Righty-O
FELIX THE CAT
the Joe Oriolo/Trans Lux era, 1958-1962
THis is the 100th birthday of the woirld's first major cartoon star, #FelixTheCat , star of silent and sound cartoons for theatre and TV (even in the 30s as the very first image broadcast
on television).
It's also the 60th anniversary, nearly 61st, of his debut on television. Welcome to my fifth blog, second show specific (Your Pony Pal Pokey,too, bub!), thsi exlcusively deals with the
color TV version, and deals with that version as appears there (not as inany revivals, therefore the final one is "FELIX THE CAT BOTTLES THE GENIE", starring the meanie genie)
Not exactlty chronological,but I;ll try.
A briefy history up to the 1950s take.
Pat Sullivan and Otto Messmer created the original on the cart, in silent eras, becoming even bigger in comcis than Charlie CHaplin, supplanted by the Disney characfter whose voice
would sort of wind up in Felix, thanks to Popeye voice and writer Jack Mercer.
In the next series, his first sound ones, he was done by one of the LEAST remembered Hollywood era big screen studuios, actully thru his career, in New Yorek, Van Buren, makers of the human Tom and Jerry (yes, there was one!) and the (campily appealing ) dud of cud, Molly Moo Cow, by which time some certain connections were starting to come intom plays with his 1958-1962 TV version. For once, an unpretentious, light composer, WInston (or as Joe Oriolo credits him just plain Win() Sharples, whose cues here in the 1930s shorts, woulkd disappear but, with not only Joe Oriolo but (for Joe's Casper character) FELIX co creator OTTO MESMER, wound up at Max Flesciher/Paramount, then Famous/Paramount given the harsh 1942 decline of Fleischer (who stayed alive and working till 1972).(MR BUG, their feature follow up GULLIVER'S TRAVELS, the two of which being USA/CANADA's first hand drawn non Walt Disney Productuions's feature length cartoons),It's here his Sharples's cues started by Paramont's, soon to bne used and later in a production library (with Jack Shaindlin, his east coast rival.)
By the time Sharples and Oriolo were at Paramount,m but still before Felix on TV, but in 1945 completing Casper, many human elements (voice-writer Jack Mercer, animators Grim Natwick and Jim Tyer, with hsi crazy poses, sound man M.Manne), and others were now established Casper really helped the future Felix crew..by the 1950x Felix had a Chevrolet in L.A., and reruns, but now TV short.s In 1958, that all changed with this series..All of the above personell turned out the Felix's starting 1959..with the highly unual open (Trans-Lux Presents Pat Sullivans, FELIX the CAT, PRODUCED BY JOE/JOSEPH ORIOLO, copr.datge),in very early episodes ALL in colored bars, but after 1 or 2 only the FELIX name and "the Cat" were in shaples..
Felix was (seeminly) 14 years or 13, at youngest, no statement of age or adolescnt"culkture", but with his Mickey Mouse-ish/Jack Mercer voice, he seems at least 13-25.
It was done in two reels, comprising an episode, as fan know, with a narrator asking "What will happen to FELIX..in the NEXT chapter...of the adventures of FELXIX the cat" (emphasis the narrator) as Part one Endas.
Part two opened same way (except for no music, for about 10 episodes, then post-Rock Bottom's appearance, Felix saying righty-O from Sharples cue from Baby Huey's farewell, 1959*'s "HUEY's FATHER DAY,"
similiar to WB's and Chuck Jone'ss "A BEAR FOR PUNSIHMENT": with a calm "Father" for Huey's dad..
*Last year of "Harvey"-owned cartoons in traditional afterschool television syndication.
Singer ANn Bennett was hired to sing the song..while her sides might not have ached froim laughing, she did have a real good sense of, humor.
Speaking of which, with puns and crqzy animation, (Jimk Tyer,'as generally0this was actually fun, even if later 1990s- takes would be preferred..
The (Albert Einstein-looking) Professor, by turns evil, playing, prank stealing, and kindly friend to Felix when Poindexter entered, in 1959, Professor's partner in crime (except, most notably as it wad for the whole episode,
of BROTHER PEBBLE BOTTOM), a lumbering tough bulldog named Rock Bottom, The Professor's "aspie" nerd nephew Poindexter, Master Cylinder, the evil can of Mars with a weird hysky voice, his squid alien General Clang (who
siad this version wasn't craazy), Vavoom, the little Eskimo, Martin the Martin, a little alien iwht a magic cube, King Barney, the lepreachaun and his subjects, a DARBY O'GILL/FINIANS RAINBOW" bunch, in shorts from THE LEPRECHAUN
to LEPRECHAUN GOLD FROM RAINBOWS, Big Brownie, a grizzly bear in three shorts, Bart, the Southern redneck rancher who shared the same three shorts, Sniffer, a VERY gifted bloodhounbd dog who could sniff out deadbeats (*a parody of
sniffing professional dogs, used by security to this veyr day if not loans, the Maharaj who hired Felix to save his zoo and stuff, Walter, a non-speaking walrus in 3 shorts, an unnamed zookeepor in those, a mean genie who emerged from a bottle to stuff aFelix in it, and SURPRISINGLY even animated version of the great groundbreaker Edward R.Murrow, (in his then, smash TV show PERSON TO PERSON, inteviewing FELIX!), were examples of running characters, as well as one shot characters such as two whales, a monster and a cash giving one, Felix's flamingo pet Flim Flam, Poindexter's robot with "proto-non-binary gender'(yeah, I know) voice, and Felix's own robot Rosie, and Poindesxt'er samazingly storng, and many others, were in this, not to mention./.that bag., that MARVELUOS bag that is the obsession of the Professor and Rocxkbottom and even Poindexter..except for a few, Felix is the exclusive master at getting the parcel to open (well, he IS the master of the bag.)
This polka dog/plus sign bag, as integral as a magician's hat, Superman's Cape, and Mary Poppins's umbrella..well, you can guess...provies magic (and bag envy) Not always used though, only briefly in crime stopped episodes with the Professor and Rock Bottom as mjuch as it is a object of their fascination, it's not even USED in the "TREASURE CHEST" episode;.)
After 1962, the movie FELXI THE CAT MOVIE came out, and used the TV show characters, but without the "Famous Studios" stock, Jack Mercer (respectively, not licensed and dead), and the feature lengthm, and modern day songs, it seemed less thrillingh. Thje 1995 TIWSTED TALES came out but it's, even for this 1920s-60s fan, a little TOO weird..
SO, in conclusionm, your sides might not ache, but have fun.
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