Community hub
0 subscribers7 pages, 0 posts
Recent from talks
All channels
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Contribute something
Welcome to the community hub built to collect knowledge and have discussions related to Tweetie Pie.
Nothing was collected or created yet.
Tweetie Pie
View on Wikipediafrom Wikipedia
| Tweetie Pie | |
|---|---|
 Blue Ribbon rerelease title card | |
| Directed by | I. Freleng |
| Story by | Tedd Pierce Michael Maltese[1] |
| Starring | Mel Blanc Bea Benaderet[2] |
| Music by | Carl Stalling |
| Animation by | Gerry Chiniquy Manuel Perez Ken Champin Virgil Ross |
| Layouts by | Hawley Pratt |
| Backgrounds by | Terry Lind |
| Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 7:02 |
| Language | English |
Tweetie Pie is a 1947 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng.[3] The short was released on May 3, 1947, and stars Tweety with Sylvester, who is called "Thomas" in this cartoon.[4]
Tweetie Pie marks the first pairing of the characters Sylvester and Tweety, and it won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1947,[5] breaking Tom and Jerry's streak of four consecutive wins in the category and winning Warner Bros. Cartoons their first Academy Award.[6]
Plot
[edit]Thomas the Cat persistently endeavors to capture Tweety, a canary he discovers outside seeking warmth from a smoldering cigar stub amidst wintry conditions. Thomas's unseen owner intervenes just in time to prevent Tweety from becoming his prey, reprimanding Thomas for his predatory instinct. Despite explicit instructions to leave Tweety undisturbed, Thomas repeatedly attempts to seize him from his cage, each endeavor culminating in calamitous failures that attract his owner's admonishment and physical chastisement.
Employing cunning stratagems, Tweety manipulates Thomas, feigning distress to provoke a response and later resorting to self-defense by pricking Thomas's palm with a pin, inducing him to relinquish his hold. Subsequent efforts by Thomas to reenter the domicile through the chimney and a basement window are thwarted by Tweety's resourcefulness, resulting in comedic misadventures and Thomas's successive humiliations.
Undeterred by setbacks, Thomas devises an elaborate contraption to ensnare Tweety, yet his scheme precipitates his own injury instead. In a final, ill-fated endeavor to capture Tweety, Thomas inadvertently triggers a catastrophic collapse of the attic ceiling, prompting a frenzied response in which he destroys his owner's broom in a futile attempt to evade retribution. Ultimately, Thomas finds himself on the receiving end of punishment, administered not by his owner, but by the diminutive Tweety, who disparagingly dubs him a "bad ol' putty tat".
Production
[edit]In 1945, Bob Clampett, the original creator of Tweety, conceived the idea for a fourth cartoon in which he is paired with Friz Freleng's Sylvester the Cat. This proposed cartoon, tentatively titled Fat Rat and the Stupid Cat, aimed to be the first collaboration between Sylvester and Tweety.[7] However, Clampett's departure from Warner Bros. in May led to the cancellation of the project during pre-production. His final Tweety cartoon, A Gruesome Twosome, was released a month later. Meanwhile, Freleng took a liking to Clampett's bird character, but would redesign Tweety with a coat of yellow feathers, and smaller feet. The production of Tweetie Pie would begin in June 1945.[8]
According to the documentary Friz on Film, producer Edward Selzer initially prevented Freleng from using Tweety for his new short, as he felt that pairing him with Sylvester was impractical.[8] Instead he insisted that Freleng use the woodpecker from Peck Up Your Troubles, thinking he was it was a better adversary. Freleng's insistence on using Tweety led to a confrontation in which he threatened Selzer to make the cartoon himself before storming back home.[9] Selzer eventually relented later that night, allowing the collaboration. The resulting film earned Warner Bros. Cartoons its first Oscar, an accolade initially accepted by Selzer and later inherited by Freleng after Selzer's passing in 1970.[10]
This successful pairing cemented Tweety and Sylvester as a popular duo, ensuring their continued partnership in subsequent appearances due to their substantial star power. However, Sylvester also featured in numerous shorts without Tweety, notably in the Hippety Hopper series alongside Sylvester Jr., directed by Robert McKimson. Additionally, Sylvester appeared alongside Speedy Gonzales in cartoons supervised by both Freleng and McKimson, earning another Oscar in 1955 for their collaboration.
Home media
[edit]Although the cartoon was re-released into the Blue Ribbon program in 1955, the cartoon's original titles are known to exist.[11] When re-released, like most Merrie Melodies at the time, the original ending bullet titles were kept. On the following sets, the Blue Ribbon re-release print is available. The original titles were found in 2011 and it is unknown if Warner Bros. is aware of their existence, since the Platinum Collection set released in 2012 still had the Blue Ribbon titles.
- VHS – The Best Of Bugs Bunny and Friends
- VHS – Little Tweety and Little Inki Cartoon Festival featuring "I Taw a Putty Tat"
- VHS – Tweety and Sylvester
- VHS – The Golden Age Of Looney Tunes Volume 6: Friz Freleng
- VHS – Looney Tunes Collectors Edition Volume 15: A Battle Of Wits
- Laserdisc – The Golden Age of Looney Tunes Volume 1, Side 6
- DVD – Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2, Disc 3
- DVD – Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection: 15 Winners, Disc 1
- Blu-ray – Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1, Disc 1
See also
[edit]- Gift Wrapped, a similar cartoon where Sylvester tries to eat Tweety on a snowy day with their owner trying to stop the latter, except being more Christmas-themed.
References
[edit]- ^ Beck, Jerry (1991). I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat: Fifty Years of Sylvester and Tweety. New York: Henry Holt and Co. p. 90. ISBN 0-8050-1644-9.
- ^ Scott, Keith (2022). Cartoon Voices from the Golden Age, 1930-70. BearManor Media. pp. 68–69. ISBN 979-8-88771-010-5.
- ^ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 174. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
- ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 151–152. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ Tweetie Pie, retrieved January 16, 2018
- ^ Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood Official Guide. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. 2015. pp. 12–15.
- ^ "A116Animation". profilesinhistory.com. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- ^ a b "Bob Clampett's "A Gruesome Twosome" (1945) |". cartoonresearch.com. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ Bittersweet Cartoon (August 15, 2019). Friz Freleng - DOCUMENTARY Friz on Film. Retrieved August 27, 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ Sperling, Millner, and Warner (1998), pp. 187–188.
- ^ "Tweety's lost titles". Cartoon Brew. August 24, 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
External links
[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to Tweetie Pie.
- Tweetie Pie at IMDb
Tweetie Pie
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Synopsis and Characters
Plot Summary
"Tweetie Pie" opens on a cold winter day, with Thomas the cat spotting the young canary Tweety shivering outside and warming himself beside a lit cigar butt in the snow. Thomas pounces to capture Tweety, but his unseen mistress intervenes just in time, scolding the cat and rescuing the bird to bring him inside the house for shelter.[6] Once indoors, the woman hangs Tweety's cage from the ceiling and sternly warns Thomas, "If you so much as touch that bird, I'll throw you out in the cold," before leaving the room. Eager to devour Tweety despite the threat, Thomas begins stacking chairs and tables to form a makeshift ladder toward the cage, but the structure topples with a crash, alerting the woman who whacks him repeatedly with a broom. Undaunted, Thomas next straps a tabletop fan to his back as an improvised propeller to reach the bird, only for Tweety to unplug the cord mid-air, sending the cat plummeting to the floor.[6][7] In his subsequent attempt, Thomas lowers himself stealthily using a fishing line, but Tweety spots him and taunts, "I tawt I taw a puddy tat," while banging pots, pans, and other household objects to create a racket that draws the woman's attention; Thomas quickly feigns sleep to escape punishment. He then tries to trap Tweety under a glass, but the bird escapes by pricking the cat's paw with a straight pin, causing Thomas to howl in pain and slam into the ceiling, which brings the woman running to deliver another broom beating and eject him through the window.[6][8] Thomas sneaks back inside via the chimney, prompting Tweety to stuff it with firewood, douse it with gasoline from a can, and ignite it with a match, resulting in a massive explosion that blasts the cat down into a washtub filled with icy water. Recovering in the basement, Thomas devises an elaborate Rube Goldberg contraption involving pulleys and weights to snare Tweety, but the mechanism malfunctions catastrophically, slamming him against walls and leaving him singed and sore.[6] The escalating chases culminate in the attic, where Thomas saws through the floorboards around the dangling cage in an effort to make it fall, but only the surrounding ceiling collapses on him while the cage remains suspended. Tweety then grabs a nearby shovel and wallops the cat over the head, chirping, "Bad ol' puddy tat!" as the woman arrives to intervene once more, punishing Thomas repeatedly before the short fades out.[6][8] Spanning a brisk seven-minute runtime, the narrative builds methodically from Thomas's initial outdoor pursuit to a frenzy of indoor gags, establishing the dynamic between the predatory cat and the resourceful bird.[6]Characters
Tweety is portrayed as a yellow canary bird designed as a plump fledgling with an exaggerated appearance of innocence, featuring a large head, big eyes, and a fragile, baby-like build that contrasts with his resourceful nature.[9] His personality emerges as clever and sassy, using his seemingly helpless demeanor to outwit threats in deceptive ways. In this debut pairing, Tweety is voiced by Mel Blanc, delivering lines in a high-pitched, lisping, baby-like speech pattern that emphasizes his childlike facade.[10] Sylvester, initially named "Thomas" by his owner in the short, is a black-and-white tuxedo cat characterized by a sly and perpetually hungry demeanor, driven by an insatiable appetite for the bird.[11] His design includes distinctive white markings on the face, paws, and underbelly, with wide, expressive eyes that facilitate exaggerated comedic reactions during failed pursuits. In this short, he is mute, relying on physical comedy and expressions.[1] The elderly human owner, retrospectively identified as Granny, serves as a stern disciplinarian who rescues Tweety and repeatedly intervenes to punish Sylvester for his predatory attempts, maintaining order in the household. The owner is depicted as an unseen elderly woman, later established as Granny in subsequent shorts, who repeatedly intervenes armed with a household tool like a broom. Voiced by Bea Benaderet, her authoritative tone underscores her protective role toward the bird.[12] "Tweetie Pie" introduces the iconic duo dynamics of Sylvester and Tweety, marking their first predator-prey chase and establishing the slapstick formula of the cat's cunning but bungled schemes against the bird's ingenious defenses, which would define dozens of subsequent shorts.[11]Production
Development
The development of Tweetie Pie originated from an unproduced concept by director Bob Clampett in 1945, during his work on the short A Gruesome Twosome, which featured two cats pursuing a bird character visually resembling Tweety in a chase scenario. Clampett had further planned a dedicated pairing of his bird creation with Friz Freleng's Sylvester the Cat in a storyboarded project tentatively titled Fat Rat and the Stupid Cat, intended as Tweety's fourth short, but it remained dormant after Clampett departed Warner Bros. on May 1, 1945.[11] Following Clampett's exit, Freleng revived and adapted the idea for his own production, shifting the focus to a comedic chase dynamic between Sylvester and Tweety while Clampett's more exaggerated, sometimes grotesque style evolved into Freleng's signature timing-based humor. Producer Edward Selzer initially objected to incorporating Tweety, suggesting instead a sequel to Freleng's 1945 short Peck Up Your Troubles that would pair Sylvester with a woodpecker antagonist, but relented after Freleng threatened to resign, allowing the concept to proceed with an emphasis on slapstick pursuit rather than darker elements.[13] Scripting for Tweetie Pie aligned with early 1947 production timelines at Warner Bros., reflecting broader post-World War II trends in animation that favored escapist, lighthearted animal antics to provide audiences relief from wartime austerity and propaganda shorts. Writers Tedd Pierce and Michael Maltese crafted the story around domestic mischief and failed predation, tying into the studio's return to character-driven comedies that highlighted personality clashes over conflict-heavy narratives. This approach helped solidify the Sylvester-Tweety duo as a staple of Merrie Melodies, prioritizing broad appeal through rhythmic gags and visual irony.[14]Animation and Direction
"Tweetie Pie" was directed by Friz Freleng, whose approach emphasized precise rhythmic timing in the chase sequences, drawing from his established techniques in prior Merrie Melodies productions where action was synchronized to musical beats using bar sheets for planning.[15] This style contributed to the short's dynamic pacing and comedic flow, marking Freleng's first collaboration pairing Sylvester and Tweety.[1] Voice acting played a key role in the production, with Mel Blanc delivering the raspy, lisping dialogue for both Sylvester, including the signature exclamation "Sufferin' succotash," and Tweety, including the childlike lisp and phrases like "I tawt I taw a puddy tat," which helped define the bird's innocent yet sly persona in this first pairing with Sylvester; Blanc also provided voices for incidental characters.[16] Bea Benaderet voiced the woman, the cat's owner.[17] The animation team, consisting of Gerry Chiniquy, Manuel Perez, Ken Champin, and Virgil Ross, employed classic squash-and-stretch principles to exaggerate physical gags, such as Sylvester's exaggerated falls and impacts for heightened comedic effect.[16] Layouts by Hawley Pratt established the cozy domestic interior setting, enhancing the contrast between the home's warmth and the chaotic pursuits within it.[4] Backgrounds were painted by Terry Lind, providing detailed, atmospheric support to the action.[4] Carl Stalling composed the musical score, blending original orchestrations with cues from the Warner Bros. music library to underscore the humor, particularly amplifying the irony of Sylvester's repeated failures through syncopated rhythms and familiar motifs.[18][19]Release
Theatrical Release and Awards
Tweetie Pie premiered theatrically on May 3, 1947, as a Merrie Melodies animated short film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.[1] The short was released during the post-World War II era, when Merrie Melodies cartoons typically served as supporting entertainment before live-action feature films in theaters.[20] At the 20th Academy Awards held on March 20, 1948, Tweetie Pie won the Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons), with producer Edward Selzer accepting the honor on behalf of Warner Bros. Cartoons.[21] This marked the studio's first Oscar victory in the category and the inaugural win for a Sylvester and Tweety pairing, ending a four-year streak of wins by MGM's Tom and Jerry series.[22] The short received a Blue Ribbon reissue on June 25, 1955, as part of Warner Bros.' program to re-release select older cartoons with new title cards and opening sequences, though original titles have since been recovered and restored in archival versions.[23]Home Media
"Tweetie Pie" became available for home viewing through various physical and digital formats following its theatrical run, with releases emphasizing restorations and format advancements over time. Early VHS releases appeared in Warner Home Video compilations during the late 1980s and early 1990s, including the 1993 tape "Sylvester & Tweety's Tale Feathers," which featured classic Sylvester and Tweety shorts alongside the 1947 Oscar winner.[24] In the DVD era, the short was included in the "Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2" set released by Warner Home Video on June 29, 2004, presenting the original 1947 version with its intact title card and audio commentary.[25] The 2011 "Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1" Blu-ray edition, however, utilized the 1955 Blue Ribbon reissue print due to temporary issues with sourcing the original title card, despite the unrestored original elements being rediscovered that same year; this three-disc set offered HD upgrades for 50 cartoons, marking a shift toward high-definition home media.[26] A notable dedicated release came with the 2014 DVD "Tweety Pie & Friends" from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, compiling 15 Tweety-focused shorts in standard definition, available in both NTSC and PAL formats for regional compatibility.[27] Blu-ray and streaming options expanded accessibility in the 2020s. As of 2025, "Tweetie Pie" streams in HD on Max (formerly HBO Max), benefiting from recent remastering efforts to enhance color and clarity for digital platforms.[28] These evolutions reflect Warner Bros.' ongoing commitment to preserving and updating classic animation for modern audiences, with PAL/NTSC variations ensuring global availability across editions.Reception and Legacy
Critical Reception
Upon its release in 1947, Tweetie Pie garnered praise in trade publications for its innovative introduction of the cat-and-bird duo under Friz Freleng's direction, which effectively blended slapstick antics with character-driven humor, generating early Oscar buzz that culminated in a win for Best Animated Short Film.[29][30][21] In modern critiques, animation historian Jerry Beck has described the short as a pivotal turning point in Looney Tunes comedy, establishing the enduring dynamic between the characters and showcasing Freleng's precise gag timing in retrospectives like I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat: Fifty Years of Sylvester and Tweety.[31] Similarly, Jerry Beck's Looney Tunes: The Ultimate Visual Guide commends the short's rhythmic pacing and visual wit, positioning it as a high point in Warner Bros.' post-war animation output.[32] Critics have commonly praised Tweetie Pie for its skillful balance of cute, innocent charm and violent, exaggerated slapstick, a hallmark of the era's Merrie Melodies style that appealed to both children and adults.[11] While some retrospective analyses note dated stereotypes in supporting elements like the elderly female character's portrayal, such critiques remain minimal in 2020s scholarship focused on the short's comedic legacy.[30] Among audiences, the short maintains strong appeal, earning a 7.1/10 rating on IMDb as of 2025 from over 1,600 votes, predominantly from fans of classic cartoons who appreciate its foundational role in the franchise.[1]Cultural Impact
Tweetie Pie introduced the iconic rivalry between Sylvester the cat and Tweety Bird, marking their first on-screen pairing and establishing a dynamic that became central to Warner Bros. animation during the 1950s, with the duo appearing together in dozens of subsequent shorts.[1] This predator-prey chase, characterized by Sylvester's futile attempts to capture the clever Tweety, defined a significant portion of the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies output, influencing the franchise's comedic formula for cat-and-bird antics.[33] Tweety's distinctive lisping catchphrases, such as "bad ol' putty tat," permeated pop culture, appearing in parodies across television and inspiring references in shows like The Simpsons, while the characters' popularity drove merchandise like toys and apparel starting in the 1950s.[34] The short's legacy extended to reinforcing predator-prey tropes in animation, paralleling the cat-mouse pursuits in the earlier Tom and Jerry series and shaping similar dynamics in later works.[35] In broader media, Tweetie Pie laid the foundation for the 1990s animated series The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries, which aired from 1995 to 2002 and featured the characters solving global crimes alongside Granny and Hector the bulldog.[36] Recent streaming revivals in 2025, including nearly 800 classic Looney Tunes shorts on platforms like Tubi, have highlighted the pairing's lasting appeal as a key factor in the franchise's resurgence.[37] The short's archival significance was affirmed in 2011 when animation historian David Gerstein uncovered its original black-and-white opening titles and credits in the Warner Bros. archives, elements long missing from the print due to a 1955 reissue edit, aiding preservation efforts for early Hollywood animation.[38]References
- https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Tweetie_Pie