Release Date:

June 9, 1945

Main Character(s):

Tweety

Summary:

Two cats, a red one who is a caricature of Jimmy Durante and a yellow one who is a dumb goof, are both in love with the same girl cat. Not wanting them to fight over her, she tells them that whoever brings her a bird can be her fella. They get more than they bargained for when they attempt to go after Tweety.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 3-14, the 3rd Merrie Melodie in the 14th release season.

This is the third and last of Clampett’s Tweety cartoons as well as the last time Tweety didn’t have feathers (the Durante cat even calls him a “naked genius” at one point). Clampett did originally plan a fourth Tweety cartoon, “The Fat Rat and the Stupid Cat” but only the storyboards were completed before Clampett left, resulting in this fourth one to be cancelled.

This is also Tweety’s last appearance without Sylvester, barring a cameo appearance in Jones’ “No Barking” (1954).

John Kricfalusi, the infamous person who created Ren and Stimpy, based Stimpy off of the Durante cat’s red fur and bulbous nose, and off of the yellow cat’s stupidity, weight, and personality.

This is the first cartoon where effects animator AC Gamer is credited as such.

The cartoon is in the 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons book.

You can find out who animated what scene here.

The cartoon was originally titled “The Gruesome Twosome” instead of “A Gruesome Twosome”.

This is the last Clampett cartoon to have animation by Basil Davidovich.

What I Like About This One:

The rendition of “She Broke My Heart in Three Places” over the opening credits.

The yellow cat’s and the girl cat’s romance being only made out as meowing to the tune of “Me-Ow” (animated by Robert McKimson).

The Durante cat suddenly shows up when the yellow cat appears to be asking the girl cat to be his, and wanting the yellow cat out of the picture, the Durante cat hits him with a frying pan causing him to act like a jack going down before falling off the fence. The Durante cat then starts romancing her with lines like, “You say you’re kind of lonely. You say you crave romance. You say you go ga-ga over anything in pants”. Every time the yellow cat gets back up and tries to tell the Durante cat that’s his girl, the Durante cat disposes of him first by saying, “Beat it bub! I’m workin’ this side of the alley!” and kicking him away, the second time he says, “Step aside, son! Ya bother me!” and shoots him which causes the yellow cat’s fur to briefly fly off, and the third time he kicks him away without even looking (animated by McKimson).

Just as the Durante cat has charmed the girl cat into wanting a kiss (animated by McKimson), the yellow cat pulls him down just as they’re about to smooch. A dog comes in out of nowhere and informs us, “Ladies and gentlemen, I don’t actually belong in this picture, BUT I CAN’T PASS UP A CHANCE LIKE THIS!” and he smooches the female cat with neither one of them caring this was with a different species. The Durante cat is heavily annoyed at the dog’s interference, and expresses his disgust towards him before he is hit with a club by the yellow cat (animated by Rod Scribner) and they get into a fight (animated by Basil Davidovich).

When the girl cat asks the two if they are fighting, they stop and reveal they are using lethal weapons against each other (the yellow cat with only a dagger while the Durante cat is holding a spiked club and another small weapon while also using a pistol with his foot). Yellow cat: “FIGHTING!?” Durante cat: “Well, no, I wouldn’t say THAT!” (animated by Scribner)

Once the female cat decides whoever gives her a bird can be hers (animated by Scribner), the Durante cat tries to eliminate the competition immediately by tying the yellow cat’s tail to a heavy weight and after jumping over a fence, he has the yellow cat smash into an empty wash tub, before pouring him out as goop (animated by Davidovich).

Both cats sneaking around the pole where Tweety’s nest is atop, unaware of each other’s presence (animated by Davidovich).

Sensing the yellow cat’s presence, Tweety realizes, “I tawt I taw a putty tat!” and when he sees the Durante cat, he realizes, “I tawt I taw ANOTHER putty tat!” Seeing he taw two putty tats, Tweety’s asking of, “Have you two putty tats met?” causes them to come face to face and yowl at each other (animated by Manny Gould). Tweety mallets their hands (animated by Scribner) sending them falling to the ground (animated by Gould) with an explosion (animated by Davidovich). “Aw the poor putty tats. They fall down and go BOOM!” (animated by Scribner)

Tweety then passes by the cats while singing his own song, “I Tawt I Taw a Putty Tat” which mostly consists of scatting (animated by Gould). After fighting each other over Tweety (animated by Scribner), the Durante cat realizes they’re getting nowhere fast and have to team up and use “stragety” to get him. The Durante cat whispers a plan to the yellow cat that is inaudible but before he continues, he takes himself away from the yellow cat’s ear to audibly say, “And FURTHERMORE…” (animated by Gould)

In the next scene, the cats are seen in a horse costume, with the Durante cat revealing which positions they’re in: “Shh, it’s me! I’m the horse’s head!” (animated by Gould) Tweety pops out of the costume’s tail, pulls a bee out of his pocket, slaps it around to get it angry, and puts it in the costume (animated by Davidovich). After Tweety provokes the bee into stinging the cats and they frantically run away from the bee while still in the costume (animated by Gould), Tweety rides it like the Lone Ranger, complete with mask and hat and shouting, “Hi-yo, Sliver! Away!” (animated by Davidovich)

The cats end up wrapping the costume around a tree and colliding with each other (animated by Gould). After the bee flies out of the costume, the Durante cat whispers another plan to get the “naked genius” with the same “And FURTHERMORE…” (animated by Scribner) Tweety takes a bulldog’s bone and hits him with it. He angrily chases Tweety who is running away with his bone to which Tweety puts it in the costume so this becomes an in-costume fight between the cats and bulldog (animated by Gould). As they fight into the distance, Tweety confides, “You know, I get wid of more putty tats that way!” and does a Durante impression of his own (animated by Scribner).

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕 ½