Top Cat

Based on "The Phil Silvers show",this cartoon translates army capers into the adventures of a bunch of cats in a rundown New York alley.They are led by Top Cat,a conniver who could even teach Bilko a thing or two!Their nemesis and sometime victim is policeman Charlie Dibble.Each of the cats has his own very distinct character.I especially like Spook with his beatnik "hep cat" language. The show is full of humor,wit and charm.The voice actors are superb-including Bilko regular Maurice Gosfield("Benny").Fortunately Hanna-Barbera haven't revived the show;the result would undoubtedly be of much lower standard than the 30 original gems from 1961-2

This is a jewel of a show: fun, clean, sometimes even very clever. Why was this show so short running? Maybe it was ahead of its time. As not as cynic as more recent cats (like Garfield), Top Cat has its dose of pinching quotes and memorable, clever one-liners, as the 'hobo-like' background puts the acid dose to the series. The show is maybe naive for the 90's and beyond, but in the innocence of the early 60's it had punch and spice, maybe 20 years before its time.

I first remember seeing "Top Cat" when it was part of NBC's Saturday morning lineup in the late 60's (I was born on April 29, 1962, when the show was halfway through its first - and only - prime-time season on ABC).

Whoever said, "You don't really appreciate something until after it's gone," was right - once "Top Cat" left NBC in 1969, all I had were comic books of the show to enjoy, as well as a coloring book of when T.C. and the gang went to the local zoo. When "T.C." was first syndicated in 1969, no stations here in Detroit (or around Lansing, Michigan, where I moved to in 1971 and lived until 1978) decided to purchase the reruns and show them (apparently the program directors of said stations didn't know a good cartoon series when they saw one); until 1996, when Cartoon Network reran "T.C." for the first time in ages, it would be a miracle (such as when I visited my relatives near Pittsburgh or my grandparents in California) before I ever saw any episodes of the show again.

About two weeks ago (January 14), I FINALLY purchased the entire 30-episode DVD box set of "Top Cat." It was such a treat to see all the episodes again, as well as the shorts with the actors who voiced the characters (my favorite "Top Cat" episodes have to be "All That Jazz," about the "diamond mine in Diambodi," and "The Golden Fleecing," about the female cat Honeydew Melon). And the best part is: Now I DON'T have to wait until if and when Boomerang decides to rerun "T.C." in the future; I can watch the show again any time I want!

(I also recently tracked down a copy of the 1962 TV soundtrack album on vinyl, so now I have another "T.C." collectible to enjoy. I hope to have one of my friends dub it onto a CD for me.)

So thanks, Warner Home Video, for helping revive an old, enjoyable childhood memory. It was certainly $45 well spent! (Now would you PLEASE see about putting another one of my all-time favorite, and seldom-seen, Hanna-Barbera cartoon series, "The Roman Holidays," on DVD soon? I know that would also be worth paying good money for!)

I love this show, I have loved it ever since I was 8. Just for the record I love Hanna Barbera cartoons-Scooby Doo, Tom and Jerry, the Flintstones etc. but I will always have a soft spot for Top Cat. The animation is typical of Hanna Barbera and holds up reasonably well after all these years. The theme tune is in one word irresistible, and the show is very funny a vast majority of the time, especially with the character of Benny. Another character I loved was Officer Dibble, he was priceless and had a caring side towards the mischievous cats. And I have to love Top Cat, such an iconic and individual character.

Top Cat is constantly witty, humorous and charming. It is non-violent and often simple, but this is in most ways a good thing. The voices are superb particularly from the late Arnold Stang, Allen Jenkins and Marice Gosfield. Superb show, wish it had lasted longer though. 10/10 Bethany Cox

My 8 year old asked what cartoons I used to watch. I'm 56 so I mentioned Top Cat.I explained to him it was a show about cats that acted out people roles.There was no violence or evil villains, just a bunch of guys trying to beat the system.The old get by while the other guys do all the work.They always had a get rich quick gimmick going that was going to put them on easy street and every time they made it on to easy street they missed the good old days and officer Dibble.It was similar to Bilko, McHales navy and other popular sitcoms of that era.

I was amazed my 8 year old hadn't seen an episode. We have DISH TV so I did a search and it did not come up. I thought Boomerang or Cartoon network would have had it on. My 17 year old son came home and caught me looking up Top Cat. He remembered the show. He told his brother it was a great show where a cat had a bunch of trash can buddies that hung out in an alley. How the cartoon network can not have this show on the air is a crime against children everywhere.