Der eingebildete Katzient

Hypo-Chondri-Cat, The (1950)

*** (out of 4)

The cat Claude is chasing mice Hubie and Bertie when he passes an open window and fears he's going to get sick. The cat, terrified of colds, soon starts to freak out when the mice make it seem like he's about to die. This is certainly middle ground Merrie Melodies but it's still got enough charm to make it worth sitting through. This is a rather mean-spirited short, which is why many people like it. I think it gives the short a certain edge that makes it worth watching but at the same time you can't help but feel sorry for this cat who is clearly terrified out of his wits. None of the three characters were all that strong. They weren't bad but they just weren't characters that I'd sit through various shorts with. Fans of animation will certainly want to check this out even though it's not the best of what's out there.

A Hypochondriac Cat is endlessly tomented by two cruel mice. Thes mice are real assholes as they take advantage of the cats worrying and fears and for what? Just for a little bit of cheese. TThey're completely in the wrong here as they break into the house and whatnot. And by the way to a previous reviewer the cat doesn't think he has Pneumonia, just that he might catch a cold and then get it. If all this suggests that I disliked the cartoon, then I'm sorry that I gave the wrong impression as I did like it. This cartoon is on Disk 3 of the "Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 1"

My Grade: B-

Among the least used but best characters Looney Tunes developed were Hubie and Bert--two extremely funny and sadistic little mice. Again and again, their cartoons make me laugh and I have no idea why they didn't make more. Perhaps audiences of the day didn't like how mean this pair was, but I thought their antics were hysterical.

"The Hypo-chondri-cat" is not their best appearance, but it's still classic Hubie and Bert. In this case, the pair wander into a house with a cat and are shocked to see that the cat is a hypochondriac and isn't a threat at all. So, they do what any mice would do--they torment the poor cat relentlessly!! They offer to help the cat with his fake illness but mostly just torture him and make the cat miserable. First, they tell them they're going to operate. Second, when the cat awakens, they've dressed him as an angel and the pair behave as if he's dead!! Third, and perhaps worst of all, they later say they CAN see him and offer to help him up to Heaven!! It's all a bit morbid and cruel--and that's exactly why I liked this one! Exceptional but I still prefer the one where Hubie and Bert convince another cat that he's living upside down--and you have to see this one to believe it!

I first saw this cartoon when I was a little kid, and naturally, I had no idea what was going on. I was utterly clueless that Claude the Cat has hypochondria and that Bert & Hubie decide to take advantage of it to their full potential. In a way, the whole cartoon is really sad, and Claude's dream sure has the potential to freak out any young child. Of course, for those of us who do understand hypochondria and know how Claude thinks that he has every disease known to man, it's a laugh riot.

Hubie and Bertie are mice invading a cozy home. They steal cheese and relax. They are confronted by house cat Claude, but he is rather a hypochondriac. He is afraid of catching a cold from the slightest breeze. The mice take advantage and sets him on a path to cat heaven.

I don't really know these characters. These three never reached super stardom, but I do remember this short. They are good characters. The two mice work well. Maybe they aren't unique enough. All I know is that this short is effective and I remember it after these many decades later. I would like the mice to have the last words.