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Top Cat

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
American animated television series
This article is about the animated television series. For other uses, seeTop Cat (disambiguation).

Top Cat
GenreAnimated sitcom
Created by
Written by
Directed by
Voices of
Theme music composerHoyt Curtin
Opening theme"The Most Effectual Top Cat"
Ending theme"The Most Effectual Top Cat"
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes30
Production
Executive producers
Running time24–27 minutes
Production companyHanna-Barbera Productions
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseSeptember 27, 1961 (1961-09-27) –
April 18, 1962 (1962-04-18)

Top Cat is an Americananimated sitcom produced byHanna-Barbera Productions and originally broadcast in prime time on theABC network. It aired in a weekly evening time slot from September 27, 1961, to April 18, 1962, for a single season of 30 episodes. The show was a ratings failure in prime time, but became successful when repeated on Saturday morning television. The show also became popular in Latin American countries (especially Mexico) and the United Kingdom.

Background

[edit]

Top Cat was created as a parody ofThe Phil Silvers Show (1955–59), a successful military comedy whose lead character (Sergeant Bilko, played by Silvers) was a fast-talkingcon artist.[1] Hanna-Barbera sold the cartoon toABC based on a drawing of Top Cat.Arnold Stang's vocal characterization of the main character was originally based on an impression ofPhil Silvers's voice. During the original network run, the sponsor objected to the Silvers impersonation—insisting that it was paying for Stang, not Silvers—so in later episodes Stang modified his characterization, bringing it closer to his own voice, though still copying Silvers. Additionally,Maurice Gosfield, who played Private Duane Doberman inThe Phil Silvers Show, provided the voice for Benny the Ball inTop Cat, and Benny's chubby appearance was based on Gosfield's. Top Cat and his gang were also inspired by theEast Side Kids, roguish, street-smart characters from a series of 1940sB movies.

This was only the second original cartoon series to premiere onprime time network television in theUnited States.Top Cat was conceived along the lines of a traditional, live-action situation comedy, and Hanna-Barbera recruited top sitcom writers of the day to furnish scripts, includingBarry Blitzer (aPhil Silvers Show veteran),Harvey Bullock, andKin Platt.

Premise

[edit]

The title character, Top Cat (T.C.), is the leader of a gang ofManhattanalley cats living in Hoagy's Alley: Benny the Ball, Brain, Choo-Choo, Fancy-Fancy and Spook.[2]

The gang constantly hatchget-rich-quick schemes throughscams but they usually backfire, and a frequent plot thread revolves around the localpolice officer, Charles "Charlie" Dibble (voiced byAllen Jenkins), ineffectually trying to either arrest them, evict them from the alley, get them to clean the alley, or stop them using the policebox phone.[3]

LikeThe Flintstones, all the episodes feature acold open, which is a small scene from the episode that takes placein medias res, and after that, a longflashback that leads to the scene begins with the series' theme song "The Most Effectual Top Cat" and features Top Cat's misadventures that happen before the scene from the beginning plays. The story then continues from where it left off. In some episodes, the flashback stops near the middle when the same scene plays.

Broadcast

[edit]

Top Cat aired on Wednesday nights in prime time at 8:30 pm. Hanna-Barbera created 30 half-hour episodes. The show was broadcast in black-and-white but was created in color. The show aired on Saturdays in 1962 and 1963 onABC, and was then rerun (now in color) in various Saturday-morning slots onNBC from 1965 to 1969,[4] and occasionally in the 1980s.

Reruns of the series aired onCartoon Network from 1992 until 2004, and onBoomerang from 2000 to 2014 and again from November 26 to 29, 2020. Reruns later returned to Boomerang on April 4, 2023. The show began airing onMeTV Toons on June 29, 2024.

Analysis

[edit]

Animation historian Christopher P. Lehman says that the series can be seen associal commentary. The cats may representdisenfranchised people confined to living in a poor environment. Top Cat's get-rich-quick schemes are efforts to escape to a better life. The gang faces a human police officer who frustrates their efforts and keeps them trapped in the alley.[5] This enforcement of thesocial order bypolice ensures, says Lehman, that the cats will not escape their current living conditions.[5]

Co-creator Bill Hanna said it was one of the wittiest and most sophisticated shows he produced, with a rare appeal to audiences of all ages.[6]

Characters

[edit]
Top Cat and the gang (left to right): Benny the Ball (foreground); Brain; Officer Dibble (behind fence); Fancy-Fancy; Top Cat; Spook (foreground); Choo-Choo

Main characters

[edit]
  • Top Cat (voiced byArnold Stang imitatingPhil Silvers) is a yellow cat with a purple hat and vest who is the leader of the gang and titular character of the series. He is a clever, smooth-talkingcon-artist who is always hatching get-rich-quick schemes.
  • Benny the Ball (voiced byMaurice Gosfield) is a blue cat with a white sports jacket who is Top Cat's sidekick who often falls into and assists with his schemes, but is innocent and kind-hearted and is willing to help anyone.
  • Choo-Choo (voiced byMarvin Kaplan) is a pink cat with a white turtleneck sweater who is Top Cat's loyal right-paw cat and his voice of reason. He has a nervous personality and speaks with a thickBrooklyn accent, and gets anxious when it comes to dating mates, but he usually has a caring attitude. He is often referred to as "Chooch" by the other members.
  • Brain (voiced byLeo De Lyon) is an orange cat with a purple shirt with a black band on the bottom who, despite his sarcastic name, is the slow, dim-witted member of Top Cat's gang, usually not understanding the tasks given to him and failing to keep secrets. Despite this, he is a loyal member of Top Cat's gang and is helpful to the other cats.
  • Spook (voiced byLeo De Lyon) is an olive-green cat with a black tie who is a member of Top Cat's gang. He speaks with a stereotypical 1960'sbeatnik slang (using terms including "like"), but in the theatrical movies, he speaks like a surfer dude. He has a laid-back attitude and an appreciation for music.
  • Fancy-Fancy (voiced byJohn Stephenson) is a brown cat with a white scarf who is a member of Top Cat's gang. Like Spook, he has a laid-back personality but unlike Choo-Choo, he has a romantic knack for mates and is often seenflirting with them, until Top Cat calls for him. Despite his name, the word Fancy can sometimes be said once or twice.
  • Officer "Charlie" Dibble (voiced byAllen Jenkins) is a strict but well-meaning police officer who is usually the target of Top Cat's schemes, and always patrols the alley to keep a watchful eye on Top Cat and his gang, especially when it comes to using the police phone located on a pole in the alley.

Additional voices:

Episodes

[edit]

Series overview

[edit]
SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
130September 27, 1961 (1961-09-27)April 25, 1962 (1962-04-25)


No.TitleOriginal release dateProd.
code 
[7]
US households (in millions)
1 (4)"The $1,000,000 Derby"September 27, 1961 (1961-09-27)T–47.55[8]

Benny gets a new pet, a devoted, camera-loving horse. Top Cat tries everything to get rid of the horse after it incurs a million-dollar debt, but changes his mind when he sees the horse's shock-induced superior racing abilities.

13"The Maharajah of Pookajee"December 27, 1961 (1961-12-27)T–26.19[8]
Top Cat impersonates the Maharajah of Pookajee and lives the good life at a swank hotel with his cronies... until a pair of gangsters show up.
7"All That Jazz"November 8, 1961 (1961-11-08)T–36.94[8]

Jazz (voiced byDaws Butler impersonatingJack Oakie), the new cat in town (known as "A.T." – All That), takes over the pool hall, steals Top Cat's girlfriend, sways the gang, and cleans up the alley. This sparks a contest between the pair. However, when both Jazz and Top Cat are offered a part in a Hollywood film, they assume that it is another trick. The offer turns out to be legitimate and Benny is cast in the starring role inThe Thing from the Alley. He leaves for Hollywood in a limousine, accompanied by Top Cat and the gang in the guise of Benny's manager, valet, vocal coach, tailor, and chauffeur. After that, Officer Dibble catches Jazz using the police phone, now declaring that Jazz "is just as bad as Top Cat". Jazz and his buddy Beau (voiced byDon Messick) are forced by Officer Dibble to keep the alley clean for 30 days.

3"Hawaii – Here We Come"October 11, 1961 (1961-10-11)T–1N/A

Benny wins a trip toHawaii. Top Cat and the gang join him on his trip asstowaways. Things take a drastic turn as Officer Dibble also ends up aboard the ship, and the discovery of a suitcase containing counterfeit money leads to Top Cat and the gang being thrown into the brig as suspected counterfeiters. However, with Top Cat's assistance, Officer Dibble is able to catch the real counterfeiter and prove the gang's innocence.

5"The Violin Player"October 25, 1961 (1961-10-25)T–56.66[8]

Mr. Gutenbad (voiced byJohn Stephenson), the musical director of Carnegie Hall, mistakes a recording of violin virtuoso Laszlo Laszlo for the playing of Benny the Ball, who has just taken up the instrument. He approaches Benny with an offer to perform and Top Cat negotiates a deal for $50,000 for a Saturday night performance at the Hall—an offer that is withdrawn when Carnegie's Board of Directors really hear Benny play. When Gutenbad offers a $10,000 reward to find the true violinist, the gang discovers that their neighborhood street cleaner is in fact Laszlo Laszlo (voiced byLeo De Lyon).

2"The Missing Heir"October 4, 1961 (1961-10-04)T–68.25[8]

Benny is a double for "Catwallader", the missing heir to a millionaire's fortune, the identification being clinched by a supposed birthmark on the sole of Benny's foot. Top Cat and the gang get Benny to the mansion in time to claim the money, but this is bad news for the schemingbutler Chutney (voiced byPaul Frees) and dog Griswold (voiced by Don Messick) who hoped to claim the fortune for themselves. After a few failed attempts to kill Benny, Chutney and Griswold are arrested by Officer Dibble, who recognizes Chutney as a wanted criminal. The lawyer appears with the real Catwallader, while Top Cat gets shocked to see that Benny's "birthmark" was chewing gum all along. The next day, Catwallader visits the gang and asks to join them -- after Top Cat discovers that Catwallader gave his whole fortune away.

4"Top Cat Falls in Love"October 18, 1961 (1961-10-18)T–77.46[8]

While visiting tonsillectomy patient Benny in the hospital, Top Cat falls for the pretty cat nurse Miss LaRue (voiced byJean Vander Pyl). T.C. decides to attract her attention by pretending to come down with a rare illness, which will need a lot of nursing care.

9"A Visit from Mother"November 22, 1961 (1961-11-22)T–87.08[8]

Benny has written to his mother that he's the mayor of New York. Now Benny's mother is coming for a visit, and Top Cat and the gang must do everything they can to convince Mrs. Ball (voiced byBea Benaderet) that her son really is the mayor.

12"Naked Town"December 20, 1961 (1961-12-20)T–97.18[8]

"Naked Town," (a TV crime show parodying the real–life series "Naked City") will be shooting a warehouse robbery scene in Top Cat's alley. Officer Dibble offers his cooperation, but is unaware that some crooks will be using the TV filming as a cover for a real robbery.

11"Sergeant Top Cat"
"Sgt. Top Cat"
December 6, 1961 (1961-12-06)T–107.22[8]

After overhearing Officer Dibble suggesting ways to improve conditions for the police force, Top Cat passes off Dibble's ideas to the chief of police as his own. This leads to Top Cat's being made an honorary police sergeant and Dibble's boss in the alley.

8"Choo-Choo's Romance"November 15, 1961 (1961-11-15)T–117.69[8]

Choo-Choo has fallen in love with a beautiful French cat named Goldie (voiced byJean Vander Pyl); Top Cat and the gang help Choo-Choo to court her, but they hadn't figured on Goldie's jealous boyfriend Pierre (voiced byJohn Stephenson).

6"The Unscratchables"November 1, 1961 (1961-11-01)T–123.56[8][a]

When a stolen diamond ends up in Benny the Ball's stomach, it is up to Top Cat and the gang to find a way to retrieve him from Big Gus and his band of gangsters, who have kidnapped him and are attempting to retrieve the diamond the hard way.

10"Rafeefleas"November 29, 1961 (1961-11-29)T–13N/A

After Benny spends the night sleeping inside a museum, T.C. discovers a scarab attached to his back. The jewel is later found to be an expensive antique, and the gang attempts to return it. Once the scarab is returned, a jewel thief arrives and takes a number of jewels. Officer Dibble arrives and mistakes T.C. as the thief; however, the real thief is caught when he runs into the rest of the gang.Fred Flintstone andBarney Rubble fromThe Flintstones make cameo appearances as prehistoric statues at the museum.

15"The Tycoon"January 10, 1962 (1962-01-10)T–147.94[8]

A tycoon (voiced by Don Messick) decides to give away $1 million to the most unfortunate person he finds, which ends up being Top Cat. He gives the check to Benny, who tries to show it to Top Cat (who mistakenly believes it is for 25 cents due to his latest hustle), so he tries to cash it himself. A merchant overhears him and tells all his associates. Everybody gives things to Top Cat thinking he is a millionaire and that he will pay them back.

14"The Long Hot Winter"January 3, 1962 (1962-01-03)T–156.91[8]

During a cold winter in the alley, Top Cat and the gang scheme to find a way into Officer Dibble's house in an attempt to keep warm. Once inside the house, Dibble struggles to live with the gang. In the end, the gang stays for several months until spring and the warmer weather arrive.

16"The Case of the Missing Anteater"February 14, 1962 (1962-02-14)T–168.28[8]

Benny gets a new pet; a hungry, browngiant anteater which followed him into the alley. Top Cat attempts to get rid of the animal until it is revealed that the anteater had escaped from the zoo and a large reward is offered for its return.

18"T.C. Minds the Baby"January 31, 1962 (1962-01-31)T–177.69[8]

An abandoned baby (voiced byJean Vander Pyl) is found by Top Cat and the gang who intend on looking after it after finding a note from its desperate mother. However, they find parenthood much more difficult than they thought it to be. When Officer Dibble catches onto them, he is shown the note left with the baby and takes it into police custody. In the end, Officer Dibble tells Top Cat's group that the mother is found and the baby is safely returned, while seeing that something like this never happens again.

21"Farewell, Mr. Dibble"February 21, 1962 (1962-02-21)T–188.04[8]

Officer Dibble is replaced by a new recruit named Ernest Prowler (voiced by Don Messick). Prowler intends to be more forceful in his duty than Dibble and intends to stop the trouble that Top Cat and the gang cause. Due to the new regime, the gang hatches a plan to have Dibble return to his old beat in the alley.

16"The Grand Tour"January 17, 1962 (1962-01-17)T–196.96[8]

Top Cat and the gang are struggling to make money. However, T.C. comes up with a newget-rich-quick scheme which involves creating a fake "historical" tour of New York. Choo-Choo begins selling "phony" maps. However, it is later found that the maps point to a real treasure in a dilapidated house.

19"The Golden Fleecing"February 7, 1962 (1962-02-07)T–207.74[8]

Benny receives an insurance payment of $2,000, giving T.C. ideas about how to spend it. The first spree is at a local nightclub, where Benny falls in love with showgirl Honeydew Mellon (voiced by Sallie Janes). She's in league with poker-playing con artists, who will do everything they can to separate Benny from his money.

17"Space Monkey"January 24, 1962 (1962-01-24)T–217.06[8]

Officer Dibble takes a job atCape Canaveral, and the gang discover about the luxurious treatment a chimpanzee (voiced byJohn Stephenson) receives while in the space program. Top Cat and his gang join up in attempt to access the same luxurious facilities, but they want out when they discover they will be going into space.

22"The Late T.C."February 28, 1962 (1962-02-28)T–228.43[8]

While the gang is watching a baseball game atYankee Stadium, Top Cat ends up being hit by a home run, causing him to fall off the fence. Choo-Choo stays behind while the others take T.C. to the doctor (with Benny making, according to T.C., the "worst siren [noise] I've ever heard!"). Officer Dibble comes along and asks Choo-Choo what happened. Dibble follows T.C. to make sure he doesn't cheat the doctor. T.C. is diagnosed with only a bump on the head, but when paying the doctor's fee he offers his pocket clock, which was broken when he fell off the fence. The doctor tells him, "Your ticker will only last a week." Dibble, overhearing, mistakes the "ticker" for Top Cat's heart and thinks he will soon "conk out". After realizing the misunderstanding, T.C. takes advantage of the situation and Dibble helps him – that is, until Dibble invites the doctor to T.C.'s going-away party and finds out!

27"Dibble's Birthday"April 4, 1962 (1962-04-04)T–237.30[8]

Officer Dibble's birthday is coming up and he thinks he's getting too old. To help cheer him up, the gang decide to throw him a birthday party, with gifts from everybody in the neighborhood.

23"Choo-Choo Goes Ga-Ga"March 7, 1962 (1962-03-07)T–247.69[8]

Choo-Choo threatens to kill himself unless he can get a date with a Hollywood movie star named Lola Glamour (voiced byJean Vander Pyl). Top Cat tries getting him that date by visiting her at her penthouse, but Officer Dibble gets complaints from other people who live there. Top Cat soon finds out Lola will only date rich men, so Choo-Choo once again tries to commit suicide. This annoys Top Cat, so he tries to get Lola to think Choo-Choo is a rich count named Count Chooch.

24"King for a Day."March 14, 1962 (1962-03-14)T–256.32[8]

After Top Cat upsets Officer Dibble one time too many, he and the gang decide to lie low for a while. After spending the night in a department store, the gang go on the "King for a Day" show which offers a number of prizes, after writing to the show's producers about the gang being a "poor family". Instead, Dibble wins the prizes and offers to take T.C. and the gang for a ride to show no hard feelings.

26"The Con Men"March 28, 1962 (1962-03-28)T–267.45[8]

A friendly hot dog vendor (voiced by Paul Frees) is swindled out of $1,000 by con men who pretended to have an oil well in Nova Scotia. Top Cat disguises himself as a wealthy Texan in an attempt to get the money back, by convincing the crooks that the oil well really does exist.

25"Dibble Breaks the Record"March 21, 1962 (1962-03-21)T–276.37[8]

Officer Dibble attempts to break a record as the longest-serving police officer on the beat, which had been set years ago by his idol, policeman "Iron Man" Muldoon (voiced by Paul Frees); if he beats the record, he wins a vacation that would allow him to escape the gang for a while. With this information, Top Cat does everything he can to help Dibble win, and has the gang watch over him so he doesn't have an accident.

28"Dibble Sings Again"April 11, 1962 (1962-04-11)T–286.76[8]
Top Cat owes money to loan shark Big Gus. After hearing Officer Dibble singing, he convinces him that under his management, he could become a big singing star.
29"Griswald"
"Griswold"
April 18, 1962 (1962-04-18)T–297.15[8]

Officer Dibble gets a new partner on the beat: the dog Griswold. Top Cat and the gang attempt to outwit him, but the dog always seems to be one step ahead. T.C. gets the dog removed from duty after he bites the police sergeant and the police commissioner (voiced by Don Messick).

30"Dibble's Double"April 25, 1962 (1962-04-25)T–30N/A

A thief named Al the Actor (voiced by Don Messick) disguises as Officer Dibble to steal a fortune from an art gallery. After seeing how much can be paid for artworks, Top Cat has also taken up painting, but discovers his own artwork was also stolen. The gang and Dibble team up to catch the thief.

Home media

[edit]

Episodes of the series were released onVHS in Europe, as well asWorldvision Home Video in the United States.

The series' episode, "All That Jazz", was edited into a 7-minute preview as part of the "A Sample of Boomerang" tape, from Cartoon Network's sister channel, Boomerang.

Episodes of the series were also released on Laserdisc in the United Kingdom by Guild Home Video, as well as Image Entertainment in the United States.

Warner Home Video released the complete series onDVD on December 7, 2004.[10] It was re-released on January 10, 2017, albeit as a manufacture-on-demand (MOD) release via theWarner Archive.[11] On June 6 of that year,Top Cat was re-released in stores again,[12] albeit with all bonus features removed.

Home media releases forTop Cat
DVD nameNo. epRelease dateAdditional information
Top Cat – The Complete Series30
  • December 7, 2004 (2004-12-07)
  • January 10, 2017 (2017-01-10) (re-release)
  • Commentary on various episodes
  • Back to Hoagy's Alley: The Making of Top Cat (retrospective featurette)
  • Interviews: Cool Cats in Interview Alley
  • Top Cat sing-along
  • Production Sketches: Top Cat Collection (art, stills, sketches, backgrounds)
  • Storyboards: Storyboard Showcase
  • TV Spot: Top Cat Kellogg's commercials (US release only)

In the UK, the complete series box set was released in 2007, initially as aHMV exclusive until 2008. Alternatively, five single DVD volumes, each containing 6 episodes, were released. The covers were originally from the US edition but later re-released with a new design. Each volume shows a group picture of Top Cat using Dibble's phone with his gang beside him, but the colour-coding is:

  • Volume 1: Primrose (episodes 1–6) – Top Cat
  • Volume 2: Green (episodes 7–12) – Choo-Choo
  • Volume 3: Red (episodes 13–18) – Fancy Fancy
  • Volume 4: Blue (episodes 19–24) – Benny
  • Volume 5: Orange (episodes 25–30) – Spook

The DVDs have since been made available for purchase from other retailers across the UK.

Warner Archive released the complete series on Blu-ray on September 17, 2024.[13]

In other media

[edit]

Comic books

[edit]

The gang's adventures continued off-screen in comic books asDell (which becameGold Key) published 31 issues from 1961 to 1970.Charlton Comics published 20 more issues from 1970 to 1973.[14] In Mexico, Ediciones Latinoamericanas' "La Colección Primavera" featured Don Gato in 1968.

In 2012, there was a crossover between Top Cat and Chilean comic book characterCondorito.[15]

Top Cat had a backup story inAdam Strange/Future Quest Annual #1 in where he escapes from prison and meetsBatman through a cosmic portal. Unlike the cartoon, Top Cat is from a world where cats are the dominant species.[16] As a follow-up, Top Cat also appears in one issue of a crossover series between DC andHanna-Barbera, titledSuperman/Top Cat Special (October 2018).[17]

Books

[edit]

Little Golden Books and Durabooks have both produced hardcover children's books starring Top Cat. In the UK,World Distributors published annuals during the 1960s sourced from the Dell comics strips.BrownWatson later published a 1978 annual entitledThe Great Grape Ape and Boss Cat.

View-Master

[edit]

T.C. and friends appeared on threeView-Master reels in 1962.[citation needed] These were titled "Medal for Meddling", "Zoo-Operation", and "No Cat Fishing".[citation needed]

Music

[edit]

The Original TV Soundtrack, written and recorded byHoyt Curtin, was released byColpix Records in 1962, consisting of slightly edited versions of "The Unscratchables" and "Top Cat Falls in Love". Hanna-Barbera Records released an LP in 1965 titledRobin Hood Starring Top Cat. T.C. and the gang were pictured asMerry Men on the cover. Its songs included "Top Cat", "M-O-N-E-Y", "Dibble", "Robin Hood", and "Buddies". It was re-released in 1977 onColumbia Records' Special Products label. A jazzy arrangement of theTop Cat theme can be heard most weeks over the end credits ofBob Dylan'sTheme Time Radio Hour.

The titles and underscore were released as part of the CD release,The Best of Hanna-Barbera: Tunes from the Toons by Music Club in 2002 in Europe.

Top Cat's cameos

[edit]
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  • In "King for a Day", The Brain and Spook are reading comic books. At the right and at the bottom there is aYogi Bear comic and aHuckleberry Hound comic.
  • In "Rafeefleas", the gang is wandering through a museum at night when they come upon a group of statues labeled "Prehistoric Man". Choo-Choo insists that he's seen the figures before, maybe on TV, but TC waves this off. The statues are modeled afterFred Flintstone andBarney Rubble.
  • In "A Visit from Mother", graffiti of "El Kabong",Quick Draw McGraw's alter-ego, is seen on the wall in the background.

Top Cat's appearance in other shows

[edit]
  • Top Cat's theme is featured inThe Flintstones episode "Surfin Fred" whenBarney andBetty discover that Jimmy Darrock is in fact not a lifeguard.
  • Officer Dibble makes a cameo appearance inThe Flintstones episode "Time Machine" as a policeman in the future. Thus returning the favor done in the episode "Rafeefleas" when T.C and the gang found two statues of cavemen (Fred and Barney) in an art museum, while searching for the jewelry display case.
  • Top Cat and his gang appeared inYogi's Ark Lark. While the others don't have dialogue, Top Cat was voiced byDaws Butler and Benny the Ball was voice byJohn Stephenson. It was presumed that Arnold Stang wasn't available at the time, while Maurice Gosfield died in 1964.
  • In 1985, Top Cat appeared onYogi's Treasure Hunt with Yogi Bear and other Hanna-Barbera toon stars; he was the one who assigned the treasure hunts. Officer Dibble also made an appearance in the end of the show's episode, "Yogi and the Beanstalk" voiced by John Stephenson.
  • In 1987, Hanna-Barbera produced a feature-length television film based on the show titledTop Cat and the Beverly Hills Cats (part of theHanna-Barbera Superstars 10 film series), in which the gang helps a teenager claim her inheritance. During that time, John Stephenson reprised Officer Dibble while Benny the Ball was voiced byAvery Schreiber.[citation needed]
  • In theFender Bender 500 segment ofWake, Rattle, and Roll, Top Cat and Choo Choo were racers driving a trash can-modeled monster truck called the Alley Cat.
  • In 1991, Top Cat was a teenage cat (but he still lived in a trash can) onYo Yogi! voiced byArte Johnson.
  • In theDuck Dodgers episode "K-9 Quarry", Top Cat was amongst the poached characters on theAlien Hunter's ship.
  • Top Cat and his gang appeared in theHarvey Birdman, Attorney at Law episode "Mindless" with Top Cat and Choo Choo voiced byTom Kenny, Benny the Ball voiced byMaurice LaMarche, and Fancy-Fancy voiced byChris Edgerly. Brain has no dialogue and Spook is nowhere to be seen. In that episode, Harvey Birdman takes Top Cat and his gang home. Top Cat gets sued for bookmaking and running an illegal gambling service out of Harvey's home. He is found guilty and is sentenced to probation.
  • Top Cat, Benny and Brain made a cameo appearance at the end ofThe Powerpuff Girls episode "Catastrophe". They can be seen at the bottom left corner of the screen (Note: Instead of his hat, Top Cat has a splat of slime on his head).
  • Top Cat was seen briefly driving a motorcycle in theFoster's Home for Imaginary Friends episode "Cheese a go-go".
  • In theFuturama episode "That Darn Katz!" a picture of Top Cat is seen.
  • Top Cat, Benny, and the rest of the alley cats appeared in theHBO Max original seriesJellystone![18] Choo-Choo, Spook and Brain are females in this series.[19] Spook is also renamed as Spooky and she is completely mute.
  • Top Cat made a cameo appearance inTeen Titans Go! episode "Warner Bros. 100th Anniversary".

Top Cat's appearances in comic strips

[edit]
  • Top Cat and his gang (except for Brain) appeared in the March 10, 2016, strip ofHeathcliff.[20]

Television movies and specials

[edit]

Theatrical films

[edit]

The series has spawned two theatrical films produced by Mexican animation studio,Ánima Estudios. Both films have grossed a combined total of $19.3 million (MX$166.35 million pesos).

Box office

[edit]
TitleYearBox-office (USD)Box-office (MXN)
Top Cat: The Movie2011$14.7 million[21]$112.25 million[22]
Top Cat Begins2015$4.6 million[23]$54.1 million[22]
Combined total$19.3 million$166.35 million

International broadcast

[edit]
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Australia

[edit]

The show premiered on theSeven Network on September 27, 1961

Canada

[edit]

Top Cat premiered on theCTV Television Network on October 9, 1961.

Hungary

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Top Cat (Turpi úrfi) was one of the first American cartoons premiered on Hungarian television channels in 1969. It also broadcast later withThe Huckleberry Hound Show,Tom and Jerry,Looney Tunes,The Flintstones andThe Jetsons onMagyar Televízió from 1985 to 1990, andtv2 from 1997 to 1999 (together withWacky Races,Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! andScooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo).Boomerang began broadcasting it inHungarian in 2013 (the show had a one-off airing the year before as part of a cats-themed block).

Latin America

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The show was dubbed to Spanish in Mexico in 1963, using some of the same voice actors who worked inThe Flintstones. It was renamedDon Gato y su pandilla (literallyMr. Cat and his gang) and the main characters adopted different accents. The voice acting improved the show, adding new jokes and local references.[24]

In spite of the modest success of the show in the United States, the show was a massive hit in Mexico, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Argentina, where it is recognized as one of the most famous Hanna Barbera characters ever.[citation needed]

Besides Top Cat, all the other characters from the show were famous, and their popularity is commonly attributed by the excellent dubbing and voice acting:[24]

  • Benny was renamedBenito B. Bodoque y B. and given a more childlike voice than was the case in the original dubbing.
  • Choo Choo was renamedCucho and spoke with aYucatecan accent.
  • Fancy-Fancy wasPanza (belly).
  • Spook renamed as the word's rough translationEspanto.
  • Brain was calledDemóstenes (honouring the Greek statesmanDemosthenes, with whom he shares a speech impediment).
  • Officer Charlie Dibble renamed asOficial Carlos "Carlitos" Matute.

The adaptation and translation was made by Rubén Arvizu. The main voice actors were Julio Lucena (voice of Top Cat),Jorge Arvizu (voice of Benny and Choo Choo),Víctor Alcocer (voice of Dibble), andDavid Reynoso, among others.[24]Top Cat is still rerun every few years.

InBrazil, the character is known asManda-Chuva (Brazilian Portuguese forbig shot) and was voiced by actorLima Duarte. The dub premiered in 1963 onTV Record in São Paulo and other stations in other cities. The series was later syndicated and was aired in the late 80s onTV Globo as part ofXou da Xuxa.[25] In addition, the city of New York was replaced by Brasília (federal capital) in the Brazilian version most of the time.

India

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Top Cat was one of the early favorites on Cartoon Network. It was aired in India in the 1990s. Top Cat was aired again in 2003 until 2004.

Japan

[edit]

Top Cat (Japanese:ドラ猫大将) first aired onTV Asahi back in 1963 under the title translating toStray Cat Boss. It was then rebroadcast many times over the years. In 1990, A new dub was produced forVHS sold byNippon Columbia and released under its original name in Katakana (トップキャット). This new dub was also carried over to airing onCartoon Network Japan since its launch in 1997.

Sri Lanka

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Top Cat (Sinhala:Pissu Poosa (පිස්සු පූසා) literallyCrazy Cat) was one of the most popular cartoon shows inSri Lanka early 1980s and it has been repeated several times on the national television channel "Rupavahini". The series is dubbed inSinhala and directed byTitus Thotawatte.

United Kingdom

[edit]

"Top Cat" premiered on theBBC Television Service (nowBBC One) on May 16, 1962, under its original name[26] but after only four weeks was renamedThe Boss Cat on June 13, 1962.[27] This was shortened on February 22, 1967, toBoss Cat.[28] This rapid name change was made because Top Cat was also the name ofa then-popular British brand ofcat food,[29] and the cartoon was aired on theBBC which does not carry advertising. The dialogue and theme tune still referred to the character by his original name.

Despite the show being renamedBoss Cat, the character's name was unchanged as Top Cat or the initials "TC". TheBoss Cat title card was last used for a repeat run in summer 1989;[30] From that point onwards the original US title sequence was used in full.

In 2016, the characters from the show (all the cats and Officer Dibble) were used as part of a set of television commercials for the British bankHalifax.[31]

Name in different languages

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See also

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References

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Informational notes

  1. ^In the Nielsen Ratings pocketpiece listings, it is called a "Bell&HowellClose-Up" instead of "Top Cat," as that is what was the episode's sponsor during its premiere.[8] On all schedule listings, it is still called "Top Cat."[9]

Citations

  1. ^Sennett, Ted (1989).The Art of Hanna-Barbera: Fifty Years of Creativity. Studio. p. 115.ISBN 978-0670829781. RetrievedJune 2, 2020.
  2. ^"Top Cat – The Complete Series: DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". Dvdtalk.com. RetrievedAugust 24, 2013.
  3. ^Sennett pp. 116 & 118–9.
  4. ^Woolery, George W. (1983).Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946–1981, Part 1: Animated Cartoon Series. Scarecrow Press. pp. 297–298.ISBN 0-8108-1557-5. RetrievedMarch 22, 2020.
  5. ^abLehman (2007), p. 26
  6. ^Sennett p. 120.
  7. ^From the United States Copyright Office catalog:"Public Catalog – Copyright Catalog (1978 to present) – Basic Search [search: "Top Cat"]". United States Copyright Office.
  8. ^abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaab"1961-62 Primetime.pdf".Google Drive. August 27, 2023. RetrievedOctober 25, 2023.
  9. ^From Newspapers.com"Search ["Top Cat"] from Dec 13, 1961". Newspapers.com. RetrievedOctober 25, 2023.
  10. ^Lacey, Gord (August 25, 2004)."Top Cat DVD News: The Entire Series Is Coming..."TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived fromthe original on February 2, 2017.
  11. ^Lambert, David (January 5, 2017)."Top Cat – The Cat is Back! MOD Re-Release for 'The Complete Series' DVDs".TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived fromthe original on January 12, 2017.
  12. ^Milligan, Mercedes (June 27, 2017)."WBHE Toasts Hanna-Barbera's 60th with Diamond Collection".Animation Magazine. RetrievedFebruary 17, 2020.
  13. ^Warner Archive Announces August Releases. RetrievedJune 29, 2024 – via www.blu-ray.com.
  14. ^"Don Markstein's Toonopedia: Top Cat".Toonopedia.com. September 27, 1961. RetrievedAugust 27, 2010.
  15. ^Osses, Jorge (July 27, 2015)."Condorito comic crossover original con Don Gato".Taringa!.
  16. ^"DC | GamesRadar+".www.gamesradar.com. October 23, 2023.
  17. ^"Comic Review: Superman/Top Cat Special #1 (DC Comics)". Fanboyfactor.com. October 31, 1961. RetrievedNovember 1, 2018.
  18. ^Milligan, Mer.cedes (October 29, 2019)."HBO Max Scores 'Rick and Morty' Library, 'South Park' Deal & Kids Slate".
  19. ^"Jellystone! I Official Trailer I HBO Max Family".YouTube. June 24, 2021.Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. RetrievedJune 24, 2021.
  20. ^"Heathcliff by Peter Gallagher & George Gately for March 10, 2016".Gocomics. March 10, 2016. RetrievedJuly 28, 2016.
  21. ^"Top Cat (2011)".Box Office Mojo. RetrievedJanuary 31, 2018.
  22. ^ab"Películas Animadas 2000 – 2018".Canacine. December 7, 2018. RetrievedDecember 15, 2018.
  23. ^"Don Gato: el inicio de la pandilla (Top Cat Begins)". Totals calculated. Not shown on website.
  24. ^abcOrfila, Jorgelina; Ortega-Grimaldo, Francisco (January 1, 2018)."De Top Cat a Don Gato: acerca del doblaje de animación" [From Top Cat to Don Gato: Dubbing in Animation].Con a de animación (in Spanish) (8):150–163.doi:10.4995/caa.2018.9654.hdl:10251/100180.
  25. ^"InfanTv – A Máquina do Tempo rumo à sua infância". July 19, 2016.
  26. ^"Radio Times entry for Top Cat on 16 May 1962". British Broadcasting Corporation. May 16, 1962. RetrievedMay 24, 2015.
  27. ^"Radio Times entry for The Boss Cat on 13 June 1962". British Broadcasting Corporation. June 13, 1962. RetrievedMay 24, 2015.
  28. ^"Radio Times entry for Boss Cat on 22 February 1967". British Broadcasting Corporation. February 22, 1967. RetrievedMay 24, 2015.
  29. ^"Boss Cat".
  30. ^"Schedule – BBC Programme Index".
  31. ^"Best ads of 2016: Coke and adam&eve's Top Cat for Halifax lead the way in April | MAA".Moreaboutadvertising.com. May 3, 2016. RetrievedJuly 28, 2016.

Bibliography

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