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The Jet Cage is a 1962 Looney Tunes short directed by Friz Freleng.

Plot[]

Tweety sits in his house, a bird cage, looking at the birds through the window. Tweety yearns dearly to fly freely like other birds, but Granny will not allow him to do so. This is considering his safety, as Sylvester is always lurking around waiting for a chance to catch and eat Tweety.

Granny reads a newspaper advertisement by Jet Age Technology for a $12.95 Flying Bird-Cage, which would allow birds fly safely. Granny, who understands Tweety's longing for freedom, buys the cage and presents it to Tweety. This enables Tweety to fly around outdoors without leaving the security of his cage.

Sylvester is at first taken aback at the sight of Tweety flying safely, piloting the jet-powered cage like an airplane. Two crows also watch in awe. "And all this time, I've been doing it the hard way," one crow remarks. Sylvester's awe is short-lived, however, as he resolves to ground Tweety's cage and get his round-headed meal; his eyes rolling around to follow his every move, before the cat's expression turns grim with determination.

Each of the following attempts are in vain, however:

  • An attempt to snare the cage with a butterfly net. The jet-powered cage is strong enough to drag the butterfly net, along with the cat hanging to it — until he crashes into a light pole.
  • After Tweety comes in for flying instructions, "I forgot what to do in case of fog," Sylvester sneaks inside the cage. Once the cage is back in the air, Tweety activates the hatch, which sends Sylvester, all set to strike (AKA falling!), down into a brook.
  • Use of a rocket bomb to intercept the flying object of interest. The bomb simply flies back at the cat.
  • A horseshoe-shaped magnet tied to a fishing rod. While the cage momentarily struggles against the magnet's pull, and the puddy tat tries to reel in his meal, Tweety manages to get the cage to break free. Sylvester is dragged into downtown traffic and ultimately an oncoming bus.
  • Sylvester using large flaps to fly beside Tweety. Sylvester gloats, mocking the bird for thinking he outsmarted him, but Tweety points out that Sylvester has his hands full. The cat tosses the flaps aside and shoots back, "Oh, yeah? Well now I haven't!" ... just before he realizes he's in for another big fall! Meanwhile, the flaps flutter downward.

Sylvester, limping on crutches and wrapped in bandages, decides to joins the U.S. Air Force, vowing to earn his wings and resentfully threatening to get Tweety once and for all.

Availability[]

Streaming[]

Censorship[]

  • The ABC version of this cartoon cuts the sequence where Sylvester builds a Nike rocket to capture Tweety, which predictably backfires.[1]

Notes[]

  • This was the last cartoon from the Golden age of animation by Friz Freleng to feature Tweety, as the latter's final short "Hawaiian Aye Aye" would be directed by Gerry Chiniquy.
  • Milt Franklyn died of a heart attack while composing the cartoon's score. William Lava finished the score, starting with the scene when Sylvester tries to catch Tweety with a butterfly net. He is not credited in this cartoon, but the difference in music is obvious.
    • When the shot of Sylvester's face, where his pupils are circling to observe Tweety, fades out, the music composition changes from Franklyn to Lava.
  • This cartoon marks the final usage of "Powerhouse" in the Golden Age; the Powerhouse A section plays on the cartoon's title card.
  • Sylvester does not have a speaking role until the scene with the flaps.
  • This is the last cartoon of the 1960s where Sylvester doesn't have the white tip on his tail, which had been missing since "Mouse and Garden". In his next appearance, in "Mexican Cat Dance" with Speedy Gonzales, Sylvester's tail has the white tip again.
  • The animation of Sylvester building himself a rocket is taken from "Ain't She Tweet", while his being dragged down the street by his fishing rod through city traffic is reused from "A Bird in a Bonnet".

Gallery[]

TV Title Cards[]

References[]

External Links[]

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


Tweety Cartoons
1942 A Tale of Two Kitties
1944 Birdy and the Beast
1945 A Gruesome Twosome
1947 Tweetie Pie
1948 I Taw a Putty Tat
1949 Bad Ol' Putty Tat
1950 Home, Tweet HomeAll a Bir-r-r-dCanary Row
1951 Putty Tat TroubleRoom and BirdTweety's S.O.S.Tweet Tweet Tweety
1952 Gift WrappedAin't She TweetA Bird in a Guilty Cage
1953 Snow BusinessFowl WeatherTom Tom TomcatA Street Cat Named SylvesterCatty Cornered
1954 Dog PoundedMuzzle ToughSatan's Waitin'
1955 Sandy ClawsTweety's CircusRed Riding HoodwinkedHeir-Conditioned
1956 Tweet and SourTree Cornered TweetyTugboat Granny
1957 Tweet ZooTweety and the BeanstalkBirds AnonymousGreedy for Tweety
1958 A Pizza Tweety-PieA Bird in a Bonnet
1959 Trick or TweetTweet and LovelyTweet Dreams
1960 Hyde and Go TweetTrip for Tat
1961 The Rebel Without ClawsThe Last Hungry Cat
1962 The Jet Cage
1964 Hawaiian Aye Aye
2011 I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat
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