Tweetie Pie (1947)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Writers:

(more)

Release Date:

3 May 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Family | Short | Comedy

Plot:

Thomas the cat finds Tweety in the snow, warming himself by a cigar butt. Thomas's mistress rescues...

Plot Keywords:

Cigar | Tweety | Tennis Racket | Surrealism | Merrie Melodies

Awards:

Won Oscar.

Cast

Bea Benaderet	...	Woman (voice) (uncredited)
Mel Blanc	...	Tweety / Thomas aka Sylvester (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Friz Freleng		(uncredited)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Michael Maltese		story (uncredited)
Tedd Pierce		story (uncredited)

Produced by
Edward Selzer	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Carl W. Stalling		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Treg Brown		(uncredited)

Sound Department
Treg Brown	....	sound effects editor (uncredited)

Animation Department
Ken Champin	....	animator (uncredited)
Gerry Chiniquy	....	animator (uncredited)
Paul Julian	....	background artist (uncredited)
Manuel Perez	....	animator (uncredited)
Hawley Pratt	....	layout artist (uncredited)
Virgil Ross	....	animator (uncredited)

Music Department
Milt Franklyn	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Carl W. Stalling	....	musical director (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1947) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

7 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:G (Nova Scotia) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | USA:Approved (PCA #11104)

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The first Warner Bros. cartoon to win the Academy Award.

Quotes:

Sylvester/Thomas: Sufferin' succotash!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Toonheads: The Lost Cartoons (2000) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Why Don't You Fall in Love with Me?

The beginning of a dull series which smothered the potential of two previously great characters

The fateful cartoon that first paired up Sylvester and Tweety, Friz Freleng's 'Tweetie Pie' is the template for the entire series. Originating the "kiss the little birdy" routine and the furniture stacking bit as well as several other standards, 'Tweetie Pie' is now impossible to separate from the cartoons that followed it. A good cartoon whose impact has been diminished by the number of times Freleng rehashed the material in future Tweety cartoons, 'Tweetie Pie' is notable for a few other reasons. It was the first Warner Bros. short to win an Oscar. It also marked the moment when director Bob Clampett's Tweety character was passed over to Freleng. Clampett's Tweety was a wonderful, anarchic and shockingly violent little naked baby bird who appeared in three cartoons. When Freleng decided to use Tweety in a Sylvester cartoon, studio boss Leon Schlesinger opposed the idea, insisting that he use the Woodpecker character from earlier cartoon 'Peck Up Your Troubles' instead. Freleng stormed out of the studio, effectively quitting over the argument until Schlesinger folded and called him up telling him to do it his way. The rest is history. Finally, Sylvester is called Thomas in this cartoon, Freleng's way of acknowledging the influence of the classic Tom and Jerry cartoons on 'Tweetie Pie'. A simple cat and canary cartoon set in a house, 'Tweetie Pie' has more interesting stories related to it than its actual interest level as a cartoon warrants. For all its importance in animation history, I always just think of 'Tweetie Pie' as the moment Tweety went from fantastic anarchic baby bird to insufferable cutie pie canary and also the moment when the brilliant Sylvester got shackled to this doe-eyed annoyance for the rest of his career!