The Cat Who Hated People

I spent the entire weekend snowed in with the girls, with one of them sick and me coming down with a cold myself. There was lots of imaginative play, where I accepted whatever roles I was assigned, some tossing and rolling of balls, lots of book reading, and endless time at Starfall, with a focus on building the five year old girl, her room ,and her elephant chasing jumping kitty. On the more highbrow side, there was a good deal of beating upon the new piano while standing on chairs to watch the hammers, a first chess lesson for Twin B (she won with her horse in around 9 moves — I cheated by neglecting to move my king out of check), a good deal of art in a variety of mediums, and lots of cuddle-time by the fireplace. And, of course, there was hour upon hour of cartoons on Youtube. This was my favorite.

This 1948 Tex Avery short comes out of what I've come to think of as the American noir period, where the war left people with a hard cynical edge that permeated popular culture. It opens with an alley cat who peers out of his box and says, in a voice reminiscent of Jimmy Durante, "People are no darn good. I hate people."

The voice is Paul Frees, a voice and character actor who, after a year of hospitalization, survived D-Day at Normandy. His vast credits include Santa in Frosty the Snowman, Boris Badenov on Rocky and Bullwinkle, and the Pillsbury Doughboy. This cartoon works for kids, but it's really for the war toughened adults that would spawn the baby boom generation. The scene where the cat gets diapered on the planet of dangerous inanimate objects works well for a time when nearly everyone had a baby or two at home and more on the way.

Now That's Entertainment!

Tonight I asked the girls whether they preferred McDonalds or pizza for dinner. Pizza won, hands down. I phoned the order into Venice Pizza, one of Edmonds' better kept secrets. They're tucked away in this weird little shopping center a block from where I live that has dog groomers with hand lettered signs, a cool little game store with thinly stocked shelves, and numerous other instantly forgettable small businesses. But the pizza rocks, and their staff is nearly ecstatically grateful when you buy it. If you live north, screw Dominos. Support scrappy immigrants who often seem perplexed by their own cash register and are pursuing the dream.

Anyway, they were cutting the thing and boxing it up when we arrived. For a few minutes the girls were able to play with Pizza Elmo, who lives on the counter. Squeeze his hand and he sings. First Elmo, and then the pizza, who is an Italian contralto. His lips move as Elmo waves him around. "Yummy, yummy, yummy pizza pie!" sings Elmo.

As the girls went to bed, Twin B asked why the pizza sings, "Yummie, yummie, toss me in the air!" "Toss me in the sky," corrected her sister! "Why does he say 'toss me in the sky,'" pusued Twin B? "Um," I said, "It's because you toss pizza in the sky when you make it."

Always the guy with the answers.

"Wow!" said Twin B.

Below is Duckie. He is ready for bed, wearing pajamas, seated on a pillow and sporting a bracelet on his head for a crown. He measures nine inches tall and nearly ten long. Twin B nearly exploded with joy when she found him discarded on a sidewalk in front of one of the odd little stores next to the pizza joint. During bath time tonight, Ducky was the star. I was asked to not disturb him tonight as he slept.



Just before bed, the girls opted for Youtube over stories. After watching Chilly Willie in Hot and Cold Penguin for the twentieth time (the appeal fades), I said daddy got to pick the last one. I went for Tex Avery's Magical Maestro. Any serious fan has seen it. This wikipedia entry has a detailed exegesis, which includes an explanation of "the hair gag" and tells you which sections Cartoon Network edited out in the late nineties to avoid offense. The version below is original and uncut.



I suppose I shouldn't be exposing them to racist stereotypes at such a young age, but I'm pretty much already over it. There's plenty of equal opportunity ridicule here. Even the stuffy opera audience is parodied. The girls were less than impressed, and only found a few parts funny (the Polynesian segment was a big hit).

I guess there is a lot of set-up involved for a few thin jokes. But it's still brilliant, even if it couldn't, and shouldn't, happen now.

Chiller Dillers

This Chilly Willy from 1967, which illustrates the age old tension between rock & roll, authority, and shameless commerce, has emerged as Twins A&B's top pick. Doin' the mukluk bop ...