation: Robert McKimson, Sid Sutherland, Rev Chaney, Virgil Ross^[4]
  • Character Designs: Rod Scribner
• Layouts Artists: Michael Sasanoff, Bob Clampett
• Backgrounds: Richard H. Thomas
• Musical Direction: Carl Stalling
• Producer: Leon Schlesinger

Voice Characterizations

• Mel Blanc as Catstello, Tweety
• Tedd Pierce as Babbit

See also

• List of films in the public domain in the United States
• List of animated films in the public domain in the United States

References

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 52. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
4. "Bob Clampett's "A Tale Of Two Kitties" (1942) |". cartoonresearch.com. Retrieved April 9, 2024.

External links

• A Tale of Two Kitties at IMDb
• A Tale of Two Kitties on YouTube
• A Tale of Two Kitties at Cinemaniacal