Tweety and Sylvester started on their own, but in a cartoon world of comic duos like that provided by a rabbit and hunter or a cat and mouse, what better team than a cat and bird. Tweety started as an undefined wild bird but quickly evolved into a house pet canary, and found his niche as the object of Sylvester's hunger incited antics. Once teamed with Sylvester, he would not appear without him for the rest of his career, but don't assume he lacked talent. There is no other character more mean, malicious, and manipulative than Tweety and it's made all the more shocking by his sweet innocent exterior. Sylvester was voted number 33 of the 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time by TV guide and his work speaks for itself, having been in 90 shorts in 20 years. Sylvester has more death scenes than any other character, which could account for his recognized acting ability because together the pair earned 2 of 5 Oscars attributed to Looney Tunes, a feat no other character was able to accomplish.
Putty Tat Trouble 1.4
1951 directed by Friz Freleng
Featuring Tweety Bird and Sylvester
Tweety Bird is shoveling out his nest atop a city pole after a snowstorm and is spotted by Sylvester Cat and a one-eyed orange tabby. The two cats fight over Tweety who manages to get the best of them one way or another.
Gruesome Twosome 3.4
1945 directed by Bob Clampett
Featuring Tweety Bird
Two cats fight over the affections of a female cat. The female tells them whoever can bring her a bird can be her fella. Then the red cat uses numerous tricks to stop the yellow cat. Then we see the cats climbing up the pole. Tweety fights them off as they attempt to get him.
Trivia
- The red cat is a parody of Jimmy Durante, an American singer, actor, and pianist.
- This is Tweety's final appearance without feathers.
- The Ren and Stimpy Show creator John Kricfalusi combined the two cats in this short to create Stimpy with the Jimmy Durante cat's coloring and nose and the stupid one's girth and personality.
- This is the last Tweety film directed by Clampett and the last one before he is permanently paired with Sylvester the Cat.
Tale of Two Kitties 5.3
1942 directed by Bob Clampett
Featuring Tweety Bird
Babbit and Catstello try to catch little Tweety bird, using everything from stilts to dynamite. Trouble is, the tiny bird has a vicious streak in him.
Trivia
- The title is a reference to A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens
- Babbit and Catstello are parodies of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello
- This was the first appearence of Tweety Bird, though he was not named Tweety at the time. Clampett said that the bird's look was based to some extent on his own naked baby picture. The censors objected to the bird looking naked, so they painted yellow feathers on him in later cartoons, and he became the familiar canary.
- References to WWII include the Victory Garden, Spitfire, and the lights out air raid drill.
- Tweety reveals early on that his cute appearance masks a willingness to be merciless, even sadistic, towards anyone who threatens him.
- The line "he cwushed his widdle head" is a reference to Red Skelton's Mean Widdle Kid character.
- The cartoon takes a direct shot at the censorship bureau known as the Hays Office. Catstello is atop a ladder trying to reach Tweety. Babbit is at the bottom of the ladder, yelling to his corpulent pal, "Give me the bird! Give me the bird!" Catstello turns to the audience and says "If da Hays Office would only let me... I'd give him 'da boid' all right!"
Satan's Waiting 6.1
1953 directed by Friz Freleng
Featuring Sylvester and Tweety
Sylvester is in pursuit of Tweety, chasing him to the top of a building. Sylvester falls from the building, crashes on to the sidewalk, and dies. The spirit of his first life approaches two escalators and finds the Up one is not available to him. He takes the Down one and ends up in Hell. A Satanic bulldog welcomes a terrified Sylvester. He realizes that he must goad Sylvester into giving up his remaining eight lives, so he asks #1 to sit on a bench to wait for the others. Sylvester returns to life and makes other attempts to get Tweety, each resulting in him losing one of his nine lives.
Trivia
- In the scene where Sylvester loses four lives in the shooting gallery, he is actually shot five times. Somehow, the first shot does not cost him a life. After the second shot, the
scene cuts over to the waiting bench. Life #4 is there as a result of that second shot, then #5, #6, and #7 appear alongside one another.
- Broadcast version of this cartoon completely cut out the last scene at the bank where Sylvester locks himself in a vault, only to die in an explosion. Also cut was how Sylvester's eighth life was lost, which occurred with Sylvester standing up in the roller coaster car in trying to get at Tweety, only to strike his head on a low entryway to a tunnel, after which Sylvester's eighth life is riding a roller coaster car into Hell.
Tweety S.O.S. 1.4
1951 directed by Friz Freleng
Featuring Sylvester, Tweety and Granny
Sylvester boards a cruise boat to make Tweety his breakfast. However, Granny stands in his way every time. At sea they can't rid themselves of Sylvestor, but who's really in distress?
Trivia
- Broadcast version cut the part where Sylvester is hanging from the wire above the ship and Tweety plucks his fingers off one by one was cut.
Kitty Kornered 2.3
1946 directed by Robert Clampett
Porky Pig and Sylvester
The neighborhood's cat owners all throw their cats out for the night. Porky Pig attempts to do the same, but his four cats throw him out. Porky bangs on the door, demanding to be let in, but the cats refuse. A battle of wits commences over who gets put out for the night.
Trivia
- This was the first appearance of Sylvester.
- Broadcast versions cut the part where the cats drink alcohol, read comics, and smoke cigars.
- The scene where Porky appears through his living room window and scares his cats (one is even drinking from a wine bottle labeled Arsenic and Old Grape) is a parody of a scene in the 1944 film Arsenic and Old Lace
- The scene where the cats dress as Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders cavalry and yell charge and run up the stairs references a character from Arsenic and Old Lace.
- Porky's Panic over the Martian invasion broadcast on the radio is a reference to the real life panic that occurred during Orson Wells' radio broadcast of War of the Worlds.
- This was the first time the "That's All Folks" ending was used.
The Last Hungry Cat 3.2
1961 directed by Friz Freleng
Featuring Tweety and Sylvester
A caricature of Alfred Hitchcock appears and announces tonight's story is about a murder. In the story, Sylvester waits in an alley trash can, Granny bids Tweety good night and leaves to visit a neighbor. Sylvester sneaks into the apartment and knocks himself unconscious trying to get Tweety. When Sylvester comes to, he notices a bird feather on his lip, shortly before he overhears Granny about to return home. Sylvester flees the apartment and down the alley. He thinks he's gotten away with it, but his conscious gets the better of him.
Trivia
- The film is a parody of the show Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Tell Tale Heart by EA Poe
- Broadcast versions cut Sylvester chain-smoking, and ingesting a bottle of sleeping pills
