Felix the Cat

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!!!!"

The silent Felix cartoons were, for the most part, VERY good. Having no soundtrack, all they had to let you know what Felix was thinking or feeling was the artwork, at which the animators were extremely successful. You really can't compare the silents with the Trans-Lux TV Felix cartoons. However, in those TV cartoons, the producers were intelligent enough to hire Voice Actor extraordinaire Jack Mercer. He started at the Max Fleischer cartoon studio in New York City (that studio's original location was the reason for the urban settings of their cartoons.). Unlike the talented people at Warner Bros., Disney and many others, a large percentage of the settings of THEIR cartoons were rural. But watch a Betty Boop or a Popeye cartoon, and you'll fing they take place in urban locations. Jack Mercer was the voice of Popeye for FIFTY-plus years! Though many of the people who made the TV Felix cartoons made the rounds among the animation studios, each studio's product had a personality of its own, and that's where the talents of the artists and writers really shined. Sure, there are settings in, say, W-B cartoons varied and were definitely NOT urban, such as "The Awful Orphan" starring Porky Pig and Charlie Dog. It takes place on a farm, as do many others. But that's the beauty of any animated cartoon - you can make the setting ANY PLACE, on Earth or elsewhere in the known Multiverse. None of those locations are any more difficult to get to or any more expensive than any other. The reason, of course, is that everything you see and hear is the product of the Director's and animator's imaginations. Every cartoon by any studio was drawn at the same desks as any other.

I remember when I was a kid, and the Trans-Lux Felix cartoons were run every day. I watched them then and liked them! But if you told me then that all the characters were voiced by Jack Mercer, I'd never have believed you!

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.

The 1958-1961 Felix the Cat series is, in my opinion, the best version of Felix ever created. It perfectly captures the playful spirit and cleverness that made Felix such an iconic character for generations.

One of my favorite things about this series is Felix's voice - it reminds me a lot of Mickey Mouse, which gives Felix a charming and nostalgic feel. The voice acting adds so much personality and life to the character, making every episode a joy to watch.

The animation style is classic and timeless, with fun stories that appeal to both kids and adults. This series strikes the perfect balance between humor, creativity, and heart.

If you're a fan of classic animation or Felix the Cat, this series is a must-watch!

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.