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Kitty Kornered is a 1946 Looney Tunes short directed by Robert Clampett.

Plot[]

At nine o'clock on a cold winter's night, the neighborhood's cat owners all literally throw their cats out for the night. Porky Pig attempts to do the same, but his four cats—a tall black-and-white lisping cat, a medium-sized tabby, a diminutive kitten, and a dumb drunkard cat—throw him out. Porky falls into the snow. Sticking his face out and now resembling Santa Claus, Porky states that he hates pussycats. Porky bangs on the door, demanding to be let in, but the cats pop out of the door and proclaim in unison, "Milkman, keep those bottles quiet!" (mainly because the vibrations from his banging are causing some empty ones to rattle noisily), and then slam the door in his face.

While the cats are lounging around while smoking cigars and getting drunk on wine, a furious Porky throws open the window while making an incredibly menacing face. He chases them around the house until one of them throws him into a teapot. Porky then orders the cats to leave, but the cats still proceed to stick around in the house laughing at his face, causing Porky to retaliate by setting his pet dog "Lassie" on the cats. The cats see the dog's shadow and run for their lives, not knowing that "Lassie" is really only a shadow puppet created with Porky's fingers.

When Sylvester finds out that they've been tricked, he and the others plot revenge. They fake an alien invasion, driving Porky into a panic over "M-m-me-m-me-m-m-m-me-m-me-m-men from Mars!" Assuming the appearances of Theodore Roosevelt and his personal Rough Riders cavalry, the cats charge at Porky and run him out of the house once and for all. Homeless, alone, and cold in the snow, Porky turns and asks, "Pardon me, but d-d-does anybody in the audience kn-kn-know somebody that kn-knows somebody that, uh, that has a house to rent?"

Caricatures[]

Music Cues[]

  • Joseph Meyer - "But I Did" - plays during the opening credits.
  • Frédéric Chopin - "Nocturne in E flat, Op. 9, No. 2" - plays briefly at the beginning.
  • "Good Night, Ladies" - plays when the cats are put out for the night.
  • H.R. Bishop - "Home Sweet Home" - sang by the drunken cats.
  • "Three Blind Mice" - plays when the mice are dragged out of their hole.
  • Harold Arlen - "Blues in the Night" - plays when the cats are outside and Sylvester is talking to them.
  • John F. Barth - "Frat" - plays briefly when the cats form a huddle.
  • Stefan Weiß and Paul Mann - "Angel in Disguise" - plays when the cats dress up as Martians.
  • M.K. Jerome and Jack Scholl - "The Wish That I Wish Tonight" - plays right before Porky goes to sleep with the Martians.
  • "The Three Little Kittens" - plays when the cats laugh at Porky after he jumps through the window.

Evolution of Sylvester[]

This was Sylvester's only appearance in a Bob Clampett cartoon, although the cat character in this short wasn't named "Sylvester" (or even had a name, for that matter), nor did he look like him (he was black and white, but had a black nose instead of a red one, yellow eyes instead of white eyes, and had no white tip on his tail), and was portrayed as a comically brash trickster (rather than neurotic, stubborn, dim-witted, or villainous as he would be under Art Davis, Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, and Robert McKimson). Arguments can be made that it is still Sylvester because the tuxedo cat color scheme is similar, and Mel Blanc uses Sylvester's voice for that cat character.

Availability[]

Censorship[]

Kittykorneredcensored

Sylvester and the other three cats after throwing Porky outside, a scene cut from some BBC, Kids WB, and FOX airings

Versions shown on FOX's Merrie Melodies Show, The WB, and the United Kingdom's BBC channel cut the scene where the cats smoke cigars, read comics, lounge, and drink wine before Porky bursts in on them.[7]

Goofs[]

  • When the drunk cat slips into the goldfish bowl, there is sound of the bowl rolling on the table, yet the bowl does not roll.
  • Porky's front door has molding on most scenes, but when the smallest cat lowers the doorknob to jump through the keyhole, the door is plain. On the next shot, where the drunk cat dives for where the keyhole was and hits the door, the molding is back, then disappears again when the cat falls to the floor.
  • When Sylvester dives under the bed, the production cells of him diving were placed over the bed by mistake, so that he appears to dive on top of the bed and then disappear.
  • At the beginning of the cartoon, every time the font door of Porky's house is opened or closed, the door changes color often. Although the original door color is white, when half opened the door turns green and when wide open the door turns yellow. Then, when the door is closed, the door color changes from yellow to green and finally white.

Notes[]

  • "Lassie" is a reference to the dog of the same name from the 1943 film Lassie Come Home from MGM.
  • Considered among Bob Clampett's best and wackiest films, "Kitty Kornered" was his final cartoon starring his longtime star Porky Pig, although he made a cameo in his next cartoon, "The Great Piggy Bank Robbery", as a train driver.
  • This marks the only appearance of the then-unnamed Sylvester in a Clampett-directed cartoon, and only one of two times Sylvester spoke in a Porky Pig cartoon. It was also the first appearance of Sylvester in the Looney Tunes series and also the only short where Sylvester does not have his red nose.
    • Porky and Sylvester would later be paired in a trio of shorts directed by Chuck Jones: "Scaredy Cat", "Claws for Alarm", and "Jumpin' Jupiter" where they explore spooky settings in which Sylvester is aware of, but Porky takes no notice. Both also co-starred with Daffy Duck, which has a speed-up version of Sylvester's voice, including the lisp, in the Jones-directed short "The Scarlet Pumpernickel" as villian roles, the only other time Sylvester spoke in a Porky Pig cartoon, and the only time Sylvester spoke in a Jones-directed cartoon.
  • This is the first color Looney Tunes cartoon to use the written-out "That's all Folks!" ending sequence and onwards. This trend would be used until 1964.
  • At the cartoon's start, the WB shield doesn't zoom to the viewers, similar to the Daffy Duck short "The Great Piggy Bank Robbery", only the sound effect is heard.
  • The alien disguises worn by Sylvester and his cohorts were real characters in the "Spaced Out" episode of The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries. One of the disguises would also appear as a real character in the Looney Tunes Cartoons short "A Pane to Wash".
  • The wine bottle the drunk cat drinks from is named "Arsenic and Old Grapes", a reference to the 1944 film Arsenic and Old Lace, as is the Teddy Roosevelt charge.
  • Even though this is a Looney Tunes short, it uses the Looney Tunes end title with the 1941–55 rendition of the Merrie Melodies theme playing over the end title. This is because WB was making a new version of the music to replace the 1939–46 ending, as that one had Porky say, "Th-th-th-that's all Folks!"
  • The drunk cat is a parody of Spooky the Cat from Bill Holman's Smokey Stover comic strip.
  • Starting with this cartoon, the "MPPDA" circle underwent a redesign that saw the letters in it stand up straight; this design would be used until 1952, when the circle was updated to say "MPAA".
  • Sylvester's yellow eyes in the short would later be incorporated into his Looney Tunes Cartoons appearance.
    • In the series of interstitials featuring Porky and Sylvester, "Put the Cat Out", Porky would attempt to put Sylvester out for the night on a cold winter's night with disastrous results similar to this cartoon, except that here Sylvester is Porky's only pet cat, while the other three cats from this cartoon, a medium-sized tabby, a diminutive kitten, and a dumb drunkard cat, all do not appear.
    • The drunkard cat makes a cameo appearance in "Snow Laughing Matter", and the other cats also return in "Kitty Krashers".
  • Despite being in the original book as a runner-up, this short was not featured in Cartoon Network's "50 Greatest Cartoons" marathon.
  • Vitaphone release number: 1461[8]

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. https://archive.org/details/catalogofcopyrig3281213li/page/81/mode/1up
  2. (3 October 2022) Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2 (in en). BearManor Media, page 129. 
  3. (1991) I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat: Fifty Years of Sylvester and Tweety. New York: Henry Holt and Co, page 89. ISBN 0-8050-1644-9. 
  4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVoMpidVlFg
  5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEa1IhMiPWo
  6. 6.0 6.1 https://twitter.com/_ibcf_/status/896618848375291904
  7. http://www.intanibase.com/gac/looneytunes/censored-k-l.aspx
  8. Liebman, Roy (2003). Vitaphone Films: A Catalogue of the Features and Shorts. McFarland, page 289. ISBN 978-0786412792. 

External Links[]

← Peck Up Your Troubles Sylvester Cartoons Tweetie Pie →
Sylvester Cartoons
1945 Life with FeathersPeck Up Your Troubles
1946 Kitty Kornered
1947 Tweetie PieCrowing PainsDoggone CatsCatch as Cats Can
1948 Back Alley OproarI Taw a Putty TatHop, Look and ListenKit for CatScaredy Cat
1949 Mouse MazurkaBad Ol' Putty TatHippety Hopper
1950 Home, Tweet HomeThe Scarlet PumpernickelAll a Bir-r-r-dCanary RowStooge for a MousePop 'Im Pop!
1951 Canned FeudPutty Tat TroubleRoom and BirdTweety's S.O.S.Tweet Tweet Tweety
1952 Who's Kitten Who?Gift WrappedLittle Red Rodent HoodAin't She TweetHoppy Go LuckyA Bird in a Guilty CageTree for Two
1953 Snow BusinessA Mouse DividedFowl WeatherTom Tom TomcatA Street Cat Named SylvesterCatty CorneredCats A-weigh!
1954 Dog PoundedBell HoppyDr. Jerkyl's HideClaws for AlarmMuzzle ToughSatan's Waitin'By Word of Mouse
1955 Lighthouse MouseSandy ClawsTweety's CircusJumpin' JupiterA Kiddies KittySpeedy GonzalesRed Riding HoodwinkedHeir-ConditionedPappy's Puppy
1956 Too Hop to HandleTweet and SourTree Cornered TweetyThe Unexpected PestTugboat GrannyThe Slap-Hoppy MouseYankee Dood It
1957 Tweet ZooTweety and the BeanstalkBirds AnonymousGreedy for TweetyMouse-Taken IdentityGonzales' Tamales
1958 A Pizza Tweety-PieA Bird in a Bonnet
1959 Trick or TweetTweet and LovelyCat's PawHere Today, Gone TamaleTweet Dreams
1960 West of the PesosGoldimouse and the Three CatsHyde and Go TweetMouse and GardenTrip for Tat
1961 Cannery WoeHoppy DazeBirds of a FatherD' Fightin' OnesThe Rebel Without ClawsThe Pied Piper of GuadalupeThe Last Hungry Cat
1962 Fish and SlipsMexican BoardersThe Jet Cage
1963 Mexican Cat DanceChili WeatherClaws in the Lease
1964 A Message to GraciasFreudy CatNuts and VoltsHawaiian Aye AyeRoad to Andalay
1965 It's Nice to Have a Mouse Around the HouseCats and BruisesThe Wild Chase
1966 A Taste of Catnip
1980 The Yolks on You
1995 Carrotblanca
1997 Father of the Bird
2011 I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat


Porky Pig Cartoons
1935 I Haven't Got a HatGold Diggers of '49
1936 Plane DippyAlpine AnticsThe Phantom ShipBoom BoomThe Blow OutWestward WhoaFish TalesShanghaied ShipmatesPorky's PetPorky the Rain-MakerPorky's Poultry PlantPorky's Moving DayMilk and MoneyLittle Beau PorkyThe Village SmithyPorky in the North WoodsBoulevardier from the Bronx
1937 Porky the WrestlerPorky's Road RacePicador PorkyPorky's RomancePorky's Duck HuntPorky and GabbyPorky's BuildingPorky's Super ServicePorky's Badtime StoryPorky's RailroadGet Rich Quick PorkyPorky's GardenRover's RivalThe Case of the Stuttering PigPorky's Double TroublePorky's Hero Agency
1938 Porky's PoppaPorky at the CrocaderoWhat Price PorkyPorky's Phoney ExpressPorky's Five & TenPorky's Hare HuntInjun TroublePorky the FiremanPorky's PartyPorky's Spring PlantingPorky & DaffyWholly SmokePorky in WackylandPorky's Naughty NephewPorky in EgyptThe Daffy DocPorky the Gob
1939 The Lone Stranger and PorkyIt's an Ill WindPorky's Tire TroublePorky's Movie MysteryChicken JittersPorky and TeabiscuitKristopher Kolumbus Jr.Polar PalsScalp TroubleOld GloryPorky's PicnicWise QuacksPorky's HotelJeepers CreepersNaughty NeighborsPied Piper PorkyPorky the Giant KillerThe Film Fan
1940 Porky's Last StandAfrica SqueaksAli-Baba BoundPilgrim PorkySlap Happy PappyPorky's Poor FishYou Ought to Be in PicturesThe Chewin' BruinPorky's Baseball BroadcastPatient PorkyCalling Dr. PorkyPrehistoric PorkyThe Sour PussPorky's Hired HandThe Timid Toreador
1941 Porky's Snooze ReelPorky's Bear FactsPorky's PreviewPorky's AntA Coy DecoyPorky's Prize PonyMeet John DoughboyWe, the Animals - Squeak!The Henpecked DuckNotes to YouRobinson Crusoe Jr.Porky's Midnight MatineePorky's Pooch
1942 Porky's Pastry PiratesWho's Who in the ZooPorky's CafeAny Bonds Today?My Favorite Duck
1943 Confusions of a Nutzy SpyYankee Doodle DaffyPorky Pig's FeatA Corny Concerto
1944 Tom Turk and DaffyTick Tock TuckeredSwooner CroonerDuck Soup to NutsSlightly DaffyBrother Brat
1945 Trap Happy PorkyWagon Heels
1946 Baby BottleneckDaffy DoodlesKitty KorneredThe Great Piggy Bank RobberyMouse Menace
1947 One Meat BrawlLittle Orphan Airedale
1948 Daffy Duck Slept HereNothing but the ToothThe Pest That Came to DinnerRiff Raffy DaffyScaredy Cat
1949 Awful OrphanPorky ChopsPaying the PiperDaffy Duck HuntCurtain RazorOften an OrphanDough for the Do-DoBye, Bye Bluebeard
1950 Boobs in the WoodsThe Scarlet PumpernickelAn Egg ScrambleGolden YeggsThe DuckstersDog Collared
1951 The Wearing of the GrinDrip-Along DaffyThe Prize Pest
1952 Thumb FunCracked QuackFool Coverage
1953 Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century
1954 Claws for AlarmMy Little Duckaroo
1955 Jumpin' JupiterDime to Retire
1956 Rocket SquadDeduce, You Say
1957 Boston Quackie
1958 Robin Hood Daffy
1959 China Jones
1961 Daffy's Inn Trouble
1965 Corn on the Cop
1966 Mucho Locos
1980 Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century
1996 Superior Duck
2004 My Generation G...G... Gap
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