A Taste of Catnip is a 1966 Merrie Melodies short directed by Robert McKimson.
Title[]
The title is a play on the 1965 song "A Taste of Honey" from the earlier play and film of the same name.
Plot[]
At the Guadalajara Medical Centre, psychiatrist Dr. Manuel Jose Olvera Sebastian Rudolfo Ortiz Pancho Jimenez Perez III (Mexico's finest) describes an encounter one year ago with Daffy Duck. Daffy tells Perez that he has been exhibiting progressively more extreme cat-like desires. It starts off with an encounter with Speedy while Daffy was reading a newspaper in the park. Daffy develops symptoms of wanting to eat Speedy in a variety of ways, trying to nab Speedy from other cats, and being scared of dogs such as Butch. Daffy tries to take singing lessons to take himself off his addiction, which fails due to his corny singing. After drinking milk from a bowl, Daffy comes to his senses and immediately heads to therapy.
Perez discovers through a blood test that Daffy has lethal amounts of catnip in his blood, and he must discover the source. Daffy discovers that right across the street is the Continental Catnip Corp. of Chihuahua. He decides to destroy it with a bomb, ridding him of his cat-like desires but also arousing the wrath of neighborhood cats, including Sylvester. Perez receives a phone call about Daffy's success, and his next patient, Speedy Gonzales, enters; he exhibits duck-like desires. Moaning, Perez claims, "I should have listened to mi padre. He wanted me to be a bandido."
Availability[]
Streaming[]
Censorship[]
- On CBS, the part where Daffy blows up the catnip factory and is pummeled by Sylvester and the other cats was cut.[1]
Notes[]
- This is the last theatrical cartoon featuring Sylvester in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series in the Golden Age of American Animation, though his screen time is limited to two cameos.
- This is the only Daffy & Speedy short where Speedy Gonzales doesn't speak, not counting his "Andalay"s and quack sounds at the end.
- Despite being a Merrie Melodies cartoon, the ending titles have the "A VITAGRAPH RELEASE" byline, which is usually typical for Looney Tunes cartoons during the time instead of the "A VITAPHONE RELEASE" byline.
- This cartoon was shown in theatres with Once Before I Die during its original release.
- This cartoon was used in the intro and bumpers for Looney Tunes on Nick at Nite.
Gallery[]
TV Title Cards[]
References[]
Speedy Gonzales Cartoons | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
1953 | Cat-Tails for Two | |||
1955 | Speedy Gonzales | |||
1957 | Tabasco Road • Gonzales' Tamales | |||
1958 | Tortilla Flaps | |||
1959 | Mexicali Shmoes • Here Today, Gone Tamale | |||
1960 | West of the Pesos | |||
1961 | Cannery Woe • The Pied Piper of Guadalupe | |||
1962 | Mexican Boarders | |||
1963 | Mexican Cat Dance • Chili Weather | |||
1964 | A Message to Gracias • Nuts and Volts • Pancho's Hideaway • Road to Andalay | |||
1965 | It's Nice to Have a Mouse Around the House • Cats and Bruises • The Wild Chase • Moby Duck • Assault and Peppered • Well Worn Daffy • Chili Corn Corny • Go Go Amigo | |||
1966 | The Astroduck • Mucho Locos • Mexican Mousepiece • Daffy Rents • A-Haunting We Will Go • Snow Excuse • A Squeak in the Deep • Feather Finger • Swing Ding Amigo • A Taste of Catnip | |||
1967 | Daffy's Diner • Quacker Tracker • The Music Mice-Tro • The Spy Swatter • Speedy Ghost to Town • Rodent to Stardom • Go Away Stowaway • Fiesta Fiasco | |||
1968 | Skyscraper Caper • See Ya Later Gladiator | |||
1979 | Fright Before Christmas | |||
1980 | The Chocolate Chase |