Warner Bros. Cartoons
Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. was an American animation studio, serving as the in-house animation division of Warner Bros. during the Golden Age of American animation. One of the most successful animation studios in American media history, it was ...
''
Merrie Melodies
''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animated series of comedy short films produced by Warner Bros. starting in 1931, during the golden age of American animation, and ending in 1969. Then some new cartoons were produced from the late 1970s to the ...
'' cartoon directed by
Chuck Jones
Charles Martin Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, director, and painter, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the '' Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of shorts. He wrote, pro ...
and written by
Michael Maltese
Michael Maltese (February 6, 1908 – February 22, 1981) was an American story man for classic animated cartoon shorts. He is best known for working in the 1950s on a series of '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoons with director Chuck Jones, notably " ...
. The cartoon was released on August 25, 1951 and stars Hubie and Bertie, with
Claude Cat
Claude Cat is an animated cartoon character in the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons from Warner Brothers.
Character biography
Claude Cat had his origins in several other cat characters used by animator Chuck Jones fro ...
.
Plot
At the end of a raid on The Hunka Cheese Co. (a cheese factory), Hubie determines to Bertie that, based on the amount of cheese the average mouse eats in a lifetime (12 lbs.), they have eaten enough in one night to have lived 2,000 years (48 tons). Claiming that they will ''never'' be able to even touch cheese again, and thus believing that they have nothing left to live for, Hubie and Bertie become suicidal and try to get eaten by Claude Cat. They open the sleeping Claude's mouth, step into it, and then close it with them still inside. The cat wakes up, thinks " SOMETHING ROTTEN IN DENMARK" (with a white sign with "SOMETHING ROTTEN IN" and an arrow in red over
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
, under
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...
and
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...
), and the mice beg him to eat them. Claude says that he must be dreaming and sticks himself with a pin to wake himself up, screaming in pain. Commenting on what a horrible dream he had, Claude laughs it off and tries to go back to sleep. Hubie and Bertie again enter Claude's mouth and beg him to eat them. Realizing that it is not a dream, the cat cringes in fear in a corner and asks the mice what he ever did to them. When Hubie and Bertie insist that all they want is for him to eat them, Claude says that he does not want to eat them. When he offers the mice a hunk of cheese, they recoil and tell him to take it away. Confused, the cat consults a book called ''Mental Illnesses: Their Cause and Cure''. He finally finds the page he is looking for, folds it into a three-cornered hat and assumes a
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
pose.
Realizing they have to get tough with the cat, the mice, carrying a hammer, find Claude inside a glass bottle, building a model ship from the outside (Claude breaks the fourth wall and says to the audience that it is said that a hobby sometimes helps). Smashing the bottle, Hubie asks Claude if he is going to eat them or not. When the cat refuses, he brings the hammer down hard on Claude's foot, angering him enough to grab them and try to eat them. When he realizes the danger of this, thinking of a red wigwag with the word "DANGER" on it in white, the cat spits the mice out one at a time and runs out the front door, slamming it behind him. Claude finally concludes that he will ''never'' again be able to eat mice, that ''he'' has nothing left to live for, and also decides to commit
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...
. Claude heads outside and punches a
bulldog
The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.SOMETHING DECIDEDLY FISHY HERE" (with a wooden sign with "SOMETHING DECIDEDLY FISHY HERE" in red pointing to a fishbowl with three
goldfish
The goldfish (''Carassius auratus'') is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of order Cypriniformes. It is commonly kept as a pet in indoor aquariums, and is one of the most popular aquarium fish. Goldfish released into the wild have bec ...
), and the mice come running out of the house and once again beg Claude to eat them. The bulldog asks Claude if cats eat mice, which he denies ("No!"), and asks Herbie and Bertie if mice eat cheese, which they also deny ("Cheese? Ahh! Don't mention that word!"). The bulldog tries to figure out why Claude no longer wants to eat mice and the mice do not want to eat cheese anymore. Finding out, using an
adding machine
An adding machine is a class of mechanical calculator, usually specialized for bookkeeping calculations.
In the United States, the earliest adding machines were usually built to read in dollars and cents. Adding machines were ubiquitous off ...
, in the end that "It just don't add up!", he runs after a passing
dog catcher
An animal control service or animal control agency is an entity charged with responding to requests for help with animals ranging from wild animals, dangerous animals, or animals in distress. An individual who works for such an entity was once kn ...
truck, now wanting to get committed ("Hey, wait for me! Wait for baby!"), with Claude ("Hey, wait for me! You gotta massacre me!") and the mice ("Wait, you cowardly cat!") following after him, all three of them still wanting to end their ''own'' lives.
Legacy
This is the first appearance of the bulldog that would become
Marc Antony
Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the auto ...
in ''
Feed the Kitty
''Feed the Kitty'' is a 1952 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. The cartoon was released on February 2, 1952, and introduces bulldog Marc Antony and kitten Pussyfoot.
In the cartoon, ...
Cat Feud
''Cat Feud'' is a 1958 Warner Bros. ''Merrie Melodies'' animated short film directed by Chuck Jones. The cartoon was released on December 20, 1958, and features Marc Antony and Pussyfoot.
In this short, Marc Anthony is grey, whereas in previous ...