First, that is, of a occasional series of tributes to lesser known WB
shorts of the 30s-early 50s.
This one was only the second animated theatrical short released by
Warner Bros.Inc. and was (c)1948, "The Vitaphone Cor****ation",inc., to
be included in the post-1948 Warners package.
As mentioned a number of times on this newsgroup since the 1990s, the
monicker "post-48" is misleading, since that meant cartoons
copyrighted on or after September 1,1948 when this came out BEFORE
(and a number that, if in Cinecolor, would have come out as pre-48's
by terms of the oldtime "A.A.P." packages, but being in Technicolor,
such as "Hare Do","****ky Chops") 9/1/48.
The cartoon was one of a small handful, most of those the one its
director did, that were printed by the small Cinecolor lab, which
used two sided film emulsion prints (unlike classic Technicolor, which
only uses one side-the non-soundtrack side). Film-Tech.com and Marty
Hart's site, would have more details(forgot the exact ones, hey, I'm
not in the processing business :)) .
As with the other Cinecolor releases (which Columbia and Paramount
tried-see Jerry Beck's site-http://www.cartoonresearch.com.
and go to
CARTOON LOGOS or ORIGINAL TITLES, whatever), this one came out
earlier. (The first two Warner Bros.color cartoons were made in an
early version of the process.They were "Honeymoon Hotel", and "Beauty
and the Beast"-no, not the Disney BatB! This had a catchy Ruby-Kalmar
song that would be the theme for 1933 to 1936-vintage Looney Tunes in
the chorus.Technicolor used their two-color process for Warner
Bros.cartoons until 1936's "I Wanna Play House",the first full-color
Warner cartoon.)
The production ID is "#1088", and the MPAA certificate "#12578".
It has a big goofy cat Heathcliff, big loveably luggish oaf who'sjust
inherited from an unseen and unheard and now un-alive master, who has
decided that after death, the greedy New Yorkese parrot Louie (HOW
FITTING!!!) shall get the booty,. The classic story peg is turned
around in the six attempts when the cat foils the attempts inclduing
na long "Happy Birthday" bit with a "deus ex machina" about "My Birth
certificate". But watch for the surprise ending and play title
reference/joke that closes it.Uses brown rings at open but reprinted
by Technicolor (which explains the more fulelr richer color in
afterschool showins on television) with the same blue rings as is the
case for a number of other cartoons like "Holiday for Drumsticks" &
"Odor of the Day", two other 1948-49 release season Cinecolor shorts
and as used on other Blue Ribbon releases of the period's cartoons, as
reissued in all casesmentioned in this paragraph in 1957-1959, also
used on half of those seasons's "blue rings" scheme (the other being
the one that openeed the the reissue print that "The Hypo-Chondri-
Cat","It's Hummertime",etc.got in 1957-1959).
Mel Blanc for once in a one-shot in a while voiced both chaarcters,
the only ones seen (the briefly seen bulldog not talking but Mel
usually did those characters anyway,he also did the the radio voice
and the kazoo, guess these Cinecolor shorts were REAL cheap!). The
cartoon was directed by Arthur Davis. Heathcliff is NOT the cat Blanc
would voice in a series of awful Georgre Gately Garfield-like comci
strip adapations.Heathcliff has the standard high pitched dumb voice
of Mel, and the parrott has Mel's Henery Hawk/"Upstanding Sitter" and
"Broken Leghorn" wiseass chciken voice (I love those voices!)
Despite this being from 1948, and the usual "retro-Technicolor
restoration" for the Cinecolor 1948 release, I always thought it was
made in 1945 due to the gags and stuff (Art David,along with Robert
McKimson really stayed to the Bob Clampett cause--just like John
Kricfalusi!).
As Madonna sang on "Bedtime Stories"--
"Take a BOW!"
"I'm THREE" "YOU'RE FOUR!"
"I am NOT--I'm THREE!"I;''m only 3--whoops,wrong short.
PS-Happy birthday also to Susan Olsen of the Brady Bunch and its
wretched Brady Bastardization from Filmation.BTW
PS-no PS (whoops, as Britney woudl say--wrong short.I did it again )
"I've tasted chocolate, and I'm never goin' back"-Amanda Bynes, as
"Penny Pingleton", in the song "Without Love"-"Hairspray" (2007)
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