Odor-Able Kitty

And thus was born the most amorous skunk ever to grace the silver screen. While the plot has an abused cat painting himself like a skunk and inadvertently attracting Pepe Le Pew (called Henry here), Pepe certainly steals the show. No doubt Chuck Jones realized that this love-seeking member of the genus Mephitis had that special something necessary to be a star in his own right, and so he cast Pepe in "For Scent-imental Reasons" four years later, firmly establishing PLP's enduring presence on screens everywhere.

So, while "Odor-Able Kitty" may be a place holder otherwise, I try to imagine watching it for the very first time in 1945. Could anyone have guessed that this supporting character would soon join the ranks of Bugs, Daffy, Porky, and the rest? Whether or not anyone did, Pepe remains one of the most likable characters to this day. C'est l'amour!

The brilliant Chuck Jones, master of Warner Bros. cartoon comedy, brings us the first (?) Pepe LePew cartoon. An alley cat, tired of being pushed around, paints himself in the colors of a skunk, and with a healthy dose of Limburger, turns the tables on his tormentors. Then along comes Pepe, and you know the rest. Many of Pepe's famous gags were born here, including his chase/hop, in which he hops casually along while his prey runs himself to exhaustion.

In my opinion, Warner Bros. cartoons became less inventive and more ho-hum in the 50s. This 1947 'toon is one of the few examples of Mel Blanc putting his absolutely crazy voice into Pepe's mouth. But the kicker is the ending, where Pepe is revealed to be an American "wolf in skunk's clothing"! A must see! Classic Warner Bros...

Pepe Le Pew is not one of my favourites, but he is a likable character and the sort that you appreciate much more as an adult. Odor-able Kitty is his debut, and is a very credible one. Okay, it is different to what we are used to from Pepe, perhaps there is a notion of not quite finding their feet yet- which is natural when it comes to debuts- and Pepe does look a little awkward here. On the other hand, the animation on the whole is very good, perhaps not as elegant as the later Pepe cartoons but it has a nice style to it. The music is typical Carl Stalling, the orchestration is lush and there is so much characters that proves a vital part of the humour. The dialogue has the freshness and wit that you'd expect from Looney Tunes, the cat bags the best lines actually. The gags, the best being the ending, are clever and imaginatively timed. Pepe is memorable for a first outing, though not as amorous or witty as he would be later, while the cat is a strong support character that I like even better than Penelope. Mel Blanc's(with his Pepe as ever sounding eerily like Maurice Chevalier) vocal characterisations don't disappoint. All in all, a more than credible debut, even if there was better to come. 8/10 Bethany Cox

ODOR-ABLE KITTY is Pepe's first short, and he does well but for the ending. I like this cartoon but for that.

The animation is rather strange, but besides Pepe it looks fine. 8/10

The story is good, a nice change from the white stripe routine, though that's still good. But the ending leaves much to be desired. 7/10

The lines are good, but there's still room for improvement in this department. 8/10

The visual jokes are, of course, minimal, except for the beginning and the end. 6.5/10

Overall, this cartoon is a good effort, and from me it recieves an average of 72.5% and a solid B+.

An alley cat is tired of getting kicked around. He is kicked out of a butcher shop. He gets shoo away by an old lady and chased by a scary dog. He comes up with the idea to disguise himself as a skunk. It works with his regular interactions, but then Pepé le Pew takes an interest.

This is early Pepé le Pew (don't know where in his development) and there is a difference. He is chasing after a male cat although I don't know if he knows that it's a male cat. Maybe it is a commentary on the French. I'm not even sure if he is French in this. Aside from all that, the basics of a Pepé le Pew short is all there.