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A Tale of Two Kitties is an American Merrie Melodies cartoon, released in 1942, notable for the first appearance of a flesh colored canary, who would come to be known as Tweety. It was directed by Bob Clampett, written by Warren Foster, and features music by Carl W. Stalling. It was also the first appearance of Babbit and Catstello, based on the popular comedy duo Abbott and Costello. The title is an obvious pun on the Charles Dickens classic, A Tale of Two Cities.
| A Tale of Two Kitties | |
|---|---|
| Merrie Melodies (Tweety/Babbit and Catstello) series | |
Blue Ribbon reissue title card | |
| Directed by | Supervision: Bob Clampett |
| Produced by | Leon Schlesinger |
| Story by | Warren Foster |
| Voices by | Mel Blanc Tedd Pierce (both uncr.) |
| Music by | Musical direction: Carl W. Stalling Orchestra: Milt Franklyn (uncr.) |
| Animation by | Character animation: Rod Scribner Robert McKimson (uncr.) Sid Sutherland (uncr.) Revalee Chaney (uncr.) Virgil Ross (uncr.) Effects animation: A.C. Gamer (uncr.) |
| Layouts by | Character and background layout: Bob Clampett (uncr.) |
| Backgrounds by | Background paint: Richard H. Thomas (uncr.) |
| Studio | Leon Schlesinger Productions |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Release date(s) | November 21, 1942 (USA) |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Running time | 7 minutes (one reel) |
| Language | English |
| Preceded by | none |
| Followed by | Wacky Blackout |
It is one of many a.a.p.-owned cartoons to fall in the public domain, as United Artists did not renew the copyright in time. It is one of the rejuvenated cartoons released to DVD commercially on Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 5.
Even in this initial appearance, Tweety reveals early on that his cute appearance masks a willingness to be merciless, even sadistic, towards anyone who threatens him. After slipping one of the cats a bomb which explodes (offscreen), the bird remarks, "Aw, da poor putty tat - he cwushed his widdow head!" Followed by a big grin. (This line was patterned after a catchphrase from a Red Skelton character, and would be used in other Warner cartoons, such as Easter Yeggs.)
The bird was unnamed in the short, although at the time the staff called it "Orson". This is one of the few Tweety shorts that did not feature his main antagonist Sylvester the Cat; at that time, Sylvester was cast as a prototype (as seen in the 1941 short Notes to You) and would not make his official debut until 1945, in Life with Feathers.
"A Tale of Two Kitties" is notable for an early reference to the middle finger, with a direct shot at the movie industry's censorship bureau. Babbitt said to Catstello, "Give me the bird! Give me the bird!" Catstello broke the fourth wall and said to the audience, "If the Hays Office would only let me, I'd give him the bird, all right!"
Screenplay
Play media- Mel Blanc as Tweety and Catstello (uncredited)
- Tedd Pierce as Babbit
- Supervision: Robert Clampett
- Story: Warren Foster
- Animation: Rod Scribner, Robert McKimson, Sid Sutherland, Revalee Chaney, Virgil Ross
- Layout: Robert Clampett, Rod Scribner
- Backgrounds: Richard H. Thomas
- Film Editor: Treg Brown
- Voice Characterization: Mel Blanc, Tedd Pierce
- Musical Direction: Carl W. Stalling
- Orchestrations: Milt Franklyn
- Produced by: Leon Schlesinger
I did, I taw a putty tat!
- This short is referenced in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, where Eddie Valiant finds Tweety when he hangs from the pole of a building. Tweety drops Eddie by playing "This Little Piggy" in the exact manner as he does in this short.
- In the Mighty Mouse short Prehistoric Perils, Oil Can Harry uses the same tactic to drop Pearl Pureheart off a power line.
- In an episode of The Plucky Duck Show "The Return of Batduck", Plucky says "Is there an insurance salesman in the audience?" as Catstello does in this film.
Early in the cartoon, Catstello calls his partner "Abbott" instead of "Babbit". When Babbit tries to lift up Catstello, who has just fallen off the ladder, Catstello says "Don't push me, Abbott".
- List of films in the public domain in the United States
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