The Hypo-Chondri-Cat

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.

I've always been a big fan of black comedy so it's hardly surprising that Chuck Jones's Hubie and Bertie cartoons are amongst my favourite Warner creations. These fantastic shorts tackled such dark subjects as mental illness and attempted suicide but 'The Hypo-chondri-cat' is the grimmest of all, focusing on the big one; death itself. Pitted against their regular rival Claude Cat, a neurotic mess of a feline, the sadistic mice set about convincing him that he is fatally ill. This results in a terrific, nightmarishly surreal scene in which Claude visualizes himself being pursued by surgical equipment as he listens to Hubie and Bertie preparing to operate. When he comes round again is when the cartoon gets really cruel as the mice convince a terrified Claude that he didn't survive the operation. It's all very macabre but also hilarious in a deliciously sick way. The cartoon ends on a peaceful but troubling note with Claude still totally unaware he's not dead. With such dark subject matters, it's hardly surprising Hubie and Bertie didn't catch on with a 40s and 50s audience but these cartoons remain incredibly interesting and entertaining forgotten classics that give us a glimpse into the darker side of Warner animation. 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.

I love this cartoon! I don't remember too many Claude Cat cartoons, in fact I can't differentiate the events between the others. But this one sticks out. It's really funny visually, but the real hilarity is verbal. It makes me sad watching it, since the poor cat is defenseless against the sadistic and satanic Hubie and Bertie. It has the whole surgery routine, and Claude's dream is pretty freaky. But I guess he ends up happy in the end. By the way, what IS it with those mice? Claude hardly seems to do anything to them. Back to the visual comedy: Claude's expressions and his antagonists' gleeful and cruel expressions as each brainstorm hits and how their plot seamlessly unfolds are fantastic. Nice ending. Good to see it remastered, restored and uncut on the new Looney Tunes DVD. Looking forward to buying it. Highly recommended.

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!