"Because we know Pussyfoot is fine, we can laugh..."

August 20, 2016 9:59 AM

Saturday Morning Cartoons: Feed the Kitty (1952) "This brief moment of black humor is a perfect example of how sophisticated Jones’ cartoons really were under the surface." by Brandie Ashe, The Retro Set
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome (31 comments total)

Always loved this one.
posted by pmurray63 at 10:07 AM on August 20, 2016 [1 favorite]

For all his fame, I still maintain that Chuck Jones is a wildly underappreciated genius. There bloody well ought to be a statue erected in his honor somewhere.
posted by sotonohito at 10:16 AM on August 20, 2016 [14 favorites]

What, no gravy?
posted by entropicamericana at 10:24 AM on August 20, 2016 [5 favorites]

I knew which scene that was from just this post. When I first saw that, it was both hilariously funny and heartrenderingly sad; you're laughing and feeling for that poor dog, but only because you trust Jones to not be a complete bastard.
posted by MartinWisse at 10:29 AM on August 20, 2016 [3 favorites]

Time for my regular plea for more recognition to be directed towards Michael Maltese, who wrote so many of Chuck Jones' best cartoons (including this one). Jones was indeed a genius, but it was only when teamed with Maltese that he produced his absolute peak work. The other cartoons they made together include:

For Scent-imental Reasons
Beep Beep
Rabbit Seasoning
Duck Amuck
Bully For Bugs
One Froggy Evening
Ali Baba Bunny
What's Opera, Doc?
Robin Hood Daffy
Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2th Century
posted by Paul Slade at 10:37 AM on August 20, 2016 [27 favorites]

One thing I love about this cartoon is is not about two characters being cruel to each other. It's really about love and caring for another. That is actually rare in cartoons.
posted by happyroach at 11:02 AM on August 20, 2016 [9 favorites]

We need more cartoons and stories like this in the world.
posted by bstreep at 11:14 AM on August 20, 2016 [1 favorite]

And here's a fun homage.
posted by overeducated_alligator at 11:27 AM on August 20, 2016 [5 favorites]

Yes, these cartoons really were the greatest and coolest things of all time.
posted by bonobothegreat at 11:27 AM on August 20, 2016 [2 favorites]

And here's a fun homage.

Whoa, I never realized the connection before! That's fantastic.
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:40 AM on August 20, 2016

It was always baffling to me to have a dog looking like THAT and call it "Marc Anthony"...

(maybe I'm too softhearted, but i always get a little sad when watching that cartoon. Give me "Duck Amuck" any time...)



...besides--it's Duck season.
posted by Namlit at 1:17 PM on August 20, 2016 [1 favorite]

Rabbit season
posted by wotsac at 1:59 PM on August 20, 2016 [8 favorites]

I really like the tension from having a human (being human), a cartoon dog (being a mix of doggyness and human), and a kitten who is pure oblivious cat with no typical cartoon animal qualities at all.

And I had a kinda sorta real life version of this relationship this summer. Brought in a couple of little yellow kittens. Big black dog was going have nothing to do with them. But after a month, the kittens were sleeping on her belly. One day, I caught one of the kittens cleaning the big dog's back paws. Rather vigorously. My dog trusts me in almost everything, but she will not ever let me touch her feet. And now she will snooze away happily while a tiny thing, barely bigger than her paws, grooms them.
posted by honestcoyote at 2:15 PM on August 20, 2016 [10 favorites]

So, my dads a cartoonist, an inker, and he's worked off and on with Joe Rubenstein, who lived in Brooklyn for ... decades. Anyway, Joe's out walking around one day, and HOLY SHIT it's Chuck Jones JUST WALKING DOWN THE STREET. Joe is not fan-boy, I want to make that very clear, dude has worked with everyone in the comics industry, but can't help himself!

So he walks up, says "Hi! Mr Jones! I'm a huge fan, you're a legendary artist, love your stuff, and you've influenced me and everyone else forever, nice to meet you!"

Y'know, something like that.

Jones looks back kinda surprised. "Well, thanks, son. I'm always glad to hear it, but can I ask you something?"

"Sure!"

"How on earth do you know what I look like? No one has ever picked me out of a crowd!"

------
And if you like anything at all about the guy, I once again encourage you to pick up his autobiography "Chuck Amuck!"
Among other stories (and I can't find it skimming it right now):
Early in his career, he worked in a narrow office building. One enterprising colleague would bring in bagels and other munchies in, and sell them out of his office. People on other floors got tired of running between floors, so they would call, and then lower a basket to his office with the money, he would put in the bagels and tug the string and off the basket would go.

Well, then of course, some interlopers figured out that they could just wait for the basket to come back by and nab what they wanted. Again, this is a narrow, but tall building, so there's some plausible deniability.

The enterprising colleague, not to be outdone, figured out what was going on, and when he suspected a package was going to be swiped, would instead send the basket back up with a lit firecracker.
posted by lkc at 3:00 PM on August 20, 2016 [13 favorites]

outdone, figured out what was going on, and when he suspected a package was going to be swiped, would instead send the basket back up with a lit firecracker.

I bet you could always tell when that had happened because one of your coworkers would be standing in the middle of a small crater, singed totally black, holding up a sign that says "ouch!"
posted by teponaztli at 3:13 PM on August 20, 2016 [22 favorites]

What, no gravy?
From "Chowhound", another one directed by Jones and written by Michael Maltese.

I've mentioned before that in the 1980s I got to attend, as part of an Animation Festival, a live appearance by Chuck Jones, being 'interviewed' by his close friend Ray Bradbury. And yet Chuck still appeared to be the smartest person on stage. And I recall he did mention Michael Maltese with words to the effect of "one of the people I could do without". And his scruffy grey beard did make him look (from the 11th row where I sat) like a human Bugs Bunny when he smiled and a human Wile E. Coyote when he frowned.
posted by oneswellfoop at 4:16 PM on August 20, 2016 [4 favorites]

I was pretty charmed by the exchange in the comments section. Did anybody else read that?
posted by queensissy at 4:23 PM on August 20, 2016

ARRGGHH That should be "one of the people I COULDN'T do without"
posted by oneswellfoop at 4:23 PM on August 20, 2016 [7 favorites]

That should be "one of the people I COULDN'T do without"

And here I was thinking that was a comment about Chuck's character ...
posted by oheso at 4:31 PM on August 20, 2016

One thing I love about this cartoon is is not about two characters being cruel to each other. It's really about love and caring for another. That is actually rare in cartoons.

Tom and Jerry's relationship was clearly consensual BDSM. I rather thought that sort of thing was sacred on the Blue and am scandalized that anyone would question it.
posted by tel3path at 4:53 PM on August 20, 2016 [4 favorites]

Tom and Jerry's relationship was clearly consensual BDSM.

Just like Beetle Bailey and Sargent Snorkel.
posted by jonmc at 5:29 PM on August 20, 2016 [2 favorites]

It so perfectly captures kitten. And that first day of having a cat, when the species' seeming genius for self destruction hasn't worn thin.
posted by wotsac at 5:31 PM on August 20, 2016 [1 favorite]

(As somebody who is too fond of cats, I laughed so hard I scared one of mine away. Not the ex-feral though. )
posted by wotsac at 5:32 PM on August 20, 2016

Try and hide that in the fur on your back.
posted by a gentleman and a scholar at 8:20 PM on August 20, 2016

On rewatch, I was moved to wonder: were women in 1952 still wearing seamed stockings? And were ankle-strap heels in style? Seems a little ooh-la-la for a housewife.
posted by emjaybee at 8:32 PM on August 20, 2016

They're just drawn that way.
posted by notyou at 9:41 PM on August 20, 2016 [9 favorites]

I always need to be careful not to watch this one in a delicate mood. I didn't know there had been that many Marc Anthony/Pussyfoot cartoons... five classic era ones, I think? Different sources count cameos differently. I only remembered Kiss me Cat and Feline Frame-up.
posted by usonian at 5:35 AM on August 21, 2016 [1 favorite]

Thank you so much for this. I currently have a cat doing the claws-in-skin biscuit making on my tummy right now.
posted by Stewriffic at 4:24 PM on August 21, 2016 [1 favorite]

My mom told me about painting seams on her legs in the early fifties. Stockings were required in her office.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 6:15 PM on August 21, 2016 [2 favorites]

OMG, my favorite Looney Tunes cartoon. The part where Marc Anthony puts the kitten cookie on his back makes me laugh til I cry.
posted by fozzie_bear at 7:03 PM on August 21, 2016 [2 favorites]

but this cartoon works much like some of the MGM Tom and Jerry shorts, in that the human characters are the only ones who speak (and are only seen from the waist down).
Mammy Two Shoes
Who is not seen much these days for obvious reasons, but 2 interesting things:
1) This cartoon came out shortly after that character retired.
2) Jones and Maltese went on to do Tom and Jerry in the early 60s, after the 50s WB era.
posted by lkc at 6:39 PM on August 22, 2016