CATTANOOGA CATS

 CATTANOOGA CATS
(ABC, September 6-December 27, 1969)
 
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Thames International

 

 

MAIN CAST:

Bill Callaway – Country

Julie Bennett – Kitty Jo, Chessie

Jim Begg – Scoots

Casey Kasem – Groove

Michael Lloyd & Peggy Clinger – Cattanooga Cats singing voices

Bruce Watson – Phineas “Finny” Fogg Jr.

Janet Waldo – Jenny Trent

Don Messick – Hoppy, Smirky, Opening Announcer

Daws Butler – Crumden, Lambsy Divey

Allan Melvin – Bumbler, Bristlehound

Paul Lynde – Mildew Wolf

Marty Ingels – Autocat

Dick Curtis – Motormouse

 

 

Hanna-Barbera sought to further bolster their offerings in the growing fictional band genre while duplicating the success they found with The Banana Splits Adventure Hour. They created a new variety program with an anthropomorphic band as the headliners. However, this time around, it would be completely animated. The resulting program was Cattanooga Cats.

Promotional art of Groove, Country, Kitty Jo and Scoots with super-fan Chessie and Teeny Tim.

The titular segment focused on the Cattanooga Cats (a play on Chattanooga, Tennessee) band comprised of Country (Bill Callaway), the lead singer and guitarist who also drove their converted bus, Gashopper; Kitty Jo (Julie Bennet), a singer and dancer that occasionally also drove the bus; Scoots (Jim Begg), the bassist with a magic crayon that could create anything out of thin air to get the group out of a jam; and Groove (Casey Kasem), the drummer that always spoke in rhyme. A fifth member, a keyboardist mouse named Cheesie, made it as far as storyboards but ultimately cut out of the final production. Ads for the series would also feature 5 members and presumably older, mod-inspired designs, rather than their final ones. They usually ended up embroiled in some kind of misadventure along the way to a gig; be it pestered by the supernatural—both real and man-made—or eluding a persistent autograph hound. Only nine full episodes were made with the Cats, however they would appear in bumpers and musical numbers between the other cartoons with the addition of Kitty Jo’s big blue dog, Teeny Tim (named after the Tiny Tim character from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens).

The Cattanooga Cats album.

Producer Mike Curb served as the series’ musical director and co-wrote all of the Cats’ songs along with Valjean Johns, Guy Hemric, Shaun Harris, Johnny Cymbal, Harley Hatcher, Jerry Styner, Roger Christian, Debra Clinger, Michael Lloyd and Peggy Clinger. Lloyd and Peggy Clinger also provided the Cats’ singing voices. 34 songs were produced in all, not including the series’ theme. Several songs were covers previously handled by Curb Records. “Cold Wisconsin Night (Sittin’ by the Fireside)” was recorded in 1968 by The American Revolution as “Cold Wisconsin Nights”; “I Wish I Was a Fire” and “My Girlfriend is a Witch” were recorded in 1968 by October Country; “My Birthday Suit” was composed for the 1968 independent hicksploitation comedy Jennie: Wife/Child, aka Albert Peckinpaw’s Revenge; the melody of “The Day That Love Won’t Stay Away” originated from the traditional Irish ballad, “The King of the Fairies”; and “Sing a Song of Sixpence” and “Johnny Johnny Jump Up” were based on traditional children’s songs.

Title card for It's the Wolf! featuring Bristlehound, Mildew and Lambsy.

It’s the Wolf! centered on hungry wolf, Mildew (Paul Lynde, who was uncredited), attempting to make a dinner out of sure-footed lamb, Lambsy Divey (inspired by the lyrics of the 1943 novelty song “Mairzy Doats” composed by Milton Drake, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston, voiced by Butler), utilizing various schemes and disguises. A recurring gag would have Lambsy easily see through Mildew’s disguises and give several incorrect rhyming guesses as to his true identity before crying out “It’s the wool-uff!” Lambsy was under the watchful guard of sheepdog Bristlehound (Melvin), and when Lambsy called out Bristelhound would appear, snag Mildew with his cane, pound him and send him flying off into the horizon. This segment was largely inspired by the Warner Bros. theatrical shorts featuring Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog, running from 1953-63. For Japanese airings, It’s the Wolf! was renamed Ramji-chan, giving Lambsy top billing due to their love of cute characters.

Around the World in 79 Days title card featuring Crumden and his crew looking at Phineas and his.

Around the World in 79 Days was a sequel to the Jules Verne novel, Around the World in Eighty Days. Phineas “Finny” Fogg Jr. (Bruce Watson) was the American great-great-grandson of Phileas Fogg who set out to not only beat his relative’s record, but gain a £1,000,000 inheritance by doing so. Joining him along the way were teenaged reporters Jenny Trent (Janet Waldo) and Hoppy (Don Messick). Attempting to stop him and get the money himself was Crumden (Daws Butler), the crooked butler of Phileas, his idiotic chauffer, Bumbler (Allan Melvin), and his pet monkey, Smirky (Messick). Unlike the other segments, 79 Days was serialized rather than episodic. Another unrelated attempt at adapting the novel would come 3 years later on rival network NBC.

Title card for Motormouse and Autocat, with the titular characters in mid chase.

Motormouse and Autocat was essentially a Tom and Jerry clone; however, utilizing various wild vehicles. Autocat (Marty Ingles) was a fast-talking race car-driving cat that was hired to get rid of the motorcycle-riding Motormouse (Dick Curtis, using an over-enunciation of various words) from a garage. To do so, he continually concocted bizarre vehicle contraptions in order to snag him. Of course, those vehicles would often fail on Autocat or Motormouse would simply outsmart his opponent. Hanna-Barbera would also utilize strange vehicle chases as a central theme of the concurrently-airing Dastardly and Muttley in their Flying Machines.

The Cats in the Gashopper.

Cattanooga Cats debuted on ABC on September 6, 1969. The series was written by Neal Barbera, Larz Bourne, Eddie Brandt, Tom Dagenais, Len Janson, Earl Klein, Bill Lutz, Michael Maltese, Chuck Menville, Bill Perez, Joe Ruby, Dalton Sandifer, Martin Smith and Ken Spears. Along with Curb, producers William Hanna and Joseph Barbera were credited with the series’ theme. Ted Nichols handled the rest of the series’ music. To coincide with the series’ release, an album of 11 of the Cats’ songs were released by Forward Records and EMI, along with the singles “Mother May I” and “Merry-Go-Round”. The music has never seen a reissue, but as the album’s copyright was allowed to lapse in 1997 pirated recordings found their way online and for sale as bootleg CDs. While working on the show, layout artist Jerry Eisenberg had some fun with his new Super 8 camera during lunch breaks. He filmed and directed a live-action spoof of It’s the Wolf starring animator Bonita Versh as Lambsy, layout artist Alex Ignatiev as Bristlehound, and animator/layout artist Joel Siebel as Mildew.

Mildew disguised as a little old lady.

As part of their hopes for another hit, Cattanooga Cats had a decent merchandising blitz. All but 79 Days would be featured strips in the anthology series Hanna-Barbera Fun-In from Gold Key Comics, Heroes de la Tele from Ediciones Recreativas in Spain, and in Wacky Races Annual Featuring Motormouse and Autocat by Brown Watson Ltd. in the United Kingdom. Ben Cooper produced a costume based on Country in 1969. Western Publishing Company made a Cats tray puzzle in 1969, followed by a Magic Slate and coloring book the next year. Plastirama made party favors including a hat and wrist bracelets featuring the Cats’ images. Selex Decal produced a set of Cats stickers. Country, Motormouse and Lambsy were featured on the design for a footrest for The Happy Kingdom of Hanna-Barbera.

The air race has turned into an ice race between Phineas and Crumden.

Unfortunately, the series failed to achieve the success Hanna-Barbera was looking for. At least in part. It’s the Wolf and Motormouse and Autocat turned out to be the stand-outs, and were split off into their own half hour the following year with brand new entries. Cattanooga Cats and 79 Days would be paired up for reruns on ABC Sunday mornings until both shows left the network the following season. Reruns of the various segments, particularly Motormouse and Wolf, would air intermittently on Cartoon Network beginning in 1995 until 2000 and on sister channel Boomerang beginning in 2000 until 2012. The complete series has never seen a home media release, but Walton Home Movies released 3 of the music videos and the theme and several episodes of Motormouse on Super 8 in 1971, and 12 Wolf episodes were released by Hanna-Barbera Home Video on VHS in 1988.

Mildew in Laff-A-Lympics.

Mildew would appear as an announcer on the series Laff-a-Lympics, voiced by John Stephenson impersonating Lynde. Lambsy would appear on his own in 1972’s Yogi’s Ark Lark. Mildew (Bernardo de Paula), Lambsy (Dana Snyder), and the Cattanooga Cats (as animatronics) would go on to make appearances in the streaming series Jellystone! Plans were in place to revive The Cattanooga Cats along with The Hair Bear Bunch and Snooper and Blabber as rotating features of the second season of 2 Stupid Dogs, but were ultimately scrapped.

            

EPISODE GUIDE:

“Witch Whacky / It’s the Wolf! / The Race is On / Wheelin’ and Dealin’” (9/6/69) – A witch plans to make Kitty Jo her replacement so she can finally retire. / Mildew Wolf plans to have Lambsy for dinner—if he can get past Bristlehound first. / Crumden attempts to end Phinny’s trip early in Paris. / Motormouse and Autocat compete with their newly-arrived upgrades.

Songs: “How Did I Ever Get So Lucky”, “My Group Has Too Many Cavities”

 

“Geronihoho / When My Sheep Comes In / Swiss Mis-Adventure / Party Crasher” (9/13/69) – The Cats deal with a Native American chief set on chasing tourists off his land to preserve it. / Mildew attempts to snag Lambsy while he’s on his way to an Australian sheep show. / A rescue dog saves the crew after Crumden leaves them frozen in the Alps. / Autocat attempts to crash Motormouse’s party.

Songs: “My Girl Friend is a Witch”, “Alle Alle Oxen Free”

 

“The Big Boo-Boo / A Sheep in the Deep / Arabian Daze / Water Sports” (9/20/69) – A princess’ servant decides to kidnap Kitty Jo so that the princess may learn the Cats’ dances. / Mildew finds Bristlehound and Lambsy on a deserted island. / Crumden kidnaps Jenny to give to a sheik to be his princess. / Autocat tries to get Motormouse back to the garage from vacation to avoid being fired.

Songs: “Wait a Minute for Country”, “She’s the Right One”

 

“The Wee Greenie Goofie / High Hopes / Winter Blunder-Land! / Madrid or Busted / What’s the Motor with You?” (9/27/69) – The Cats deal with a mischievous leprechaun that followed Kitty Jo’s uncle home from Ireland. / Mildew becomes the Crimson Baron in order to snatch Lambsy out of the sky. / Dinner will be served cold if Mildew can catch Lambsy in the snow. / Crumden steals the crew’s map, leaving them lost in Spain. / Autocat tries to stop Motormouse’s testing of a new motorcycle.

Songs: “Country Carnival”, “Come and Play with the Cattanooga Cats”

 

“Mummy’s Day / Merry Go Roundup! / Mr. Bom Bom / Mini Messenger” (10/4/69) – The Cats end up locked inside a museum for the night and run afoul of a reanimated mummy looking to steal a ruby. / Bristlehound builds an amusement park for Lambsy. / Crumden’s storm causes the crew to become acquainted with a gorilla. / Autocat attempts to stop Motormouse’s new delivery service.

Songs: “My Birthday Suit”, “Super Love”

 

“Zoo’s Who / Super Sceintific Sheep Sitting Service / India or Bust / Wild Wheelin’ Wheels” (10/11/69) – The Cats try to figure out how to get a homesick elephant out of the zoo and back home. / Bristlehound employs a video security system to keep an eye on Mildew. / Crumden cuts away Phinny’s balloon after failing to trick him with an abominable snowman. / Unable to catch Motormouse, Autocat decides on some drastic actions and crafts new automobiles.

Songs: “Cold Wisconsin Night”, “Mother May I”

 

“Autograph Hounded / Any Sport in a Storm / Snow Slappy / Soggy to Me” (10/18/69) – The Cats try to get away from a very persistent autograph hound. / Lambsy just wants to play sports, but Mildew has other plans. / Crumden plots some dirty tricks at the North Pole. / Autocat ends up all wet after Motormouse becomes a firefighter.

Songs: “Johnny Johnny Jump-Up”, “Day When Love Won’t Stay Away”

 

“The Caribbean Kook / Magic Wanderer / Finney, Finney, Fun, Fun / Crash Course” (10/25/69) – The Cats take on a pirate that crashes their cruise ship gig. / Mildew, Lambsy and Bristlehound add prestidigitation to their chase. / Crumden forces the crew to land in an area where trespassing is a jailable offense. / Autocat tries to keep Motormouse out of a motorcycle race only to end up in it himself.

Songs: “Merry Go ‘Round”, “Story of My Life”

 

“Ghosting A-Go-Go / Runaway Home / The Argentiny Meany / Fueling Around” (11/1/69) – The Cats end up in a haunted house where a ghost is determined to put the fright into them. / Lambsy decides to run away from home to seek his fortune. / Crumden and Bumbler saw off the spot where the crew landed their balloon in Argentina. / Autocat tries to come up with his own super fuel to rival Motormouse’s.

Songs: “Hoot Owl”, “I Wish I Was a Fire”

 

“Smart Dummy / The Tree Man / Buzzin’ Cousin” (11/8/69) –Mildew increases his odds by creating mechanical duplicates of himself. / Bumbler downs the crew’s balloon, but they end up rescued by a jungle man. / Motormouse decides to have some fun with Autocat when his identical cousin comes to visit.

Songs: “Do You Dig the Music”, “It’s Summertime”

 

“Cat Caper / Saucy Aussie / Snow-Go” (11/15/69) – Paths get crossed as a cat attempts to catch a bird while Mildew goes after Lambsy. / Kangaroos help the crew retrieve the balloon Crumden lets loose. / Autocat comes up with snow-bound vehicles to catch Motormouse in the winter.

Songs: “We’re Incompatible”, “Love Could Be”

 

“Mask Me No Questions / Crumden’s Last Stand / Hard Day’s Day” (11/22/69) –Lambsy writes to his favorite TV super hero to help protect him from Mildew. / Crumden ends up betrothed to an Indian chief’s daughter. / Autocat creates a remote-controlled device to deal with Motormouse.

Songs: “Pretty as a Picture”, “Stop Right There”

 

“Freeway Frenzy / Egyptian Jinx / Tally Ha Ha” (11/29/69) –Mildew attempts to catch Lambsy as he plays on an unfinished highway. / Crumden attempts to scare off the crew with a fake haunted pyramid. / Leadership of a club comes down to who can capture Motormouse.

Songs: “Magic Machine”, “Come Back, Baby, Come Back”

 

“Slumber Jacks / Border Disorder / Hocus Focus” (12/6/69) – Bristlehound is unable to stay awake while Mildew pursues Lambsy. / Crumden recruits a Mexican criminal to help stop the crew. / Motormouse takes pictures to win a new motorcycle in a contest, despite Autocat’s best efforts to interrupt him.

Songs: “Children Understand”, “Up, Down and On the Ground”

 

“Pow-Wow Wolf / Troubles in Dutch / Kitty Kitty Bang Bang” (12/13/69) –Mildew goes after Lambsy as he pretends to be a Native American. / Phinny enters an ice-skating competition to pay for some prize-winning tulips Crumden caused them to crush. / Autocat tries to keep Motormouse from going on his cruise vacation.

Songs: “She Sure Got Soul”, “Cash Register Romance”

 

“Ghost of a Chance / The Fiji Weegees / King Size Kaddy” (12/20/69) – Mildew plays ghost when Bristelhound and Lambsy take shelter in an abandoned house. / Crumden tricks a tribe into thinking the crew are evil spirits. / Autocat interrupts Motormouse’s golf game.

Songs: “I Want to Sleep Tonight”, “Sing a Song of Sixpence”

 

“Hawaiian Hangup” (12/27/69) – Crumden plots to stop the crew during their Hawaiian break.

Songs: “Daydream”, “Honey”