Herman
and Katnip: The Complete Series
(Released 2011 by Vivendi Classic
Media)
Another Looong DVD Review by Joe
Torcivia
Summary: It’s like Tom and Jerry… but they TALK!!!
Traverse
the 1950s with Herman and Katnip, Paramount
/ Famous Studios’ answer to MGM’s classic Cat vs. Mouse team Tom and Jerry.
Clever and
streetwise New York mouse Herman drops in just in time to rout the ornery
feline Katnip, and save a bunch of dull and pathetic look-alike mice (ranging
anywhere from 3 to 4, to dozens at a clip) from starvation and general mortality.
As with
most Famous Studios’ output, Herman and Katnip was nicely designed and well
animated, with lots of violence to keep us entertained. Unlike most Famous Studios’ output of the
1950s, the settings and scripts were VARIED enough to avoid the numbing
repetition exhibited in most Famous series.
These are FUN to watch – even now!
Arnold Stang |
Like Warner Bros. Tweety (prior to his long association with Sylvester), Herman had a solo career, palling around with a “Henpecked Rooster” alternately named “Henry” or “Hector” or bedeviling various black cat “Katnip prototypes” (These cartoons, save the first one, can be found on Thunderbean’s “NOVELTOONS” DVD set of 2012), before pairing-up with Katnip in 1950’s “Mice Meeting You”. This association would last through 1959 and the end of the series.
Katnip also
had a career independent of Herman, starring in two solo cartoons (both
included in this set) and also as fall-guy to another Famous Studios star
“Buzzy the Funny Crow”.
Counting
only those cartoons where Herman faced-off against Katnip, we have a total of 31
– with the two “Katnip solos” bringing the set’s total up to 33. NOT BAD for a set that generally sells for
about 6 to 9 dollars!
Alas, the
Buzzy cartoons and Herman solos are not included but, for the price, how can
you really complain!
Oh, and I
should mention that, while the talents of Stang, Raymond, and the animators were
first rate, the REAL star of these cartoons – and of MOST Famous Studios output
of the era – is composer Winston Sharples!
Sharples’
unique scores add tremendous enjoyment to any cartoon they support! During the ‘90s, I can recall a truly
misguided period in these cartoons’ checkered history where the Sharples scores
were removed and replaced by synthesizers – presumably, to make the cartoons
sound more “modern” and “hip”.
Thankfully, in this collection, Winston Sharples is restored to all his
glory.
As is our
custom in these reviews, we’ll break it into CONS and PROS. And, in this case: OTHER!
The CONS:
Authenticity of the Experience: These cartoons have been subject to slicing
and dicing and other editing atrocities for as long as they’ve been televised,
so it’s small wonder that the original theatrical experience cannot be
duplicated. Unless this were a
Thunderbean product, I’d never expect it to be.
The versions of Herman and Katnip cartoons used here appear
to have originated with a syndicated package called “The Harveytoons
Show”. As such the H&K theme song is
severely truncated and the credits sequence is edited out altogether. That’s really a shame, given the Famous
stalwarts performed over-and-above the norm for this series in particular. They should be credited for their
efforts.
The classic “Skiddle-Diddle-Dee, Skiddle-Diddle-Day, It’s
just like a hol-i-day…” theme is never used at any time in this
collection. But truncated versions of a
jazzy instrumental version of “Skiddle-Diddle-Dee” and the 1940s Noveltoons
theme are heard throughout.
At least we get title cards – and the restoration of Winston Sharples… though cut for the theme sequences.
Here's a YouTube Video of the original theme. Warning: It continues to Auto-Play other Famous Studio themes (...but that's a good thing too!) SOUND ALERT!
Content Notes: There is NO CONTENT LISTING of titles anywhere inside the package, or on the back cover! While, with certain exceptions, they follow the order of original theatrical release, this isn’t something that even most hardcore animation fans have committed to memory, much less mere civilians. I shouldn’t have to consult an animation research book, or access the disc menus for this information, when a mere paper insert would suffice.
Original
Order: As noted above, the original
release order is ESSENTIALLY maintained, though “Frighty Cat” (1958) and
“Felineous Assault” (1959) are dropped-in among the 1953 releases – for reasons
completely unknown. The unexpected
transition in animation styles is jarring, to say the least, giving the set a
CON in this area.
Menu
and Navigation: Menu navigation is easy,
with a “cat’s paw” icon serving as the cursor.
BUT… a very loud version of the theme for the aforementioned “The
Harveytoons Show” plays whenever menus are displayed! Did I mention that it is overly LOUD? If ever there WAS a place to include the
classic Winston Sharples theme “Skiddle-Diddle-Dee”, it would be here to play
over the menus. Nope! And, to make things worse, it is overly LOUD! Did I make my point?
The
Extra Features: There are NO extra
features! Can’t really complain too
loudly, given the amount of material at the price – but something (even a few
clips of the original theme / credits sequences that can be found on YouTube)
would be welcome.
Cutting the Extra Features? |
OTHER: (Our place for items
that are neither PRO nor CON! …Just Odd!)
“Play
ALL” vs. Selecting Individual Cartoons:
In sets like this, I tend to select individual cartoons over the “Play
ALL” option. But, as seen in the recent TennesseeTuxedo DVD collection – where one particular episode is INCOMPLETE as an
individual selection and COMPLETE when “Play ALL” is engaged – there are things
that can be completely MISSED, if one chooses not to “Play ALL”.
PLAY ALL.. or DIE, Mouse! |
In
this case, if you select “Play ALL”, you get the Herman and Katnip cartoons
formatted into what would be the equivalent of “Half-Hour Shows”, that is grouped
by THREES!
The
“shows” – that ONLY play as such under the auspices of “Play ALL” – begin with
the theme and opening sequence for “The Harveytoons Show”… that we
ALREADY hear enough of whenever a MENU is displayed!
At the end of the
grouping of three H&K shorts, there is a generic and all-inclusive END
CREDITS SEQUENCE that credits EVERYONE who apparently worked on the Famous
Studios / Harvey theatrical cartoons of the 1950s. (…Including, I would assume, at least a few individuals
who DID NOT necessarily work on Herman and Katnip!)
And the REALLY WEIRD
part of this is that a still of CASPER displays
– and the classic “Casper
the Friendly Ghost” THEME SONG plays!
MY theme is FRIENDLIER than theirs! |
Um… Not Herman and
Katnip’s classic theme, which is nowhere to be found… but Casper ’s?
Really? I LIKE Casper ’s theme… but…
And this occurs for
EVERY group of three H&K cartoons, ONLY when you select “Play ALL” – which I did only by
chance! I’ve begun to wonder exactly
WHAT ELSE have I missed out on during all those years I’ve only selected
individual cartoons or episodes!
The PROS:
Hmmph! |
Robo-Promos and Excessive
Copyright Warnings: There are NO
Robo-Promos or Excessive Copyright Warnings inflicted upon us for HERMAN AND
KATNIP: THE COMPLETE SERIES. Unlike
other sets like THIS! Thank you, Vivendi
Classic Media.
The “Complete” Series: Using Jeff Lenburg’s invaluable reference
work, “The Encyclopedia of Animated
Cartoon Series” (1981) as a guide, I find that this is INDEED “The
Complete Series”, in that all cartoons that feature Herman and Katnip together
are included. …And, the two Katnip solos
to boot.
So “Complete”, in fact that it
included (by my unofficial count) a small number of cartoons either omitted or
only excerpted on the previous “Harveytoons:
The Complete Series”, also from Vivendi Classic Media. Had I realized THAT sooner, I would not have
waited this long to get the set!
Go outside! Get some exercise! Eat some healthy foods! Tell that special someone just how much you love them -- and/or just how much they mean to you!
...Don't TEXT them! TELL them!
Then come back... scroll down... or just click on THIS LINK to read Part Two of our Herman and Katnip DVD review...
2 comments:
They are famed cat and mouse duo during the 1950's Famous Studios cartoon inspired versions of Tom&Jerry cartoons for decades(1949-59) animated series from the producers of Casper cartoons/Harveytoon series all companies moved to Classic Media/Dreamworks Animation and remains a unforgettable cartoon series of all time.thanks for the information for your comments in your opinion .from:Wayne. waynemoises@gmail.com
Thank you for the kinds words, Wayne. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
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