Shrunken Cinema/Termite Terrace/The Hep Cat
From Eccentric Flower
The Hep Cat
1942
Summary: A cat attempts to romance his dream kitten while evading a persistent dog.
Director: Bob Clampett
Writer: Warren Foster
Featuring: No regulars.
Onreel
0:21 Sound cue: "Five O'Clock Whistle." This is used again for the same strut later - and then again faster during a scene when the dog chases the cat. (To hear its lyrics, try Little Red Riding Rabbit - but don't say you weren't warned.)
1:06 Sound cue: The cat sings "Java Jive" with altered lyrics.
1:16 When the cat says he is a gorgeous hunk of man, his face changes into a caricature of actor Victor Mature.
1:27 Notice the lady cat has high-heeled paws.
1:46 During the cat's Chevalier-like bit, he says "a cup of coffee, a sandwich, and you" - the title of a Billy Rose song that Carl Stalling used pretty much every time a character was hungry or in a diner. Ironically, it is not played as a sound cue behind that speech. Instead, the cue is "Always In My Heart." It is played each time the cat romances the lady cat - even when the lady cat is a puppet.
2:33 Is "pitch some woo" going to need footnotes one day?
2:36 Sound cue: "Frühlingslied," first relatively normal, then jazzed-up. Used again when the cat is kissed and slides down the steps.
4:23 "Something new has been added!" was a slogan for Old Gold cigarettes, but it was also a line used by comedian Jerry Colonna, whose intonation and facial expression the cat mimics here.
5:52 Sound cue: "Rock-a-Bye Baby."
6:03 "Well, I can dream, can't I?" Jerry Colonna again.
Offreel
On the Golden Collection DVDs, this cartoon has only a Blue Ribbon title card, indicating that the original titles could not be found or could not be restored.
This was apparently the first color Looney Tunes cartoon (originally the Merrie Melodies were in color and Looney Tunes were b/w). However, it was re-released in 1949 with Merrie Melodies titles. The Golden Collection version bears a Merrie Melodies end card.
The voice of the bird is probably Bea Benaderet.
