Release Date:

July 17, 1943

Main Character(s):

None

Summary:

A Fats Waller cat ignores the warning of the “Uncle Tomcat’s Mission Band” about how he will be tempted by “wine, women, and song” at the local “Kit Kat Club”. The Waller cat ends up being scared out of his wits when he is literally “sent out of this world” into the surreal Wackyland.

That’s Not All, Folks:

Due to all of the characters being black-faced, this is one of the Censored Eleven.

Most of the cartoon reuses animation from earlier cartoons such as “Clean Pastures”, “September in the Rain”, and “Porky in Wackyland” (it’s actually pretty crazy how far we’ve gotten on this blog since it’s been almost a whole year since I’ve done posts on those three).

The cartoon is in the 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons book. While it’s not as overrated as “Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs”, the stereotypes don’t really make this one that worthy of praise either.

This is the last Warner cartoon to use Vitaphone numbers for identification under the opening shield.

This is the only Warner cartoon where Clampett is credited as “Bob” rather than “Robert”. Since Leon Schlesinger was still in charge, it’s possible that he maybe gave an exception to his rule of directors not being credited by their nicknames here.

“Dinner Music for a Pack of Hungry Cannibals” plays when the Waller cat screams to “get me out of here!” up until the point where he fails to get into the elevator.

Sadly, the actual Fats Waller passed away about five months after the cartoon was released.

This and the next cartoon, “Porky Pig’s Feat” mark the absolute last time that two Warner cartoons were released on the exact same day.

What I Like About This One:

The Waller cat following a much taller girl cat around while imitating her walk only to be confronted by her boyfriend, prompting him to politely leave.

Stopped by the preacher of the Uncle Tomcat’s Mission band, the Waller cat sees no issue in “wine, women, and song”: “What’s the matter with that!?” (animated by Robert McKimson)

The reuse of the Nagasaki sequence from “September in the Rain” (in one scene, the Waller cat even strikes another cat’s knee with a drumstick so his reflexes cause him to crash the cymbal).

A man’s roast chicken suddenly coming to life and dancing to the performance.

The Waller cat playing the piano with his toes.

How the Waller cat is “sent out of this world” is the trumpet player’s blasts causing him to float up into the air, until he lands in Wackyland and is greeted by humongous lips that tell him he’s out of this world. Turning around to look behind him, the Waller cat asks the lips if he was talking to him. The lips reply in a rural bumpkin accent, “Mmm, could be” before disappearing while doing the “running finger across lips” bit (animated by Rod Scribner).

Watching the citizens of Wackyland going about their business (via reused animation from “Porky in Wackyland”), the Waller cat’s reaction is “What’s the matter with him?” (animated by McKimson)

After crashing to the ground after being carried off by a creature that fights with itself due to having a cat one end of its body and a dog on the other (McKimson animated the Waller cat being carried off by the “cat-dog”), the Waller cat sees a “rubber band” pass him: rubber bands that imitate a marching band (animated by Scribner).

The rendition of “Dinner Music for a Pack of Hungry Cannibals” that plays after the Waller cat gets spooked by Hitler and Tojo caricatures butt-bumping each other up to the point where he smacks into the elevator when attempting to escape (animated by Scribner).

Seeing a Stalin caricature do the Russian kick dance while kicking the Hitler caricature in the rear end, the Waller cat has had enough and again screams “GET ME OUT OF HERE!”

Being brought back the same way by the trumpet player, the Waller cat runs out of the Kit Kat Club and joins the Uncle Tomcat’s Mission Band on bass drum, complete with a halo over his head. Dumbfounded by his sudden enthusiasm to join them, the preacher and singers ask in unison, “What’s the matter with HIM!?” (animated by Scribner)

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕 ½