Birdy and the Beast
| Birdy and the Beast | |
|---|---|
| Merrie Melodies (Tweety) series | |
 | |
| Directed by | Robert Clampett |
| Produced by | Leon Schlesinger |
| Story by | Warren Foster |
| Voices by | Mel Blanc |
| Music by | Carl W. Stalling |
| Animation by | Tom McKimson |
| Studio | Leon Schlesinger Studios |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. |
| Release date(s) | August 19, 1944 |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Running time | 7:33 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Preceded by | A Tale of Two Kitties |
| Followed by | A Gruesome Twosome |
Birdy and the Beast is a 1944 Warner Bros. cartoon in the Merrie Melodies and Tweety series. It is the last Merrie Melodie short produced by Leon Schlesinger. It was directed by Bob Clampett, animated by Thomas McKimson, and musical direction by Carl Stalling. This is the second Tweety cartoon directed by Clampett, as Tweety is set upon a fat cat. The title is a play on the traditional fairy tale Beauty and the Beast.
Plot synopsis
Tweety is sitting in his nest, when a cat watches him. Tweety flies off and the cat chases after him. But, the cat doesn't have the ability to fly, so instead he falls to the ground, while Tweety was lying down on a cloud. The bird then says, "Oh, the poor titty-tat (kitty-cat). He falled down and go... BOOM!!", and jumps down and lands on the cat.
The cat attempts to chase Tweety, but Tweety scurries away. Tweety decides to fool the cat by hiding in the bulldog's dish-bowl. The cat comes in and starts looking the bulldog's dish. The bulldog makes his appearance and growls at the cat, but the feline smacks the dog with the bowl. The chase between the dog and cat ensues (with Tweety following the bulldog) until the leash attached to the dog's collar yanked him to the ground, with his face scrunched in. The bulldog says to the audience, "This shouldn't even happen to a dog" and then loosens the collar off his face.
Tweety decides to wander and ends up into the cat's mouth, while he is looking for the bird. Tweety decides to set the cat's mouth on fire by holding a match on it. As the cat reactively jumps up from the fire and hits his head on top a open fence railing, Tweety decides to help the cat by using a hose and putting the fire. However, when he fires the hose (by now wearing a firefighter's hat) it turns out that it happens to be connected to a gas (petrol) can, and gasoline goes into the cat's mouth, causing him to explode. Tweety then says, "Oh, the poor putty tat got hot as a firecracker." (With a suspenseful drum roll.) "He blew up and go... boom."
The cat manages to survive, but he's still out to get Tweety. When he arrives at the bottom of the tree, he becomes a nest. Tweety attempts to get into it, but a hen, laying her eggs, causes him to get off. When she's finished, she flies off. The cat also arrives and his mouth is full of nothing but eggs. He attempts to catch Tweety once again but fails, then Tweety fakes his screaming and sets a hand grenade with its pin pulled next to him. Thinking it was the bird itself, the cat grabs the grenade. The real Tweety says, "He got it and he can have it." The cat blows up and Tweety then confesses, "You know, I get rid of more putty tats that way!", then drew a line on the tree of how many cats he got rid of.
Trivia
- This is the first cartoon where Tweety was given a name.
Availability
Birdy and the Beast is available uncut and digitally remastered on Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume 2 DVD and Blu-Ray set. This version is the uncut non dubbed version with original ending rings restored to DVD.
Crew
- Director: Bob Clampett
- Producer: Leon Schlesinger
- Writer: Warren Foster
- Musical Direction: Carl Stalling
- Orchestrator: Milt Franklyn (uncredited)
- Film Editor: Treg Brown (uncredited)
- Sound Effects: Treg Brown (uncredited)
- Animation: Thomas McKimson (credited), Robert McKimson, Virgil Ross, Manny Gould, Rod Scribner (all uncredited)