Kitty Kornered
Encyclopedia
Kitty Kornered is a 1946 Looney Tunes
cartoon, directed by Robert Clampett and produced and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. Considered among Clampett's best and wackiest films, Kitty Kornered was Clampett's final cartoon starring his longtime star Porky Pig
(although he made a cameo in Clampett's next cartoon The Great Piggy Bank Robbery
as a train driver), and marks the only appearance of the (then unnamed) Sylvester the cat
in a Clampett-directed cartoon and only one of two times Sylvester spoke in a Porky Pig cartoon. It was also the first appearance of Sylvester in the Looney Tunes series.
Porky and Sylvester would later be paired in a trio of shorts directed by Chuck Jones
: Scaredy Cat
, Claws for Alarm
, and Jumpin' Jupiter
. Both also co-starred (with Daffy Duck
, which has a sped-up version of Sylvester's voice, including the lisp) in The Scarlet Pumpernickel
(the only other time Sylvester spoke in a Porky Pig cartoon).
), a medium sized tabby, a diminutive kitten, and a dumb drunkard cat) throw him out. Porky falls into the snow. Sticking his face out (and now resembling Santa Claus), Porky states that he hates pussycats. Porky bangs on the door, demanding to be let in, but the cats pop out of the door and proclaim in unison, "Milkman, keep those bottles quiet!", and then slam the door in his face.
While the cats are lounging around, Porky throws open the window while making an incredibly menacing face. He chases them around the house until one of them throws him into a teapot. Porky retaliates by setting his pet dog "Lassie" on the cats. The cats see the dog's shadow and run for their lives, not knowing that "Lassie" is really only a shadow puppet created with Porky's fingers.
When the cat with the lisp finds out that they've been tricked, he and the others plot revenge, which is exacted by having the cats create a War of the Worlds-esque sensation about invading aliens, placing the fear of God in their porcine owner and driving him into a panic over "M-M-Me-M-Me-M-M-M-Me-M-Me-M-Men from Mars!". Assuming the appearances of Theodore Roosevelt
and his Rough Riders
cavalry (in reference to the then-popular film Arsenic and Old Lace
), the cats charge at Porky and run him out of the house once and for all. Homeless, alone, and cold in the snow, Porky turns to the camera and asks "Pardon me, but d-d-does anybody in the audience kn-kn-know somebody that kn-knows somebody that, uh, that has a house to rent?"
short The Great Piggy Bank Robbery
), only the sound effect is heard.
Character-wise, the still anonymous Sylvester
appears in the film, with a black nose and yellow eyes. He is joined by, among others, a drunk cat with the red nose, gray fur, big lips, and saggy jowls who was popular enough to appear in several later cartoons such as in the Rolling Stones music video Harlem Shuffle (with art by Ralph Bakshi
and John Kricfalusi
); in a few episodes of Tiny Toon Adventures
; an episode of The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries
; and among the many cats in Tweety's High-Flying Adventure.
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
cartoon, directed by Robert Clampett and produced and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. Considered among Clampett's best and wackiest films, Kitty Kornered was Clampett's final cartoon starring his longtime star 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...
(although he made a cameo in Clampett's next cartoon The Great Piggy Bank Robbery
The Great Piggy Bank Robbery
The Great Piggy Bank Robbery is a Warner Brothers Looney Tunes theatrical cartoon short, produced in early 1945, and released in 1946. It was directed by Robert Clampett, and features Daffy Duck in Clampett's penultimate Warner cartoon and final Daffy Duck cartoon, produced shortly before he left...
as a train driver), and marks the only appearance of the (then unnamed) Sylvester the cat
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...
in a Clampett-directed cartoon and only one of two times Sylvester spoke in a Porky Pig cartoon. It was also the first appearance of Sylvester in the Looney Tunes series.
Porky and Sylvester would later be paired in a trio of shorts directed by 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...
: Scaredy Cat
Scaredy Cat
Scaredy Cat is a 1948 Merrie Melodies cartoon, directed by Chuck Jones and produced and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was the first of three Jones cartoons which placed Porky Pig and Sylvester the cat in a spooky setting where only Sylvester was aware of the danger - the other two films...
, Claws for Alarm
Claws for Alarm
Claws for Alarm is a 1954 Merrie Melodies cartoon, directed by Chuck Jones and produced and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was the second of three cartoons teaming Porky Pig and Sylvester the cat in a spooky setting where only Sylvester is aware of the danger the pair are in...
, and Jumpin' Jupiter
Jumpin' Jupiter
Jumpin' Jupiter is a 1955 cartoon in the Merrie Melodies series starring Porky Pig and Sylvester. It is the last of a series of three horror-themed cartoons that starred the duo, with the other two being Scaredy Cat and Claws for Alarm...
. Both also co-starred (with Daffy Duck
Daffy Duck
Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons, often running the gamut between being the best friend and sometimes arch-rival of Bugs Bunny...
, which has a sped-up version of Sylvester's voice, including the lisp) in The Scarlet Pumpernickel
The Scarlet Pumpernickel
The Scarlet Pumpernickel is a 1949 animated Warner Bros. Looney Tunes theatrical cartoon short released in 1950, directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese....
(the only other time Sylvester spoke in a Porky Pig cartoon).
Synopsis
The neighborhood's cat owners all (literally) throw their cats out for the night. Porky Pig attempts to do the same, but his four cats (a tall black and white lisping cat (SylvesterSylvester (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...
), a medium sized tabby, a diminutive kitten, and a dumb drunkard cat) throw him out. Porky falls into the snow. Sticking his face out (and now resembling Santa Claus), Porky states that he hates pussycats. Porky bangs on the door, demanding to be let in, but the cats pop out of the door and proclaim in unison, "Milkman, keep those bottles quiet!", and then slam the door in his face.
While the cats are lounging around, Porky throws open the window while making an incredibly menacing face. He chases them around the house until one of them throws him into a teapot. Porky retaliates by setting his pet dog "Lassie" on the cats. The cats see the dog's shadow and run for their lives, not knowing that "Lassie" is really only a shadow puppet created with Porky's fingers.
When the cat with the lisp finds out that they've been tricked, he and the others plot revenge, which is exacted by having the cats create a War of the Worlds-esque sensation about invading aliens, placing the fear of God in their porcine owner and driving him into a panic over "M-M-Me-M-Me-M-M-M-Me-M-Me-M-Men from Mars!". Assuming the appearances of Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
and his Rough Riders
Rough Riders
The Rough Riders is the name bestowed on the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three such regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish-American War and the only one of the three to see action. The United States Army was weakened and left with little manpower after the American Civil War...
cavalry (in reference to the then-popular film Arsenic and Old Lace
Arsenic and Old Lace (film)
Arsenic and Old Lace is a 1944 film directed by Frank Capra based on Joseph Kesselring's play of the same name. The script adaptation was by twins Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein. Capra actually filmed the movie in 1941, but it was not released until 1944, after the original stage version...
), the cats charge at Porky and run him out of the house once and for all. Homeless, alone, and cold in the snow, Porky turns to the camera and asks "Pardon me, but d-d-does anybody in the audience kn-kn-know somebody that kn-knows somebody that, uh, that has a house to rent?"
Censorship
On Kids WB and BBC, the scene where the cats smoke, read comics, lounge and drink wine (as pictured in the page) was cut.Canon continuity
This is the first color Looney Tunes cartoon to use the written-out "That's All Folks" ending sequence and onwards, although the Merrie Melodies ending music is heard because Carl Stalling didn't have enough time to compose a new version of the Looney Tunes ending music. At the cartoon's start, the WB shield doesn't zoom to the viewers (similar to the Daffy DuckDaffy Duck
Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons, often running the gamut between being the best friend and sometimes arch-rival of Bugs Bunny...
short The Great Piggy Bank Robbery
The Great Piggy Bank Robbery
The Great Piggy Bank Robbery is a Warner Brothers Looney Tunes theatrical cartoon short, produced in early 1945, and released in 1946. It was directed by Robert Clampett, and features Daffy Duck in Clampett's penultimate Warner cartoon and final Daffy Duck cartoon, produced shortly before he left...
), only the sound effect is heard.
Character-wise, the still anonymous 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...
appears in the film, with a black nose and yellow eyes. He is joined by, among others, a drunk cat with the red nose, gray fur, big lips, and saggy jowls who was popular enough to appear in several later cartoons such as in the Rolling Stones music video Harlem Shuffle (with art by Ralph Bakshi
Ralph Bakshi
Ralph Bakshi is an Israeli-American director of animated and live-action films. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1992, he directed nine theatrically released feature films, five of which he wrote...
and John Kricfalusi
John Kricfalusi
Michael John Kricfalusi , better known as John K., is a Canadian animator. He is creator of The Ren & Stimpy Show, its adults-only spin-off Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon", The Ripping Friends animated series, and Weekend Pussy Hunt, which was billed as "the world's first interactive web-based...
); in a few episodes of Tiny Toon Adventures
Tiny Toon Adventures
Steven Spielberg Presents Tiny Toon Adventures, usually referred to as Tiny Toon Adventures or simply Tiny Toons, is an American animated television series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. It began production as a result of Warner Bros....
; an episode of The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries
The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries
The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries, produced by Warner Bros. Animation, is an animated television series which aired from 1995 to 2001 on Kids' WB and was later re-run on Cartoon Network...
; and among the many cats in Tweety's High-Flying Adventure.