Felix der Kater

As I recall, the words to the theme went: "Felix the Cat, the wonderful, wonderful cat. You'll laugh so much your sides will ACHE. Your heart will go pitter-pat watching Felix, the wonderful cat."

I watched this TV cartoon series regularly as a child in the 60s. I enjoyed it a lot, but I believe I never suffered from aching sides. In fact, there were a few things about this show that were a little bit creepy, such as the sinister Master Cylinder, and that lantern-jawed kid Vavoom, who could blast through anything by just shouting "Vavoom!" That's the kind of stuff that creeps into the dreams of young kids and gives them nightmares!

I've seen good reviews and horrible reviews here. Everyone has their points about this late '50s/early '60s version of Felix. But it's hard for me NOT to like these cartoons. Sure, their budget should have been higher. However, if you consider some of the true heavyweight talent that started with a blank screen and silence, these cartoons come with a pretty GREAT pedigree. Grim Natwick, the true creator of Betty Boop and chief animator of the character "Snow White" (in the 1937 feature of the same name - Walt Disney's FIRST FEATURE, by the way) animated a number of these. ALL the character voices were performed by Jack Mercer (who was the voice of Popeye The Sailor for FOUR DECADES+, no matter WHO was producing Popeye cartoons at the time).

Felix cartoons were first made as SILENTS in 1918, and ALL Felix cartoons that came after that, right up to the "acid-trip" Felix cartoons made by Film Roman bear the fingerprints of whoever made them. In whatever period they were made. So whatever YOU may think of these early TV Felix cartoons, you're entitled to your opinion. I'll just say "Righty-Oh!!!!"

Let me first express my emotional love of this show: I firmly believe that this cartoon is an absolute classic, primarily for its very unique episode plot lines, its intriguing-yet-somewhat blatantly stereotypical villains (the Professor and Rock Bottom, primarily), its fantastic sense of science-fiction fantasy adventure (several episodes have to do with space travel), its comedy and (of course) The Master Cylinder, quite possibly the greatest cartoon villain in the history of animated entertainment. I love this show.

The cartoon ran for a very limited time in the early 1960's; as such, it is subsequently enamored with many of the entertainment clichés of its time. For example, I do believe that the old grade-Z science fiction movies of the 40's and 50's did have a significant effect on many of the episodes; as mentioned earlier, several episodes have to do with space travel: in my personal favorite episode, Poindexter (the Professor's brainy nephew, with a voice pitched high enough to rival the Chipmunks') builds a flying saucer in his spare time (while Felix is babysitting him) and travels to Mars with Felix, where they meet (hooray!) The Master Cylinder, in one of his many physical incarnations (for some reason the producers of the show made him look rather different in each episode, I've never really realized why). Additionally, the design of many of the visuals can be compared very easily to the fashionable aesthetic of the time; if you observe Felix's house, you will find that it appears to be very similar to Mike Brady's architecture (although that show came a little later). Furthermore, Rock Bottom's zoot-suited, cigar-chomping demeanor seems to me that it came right out of that era. And even further-more, if you want to get still deeper into it: I also believe that the whole attitude of that particular time period is greatly embedded in the show's values. Some of the episodes are very suburban, very 9-to-5 oriented, very detailed in consumerism and that classic, somewhat post-Eisenhower mentality of the love of homebodiness, the love of being the "Modern American." Wow. To back myself up on this: a couple episodes have to deal with Felix's day-to-day 9-to-5 job (!), life at home listening to the radio and suddenly hearing a newsflash about invading Martians (a particularly awesome episode) and running outside to protect yourself from them with a rifle, and getting rid of a pesky mouse that is managing to somehow steal everything from your perfectly-stocked refrigerator. All in all, I feel that these factors give this show a very cute, very nostalgic personality; they greatly add to its charm.

If you are a fan of classic cartoons (namely any of the Chuck Jones-style productions [including Merry Melodies and Tom & Jerry], Tex Avery productions or other assorted serials) I urge you to check out FELIX THE CAT. I promise you that it will bring something new to the table. Each episode has a wonderfully unique story (with Looney Tunes you sort of get recycled formulas every time) filled with charm, intelligence and even a little suspense (one episode in particular used to scare the living crap out of me; if you watch the series, you'll know which one. It has to do with Felix getting locked in his own house). Even if you don't care for cartoons, check out the series anyway. I still promise you that it will bring something new to the table. Now, the show spawned a feature-length movie that was produced sometime in the 80's (I believe); if you have seen this movie but haven't seen the original cartoon, I advise you to not follow any pre-conceived thoughts about this cartoon just from the movie. The two are very, very different. Though I still like the movie, it shares hardly any values or aesthetics with the cartoon. Completely gone is the lovely 60's nostalgia that I described above. Completely gone is Rock Bottom, Felix's house, space missions and (sob) The Master Cylinder is reduced to a pitiful cameo appearance that has nothing to do at all with his majesty on the series. I mean, come on, this is the guy that would have almost launched a fleet of missiles against Earth, if Felix hadn't of stopped him!

This cartoon is utterly fantastic. Please go and find a DVD of it right now.

RIGHT-EE-OH!!

I watched several episodes of "Felix the Cat" when I was a little boy, and it wasn't until the last few years that I learned that the adventurous feline was first created in the 1910s.

It's always cool to see what sort of weird thing Felix has in his bag. It used to puzzle me that the Professor was alternately good and bad (but I loved how his efforts to steal Felix's bag always ended in total embarrassment). Poindexter seriously needs some fun and imagination in his life. Rock Bottom is truly giving dogs a bad name. Master Cylinder would have discouraged the very thought of the moon landing* were he real. I never have seen any episode starring Vavoom.

Anyway, a pretty good show. Right-e-o indeed!

*Last month of course saw the 40th anniversary. Walter Cronkite considered it the defining moment of the 20th century.

PS: Felix is the Latin word for "happy" or "lucky". The name also of course sounds like feline.

At the end of each little episode, the announcer (apparently Jack Mercer--as I see in the title page that he did every other voice on the program) would say this in a low, growly voice. In the background of the soundtrack, there would be a string section doing that sustained-one-note-suspense thing that we've all heard in a million different films. Used to scare the crap outta me--almost as bad as Koko the Clown popping out of that damned inkwell. Even though the sensibilities that went into this kind of animation helped to shape (warp?) me, and I love them to this day, sometimes I think that the old time animators were sadists who hated kids. Either that or I was just a wuss.