Difference between revisions of "Top Cat (TV series)"

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| [[April 18]], 1962

Revision as of 09:23, 2 July 2022

This article is about the TV series. For the main title character, see Top Cat (character). For other uses, see Top Cat.
Top Cat
TC title card.png
On-screen title card.
Created by William Hanna
Joseph Barbera
Network ABC
Production company Hanna-Barbera
Distributor Screen Gems
Original release September 27, 1961April 25, 1962
Run time 25 minutes
Starring Arnold Stang
Maurice Gosfield
Marvin Kaplan
Leo De Lyon
John Stephenson
Allen Jenkins
Producer(s) William Hanna
Joseph Barbera
Music composed by Hoyt Curtin
Writer(s) Barry Blitzer
Harvey Bullock
Kin Platt
Director(s) William Hanna
Joseph Barbera

Top Cat is an American animated television sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera (H-B) for ABC. It ran from 1961 to 1962, airing 30 episodes that spanned one season. It was the second prime-time animated series geared towards adults, although its accessibility for the whole family allowed it to be aired on Cartoon Network and Boomerang in their heydays.

An anthropomorphic group of alley cats led by Top Cat try and get by in life by regularly scamming the citizens of Manhattan. Acting as a foil to their schemes is beat cop Officer Dibble.

The entire series has been released on DVD.

Production

Development

Music

The music was composed by Hoyt Curtin.

Opening Theme Lyrics

Top Cat!
The most ineffectual, Top-Cat!
Whose intellectual,
Close friends get to call him T.C.
Provided it's with dignity.

Top Cat!
The indisputable, leader of the gang.
He's the boss, he's the quip, he's the championship!
He's most tip top,
Top Cat!

Yes, he's the chief, he's the king, but above everything,
He's most tip top,
Top Cat!

Top Cat!

Episodes

Episode Number Air date
"The $1,000,000 Derby" 1x01 September 27, 1961
"The Missing Heir" 1x02 October 4, 1961
"Hawaii, Here We Come" 1x03 October 11, 1961
"Top Cat Falls in Love" 1x04 October 18, 1961
"The Violin Player" 1x05 October 25, 1961
"The Unscratchables" 1x06 November 1, 1961
"All That Jazz" 1x07 November 8, 1961
"Choo Choo's Romance" 1x08 November 15, 1961
"A Visit from Mother" 1x09 November 22, 1961
"Rafeefleas" 1x10 November 29, 1961
"Sergeant Top Cat" 1x11 December 6, 1961
"Naked Town" 1x12 December 20, 1961
"The Maharajah of Pookajee" 1x13 December 27, 1961
"The Long Hot Winter" 1x14 January 3, 1962
"The Tycoon" 1x15 January 10, 1962
"The Grand Tour" 1x16 January 17, 1962
"Space Monkey" 1x17 January 24, 1962
"T.C. Minds the Baby" 1x18 January 31, 1962
"The Golden Fleecing" 1x19 February 7, 1962
"The Case of the Missing Anteater" 1x20 February 14, 1962
"Farewell, Mr. Dibble" 1x21 February 21, 1962
"The Late T.C." 1x22 February 28, 1962
"Choo Choo Goes Ga Ga" 1x23 March 7, 1962
"King for a Day" 1x24 March 14, 1962
"Dibble Breaks the Record" 1x25 March 21, 1962
"The Con Men" 1x26 March 28, 1962
"Dibble's Birthday" 1x27 April 4, 1962
"Dibble Sings Again" 1x28 April 11, 1962
"Griswald" 1x29 April 18, 1962
"Dibble's Double" 1x30 April 25, 1962

Release

Dates are in order of release:

Cast

Crossover

Title Number Original air date
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law: "Mindless" 1 September 25, 2005

Legacy

While the series proved to be a ratings failure, it found better success on Saturday morning television and all or some of the characters appeared in crossover productions of H-B, such as Yogi's Ark Lark and Yogi's Treasure Hunt. They also starred in their own 1988 TV movie, Top Cat and the Beverly Hills Cats. Top Cat also proved to be a big hit in Mexico, and two official theatrical films were animated in the country, later translated and dubbed into the English-language films Top Cat: The Movie and Top Cat Begins.

In the 1990s, Turner Entertainment commissioned a 20-part talk show hosted by Top Cat in the form of interstitials for Cartoon Network's international market. Top Cat's first two guests were David Hasselhoff and Carl Lewis.[1] Sadly, all 20 seem to have not survived for the internet to watch.

In the 2000s, Top Cat and his gang had a guest appearance in the Adult Swim spoof, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, and there was also a failed attempt by Warner Bros. Animation to do a new Top Cat TV series. The main characters looked the same except for wardrobe changes, except for Officer Dibble who was given a radically new design, and there was also a new girl in Top Cat's gang called Roxy.[2]

In 2021, Top Cat, Benny the Ball, Choo Choo, Brain, Spook and Fancy Fancy have made several guest appearances in the HBO Max web TV series, Jellystone! This series not only presents new personalities for each of the gang, but Choo Choo, Brain and Spook (named Spooky) are also girls for this series.

References

  1. ^ (1996). "MIP TV ISSUE". Television Business International. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  2. ^ Kupcyzk, Dave (January 11, 2008). "Top Cat Remake". Dave's blog. Retrieved August 1, 2021.