Top Cat (TV series)
- This article is about the TV series. For other uses, see Top Cat.
| Top Cat | |
|---|---|
 On-screen title card. | |
| Created by | William Hanna Joseph Barbera |
| Network | ABC |
| Production company | Hanna-Barbera |
| Distributor | Screen Gems |
| Original release | September 27, 1961—April 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) | Kin Platt Barry E. Blitzer[1] Harvey Bullock[1] R.S. Allen[1] |
| Director(s) | William Hanna Joseph Barbera |
| Second title card | |
 British title card in the 60s and 80s. | |
Top Cat is an American animated sitcom television series produced by Hanna-Barbera (H-B) for ABC. It ran from 1961 to 1962, airing 30 episodes that spanned one season. Every episode was directed by Joseph Barbera and William Hanna, the co-founders of H-B. 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
Barbera drew a sketch of a smart aleck cat with the words "Top Cat" underneath,[2] which was finalized by Ed Benedict.[3] This, along with a description of the show, inspired by the Phil Silvers comedy series You'll Never Get Rich, was quickly sold to Ollie Treyz, then President of ABC.[3]
Casting
Before Arnold Stang was selected to voice Top Cat, Michael O'Shea was first slated to voice the character, but dropped out because of other commitments. According to associate producer Alan Dinehart, O'Shea took too long to record his lines and was replaced by Stang mid-production.[4] In a story published by Weekly Variety (dated July 19, 1961), Andy Devine, Mickey Rooney, Jerry Lester, Larry Storch, and Max Rosenbloom were also among the actors who had auditioned for the role before Stang.[5]
Music
The music was composed by Hoyt Curtin, who employed a George Gershwin-inspired jazz motif compared to his previous work on other Hanna-Barbera shows.[6]
The theme song for both the opening sequence and closing credits remain the same, save for a change of one lyric line between both instances.
Opening theme lyrics
Top Cat!
The most effectual, Top Cat!
Who's 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 whip, he's the number one pip!
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!
Closing theme lyrics
Top Cat!
The most effectual, Top Cat!
Who's 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 VIP, 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
This order is how it aired on ABC gathered from researching Newspapers.com, which is quite different from the order in which Warner Home Video released this on DVD.
Release
Dates are in order of release:
- United States: September 27, 1961 at 8:30 pm on ABC
- United Kingdom and Ireland: May 16, 1962 at 5:10 pm on BBC TV
Cast
- Arnold Stang as Top Cat
- Maurice Gosfield as Benny the Ball
- Marvin Kaplan as Choo Choo
- Leo De Lyon as Brain and Spook
- John Stephenson as Fancy Fancy
- Allen Jenkins as Officer Dibble
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, including 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, where it is dubbed as "Don Gato y su Pandilla". Two official theatrical films were produced in that country, later translated and dubbed into the English-language films Top Cat: The Movie and Top Cat Begins.
In the United Kingdom, Top Cat became quite successful when it aired on BBC Television Service (now BBC One) on May 16, 1962. However, on June 13 of the same year, the show had to be renamed "The Boss Cat", which would then be shortened to "Boss Cat" in 1967. The name change occured because of a then-popular British cat food similarly named "Top Cat", and because BBC didn't carry advertisements in their broadcasts, responded quickly by altering the visuals for the show's intro and end credits with a simple "Boss Cat" title card. Despite this, Top Cat's original name was left unaltered in the audio tracks of each episode. The last time the "Boss Cat" titles were used was in a 1989 rerun on BBC One, marking the end of its long-run of the program, and by the time the show was aired again in April 6, 1999 on BBC Two (which once carried the program twice in August, 1983 and in December, 1988), the aforementioned "Top Cat" food brand had been long since discontinued, allowing the show's original American title cards to be used on British airings without issue. The last time Top Cat aired on a BBC channel was BBC Two in 2007, although Boomerang kept airing it in the early morning for a few years after that.
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.[7] 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. Warner Bros. Animation attempted to do a new Top Cat TV series at one point, but never completed it outside of some concept art. T.C. and his gang would have looked the same except for wardrobe changes, whereas Officer Dibble would have been given a radically new design. There were also plans to introduce a new girl in T.C.'s gang called Roxy.[8]
In 2016, there was questionable usage of Top Cat being used to in an ad campaign by Halifax.
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.
In popular culture
- The scene from "Naked Town," in which Top Cat, his gang, and Dibble are sitting on the curb outside the Ajax warehouse is being watched by Mike in the 1984 film Sixteen Candles.
- Chief Judge Ricky watches his favorite episode "The Violin Player," in the fourth issue of the Red Razors comic series, although only Top Cat is seen.
- In the Lucifer episode "Yabba Dabba Do Me," a young Jimmy Baines watches Top Cat.
Dead Ringers (radio)
- "Episode Two" (series 2): Nick Russ presents Cartoon Crimewatch that reports on Top Cat victimizing the passerby that walked through Hoagy's Alley. Top Cat was using the stupid Brain (mistakenly called "Brains") to swindle money for a fake charity for stupid cats. He gets an old lady's watch, which he gives to Benny to fence, but he takes it literally. Officer Dibble comes onto the scene, but is distracted by a phone call from the sergeant who wants him back at the station, which disappoints Dibble because he would rather stay on TV, breaking the fourth wall.
- "Episode Three" (series 7): BBC News' Michael Burke interviews Officer Dibble after Top Cat has him removed from his beat under the Cartoon Animal Bill of Rights Act, only because Officer Dibble had Top Cat arrested for using his phone, but T.C. had him suspended on suspicious entrapment, and putting a wire on Choo Choo.
In other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ドラ猫大将 (Doraneko Taisho) | Boss Cat |
| Spanish | Don Gato y Su Pandilla | Mr Cat and His Gang |
References
- ^ a b c Sennett, Ted (October 30, 1989). The Art of Hanna-Barbera, page 120. Viking Studio Books. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
- ^ Sennett, Ted (October 30, 1989). The Art of Hanna-Barbera, page 115. Viking Studio Books. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
- ^ a b Barbera, Joseph (1994). My Life in 'toons: From Flatbush to Bedrock in Under a Century, page 142. Atlanta, GA. Turner Publishing. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
- ^ Yowp, Don M. (September 28, 2009). "Top Cat! Starring the Voice of ... Who?" yowpyowp.blogspot.com
- ^ Yowp, Don M. (December 9, 2015). "Hanna-Barbera Chugs Along, 1961" yowpyowp.blogspot.com
- ^ Kress, Earl (July 2, 1996). Hanna-Barbera's Pic-A-Nic Basket of Cartoon Classics (CD booklet), page 21-22. Kid Rhino; Hanna-Barbera Productions. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ (1996). "MIP TV ISSUE". Television Business International. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
- ^ Kupcyzk, Dave (January 11, 2008). "Top Cat Remake". Dave's blog. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
