Release Date:

October 19, 1946

Main Character(s):

Babbit and Catstello

Summary:

Again as mice, Babbit hypnotizes Catstello into believing he’s a dog in order to scare the cat away so they can get food from the delicatessen they live in.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 7-15, the 7th Merrie Melodie in the 15th release season.

The cartoon was given a Blue Ribbon reissue. While the full credits have not been found, a black and white photo of the original title card was found in 2010. The original title cue is also heard on “The Carl Stalling Project Volume 1” CD. An accurate reconstruction of the original titles can be viewed here. The credits were:

Story: Warren Foster

Animation: Richard Bickenbach, Cal Dalton, Art Davis, and Don Williams

Layouts: Cornett Wood

Backgrounds: Richard H. Thomas

Effects Animation: AC Gamer

Voice Characterization: Mel Blanc

Musical Direction: Carl Stalling

Direction: Robert McKimson

This is the final appearance of Babbit and Catstello and their second of two appearances as mice following “Tale of Two Mice”.

This is the last cartoon to have Arthur Davis as an animator before he became a director. After Davis’ unit was shut down at the end of the 1940’s due to budget problems, Davis returned to being an animator and animated for Freleng until the early 1960’s.

“Powerhouse” plays during the entire opening scene where the camera trucks into the Earth, into “Mouseachewsetts” and into Fluger’s Delicatessen.

Despite being a McKimson cartoon, the animator draft for this cartoon has yet to be found.

What I Like About This One:

The very jazzy rendition of “Three Blind Mice” in the original titles.

The entire opening with “Powerhouse” playing as the cartoon begins with a shot of Earth in space, where the camera trucks into the United States, into “Mouseachewsetts”, and into Fluger’s Delicatessen before stopping at the mouse hole.

Catstello has been anticipating the audience: “I thought you’d never get here” and informs Babbit that the people are here, but Babbit cares more about Catstello getting food instead of the audience (animated by Richard Bickenbach). Catstello explains he’s afraid of the cat (animated by Cal Dalton), so Babbit looks in his hypnotism book and attempts to hypnotize Catstello, who tells him to not look at him like that as “I’m a good boy” (animated by Bickenbach).

Once he believes Catstello is in his power, Babbit instructs him to pick up a mallet, put his hand on the block (animated by Anatolle Kirsanoff), and whack his fingers hard. But Catstello only answers, “But that would hurt my fingers, Babbit” (animated by Dalton).

Babbit tries again and believes Catstello is sleepy (animated by Dalton). Catstello replies he isn’t so Babbit slaps him and insists, “You are so sleepy! Sleep! Sleep! Take that! And that! And that!” Catstello shouts Babbit’s name before quietly telling him to cut it out (animated by Bickenbach).

Believing he’s overlooked something (animated by Bickenbach), Babbit looks in his book and realizes a better way to hypnotize (animated by Arthur Davis). His first attempt at this new approach is foiled by Catstello reading “How to Resist Hypnotism”. Babbit slaps the book out of Catstello’s hands and attempts to hold him in his clutches to hypnotize him, but Catstello runs off (animated by Don Williams) and hides behind a brick, taunting and dodging each of the hypnotism rays before it eventually lifts a welding mask he’s wearing and gets him under Babbit’s control (animated by Davis).

Testing this out, Babbit hypnotizes Catstello into believing he’s a different persona, first Bing Crosby singing “You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby”, then Frank Sinatra singing “Trade Winds”, then Jimmy Durante singing “Lullaby of Broadway”, and finally Rochester calling Jack Benny from his grandma’s house (animated by Davis).

Babbit then hypnotizes Catstello into believing he’s a chicken (animated by Davis). Upon seeing Catstello actually lay an egg, he is delighted at the success (animated by Dalton) and hypnotizes Catstello into believing he’s a dog getting him to go after the cat (animated by Davis).

Hearing barking, the cat runs (animated by Williams) and hides under a trash can, but Catstello finds him and the cat does a fantastic extended eyeballs take at seeing Catstello act like a dog (animated by Dalton). At this point, the hypnotism wears off and the back to normal Catstello finds the cat glaring at him (animated by Davis). He runs back to the hole, but is hypnotized again (animated by Kirsanoff).

The cat is also reading a copy of “How to Hypnotize” and he returns Catstello to his normal personality (animated by Kirsanoff). Every time Catstello runs back to Babbit, he becomes a dog while every time he runs to the cat, he returns to normal. A back and forth of hypnotizing and de-hypnotizing ensues up to the point where Catstello only has to turn for a persona change, before he finally turns the tables by holding mirrors in both directions (animated by Bickenbach)

Turning the tables, Catstello hypnotizes the cat (animated by Kirsanoff) into believing he’s a horse (animated by Williams), and Babbit a cowboy, and leads them (animated by Dalton) to gallop out the window (animated by Williams). Alone with all the food to himself, Catstello sighs, “Oh, I’m a bad boy!” (animated by Davis)

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕 ½