Trans-Lux presents Pat Sullivan's
FELIX THE CAT (and Rockbottom the dog)
In PENELOPE THE ELEPHANT
Produced & Directed by JOE ORIOLO
Music WINSTON Sharples
Paramount/Famous/Harvey Comcis Cue usage from:"From Mad to Worse", "Which is Witch","Spook No Evil" "Owly to Bed","Dante Dreamer","Mr.Moneygags",
"L'amous the Merrier","Feline-ous Assault".
Vocal: Anna Bennett
Voices:
JACK MERCER
OriglBroadcst 1959-60, syndicated
Rock Bottom created by JOE ORIOLO and the GANG
Felix created by PAT SULLIVAN
OTTO MESSMER
Music:
(among others)
Felix walking/March from FROM MAD TO WORSE
(later) Felix scrubbing Penelope/Walker from WHICH IS WHICH?
Rockbottom knocking at door Agitato from DANTE DREAMER
Felix, as pt.2 commences, similiar piece, heard first in MR.MONEYGAGS
MacIntosh the worm piping out of apple that Rockbottom tempted Felix with as Pt./1 ended/the Domestic piece from DANTE DREAMER
Mack biting the rope that is tied round Felix/Happy Casper-Jocko (Monkey) animal skip (Jocko AND Casper) from SPOOK NO EVIL
Rock Bottom and Penelope the Elephant walking, Penelope hitting Rock w/trunk when the dog's not looking/Hooty the Owl walker cue from OWLY TO BED
Rock, asking Penelope if she saw the "truck/no music
"Penelope answers shaking head /comedic writing cue from L"AMOUR THE MERRIER (twice in a row)
Rock and Penelope resuming their walk/More of the OWLY TO BED cue
Penelope hitting Rock with trunk head, Rock repeats above question/no music
Penny shaking her head/More of the same L'AMOUR THE MERRIER cue, and, again, repeated (mmm HMM uuu HHH..like that, only done once with each stroke in L'the M,
which introduced RENIORE, the LA PETIT PARADE (which came later, also in 1959 as did FELIX)
Penelope finds and squirts water from her trunk, sprays, Rock/quizzical, curious harmonica solo from FELINE-OUS ASSAULT
Rockbottom finds a car (well, you think he had it ther,e besides, he is a crook, ergo, it's in hsi genes) and driving off with the pachyderm/MR.MONEYGAGS racing cue
Finally at the Rajah's palace, Rock finds out the reward, the Baksheek;'s, is only worth a time, cracks up/ Final cue from WHICH IS WHICH?
COmments:
Rock as solo viillian, introduction of Middle Reastern king Maha Rajah.
Once Rockbottom got estabvlished as Felix's canine advertsary, it was just narural, having first appeared (DETECTIVE HAT), to use the Dog as a solo villian, opposite Felix.
Here the writer(s) use a great chance for an elephant-buddy buddy story. Rock isn't actually stealing, as he and the Professor WOULD do in the later "THE RAJAH'S ELEPHANTS"(also 1959)
as he is really just COMPETING with the felicitous feline for the prize, but TRUE to characterm, he does steaal the elephant and leave Felix for dead (and woulda gotten away with it..if not for that
helpful worm..wait, that's another. and more iconic cartoon..)..
This introduces the Rajah, seen in the other elephant short and still other TV FELIX titles..
The story has Rock Bottom as the first character. He's seen here "borrowing" newspaper....apples....etc.when he sees the news-"Elephant, Penelope,l wanted by the Rajah.."
ten bakshees (you don't suppose a VERY young Ralph Bakshi was hanging around, if that wasn't a real form of currency, apologies if otherwise, despite the very ANIMATED
name coincidence), and then seems an elepahnt walking! It's Penelope. She then follows Felix, who's ALSO out, and then slams into the cat! Felix then tells Penny to buzz off,
but then thinks better of the situation when seeing sad tears coming from the poor animal's eyes..(Felix can be so mean sometimes..) He then invites her to stay, asking her name,
whereupomn, she unplas an ear (as seen from the right, - no obvious poltical pun-so that the, uh, "right" side of her is visible as such to us, the viewers) that reveals PENELOPE.
"Hmm"..comments Felix. "Penelope? THAT'S a PRETTY name"! (We're all inclined to agree. <3) He then takes the pachyderm home, washing her, in an old fashioned oaken buck-buck-bucket,
as she blows a pink elephant..uh (another cross refernce to another cartoon..) Soon Felix hears a Cockney sounding, husky voice, and he opens the door. It's Rockbottom, come to do some
elephant-snatching (inspired, isn't it?), and then ties Felix for deadm, but then tempts the cat with an APPLE. He then says, "Eat drink, and be Merry", the old wise saying..then (something..for?),
all of this underscored by the chase cue from Harveytoons-Paramount-Famous's "Dante Dreamer", one of the earlier and more funkier MODERN MADCAPS ('57), the tale of a little boy with a big Don
Quixote imagination, titling at dragons.
End of part one, part two starts starts with the similar W.Sharples cue from an earlier 1957 Havfeytoon with Tommy TUrtle and Moe Hare, the funny Noveltoon "Mr.Moneygags' gambing, as we see Felix where he left oiff..
then a worm with a VERY, VERY heavy Scottish brogue, cuts the feline off, introduces himself as Mackinotsh (Just call him Mac,Mack.) Mack says a setnence or two about him, and asked by Felix, he shows
(very UN-wormlike0 gnashing teeth, with which he starts to free Felix.
Meanwhile, Rock and Penelope are walking when Penny gets the veyr inspired idea to swat the bad dog with her trunks, behind the canine's back. Rock, not aware, turns to the elephant and,
then asks Penelope, thinking it was, maybe, a truck, askes the other animal about it, wherepon she shakes her head (to Winston Sharples's droll,hilaious violin cue in 1957's early Modern Madcap, featuring
cult favorite mONSIER rENOIR AND WIFE, in LAMOUS THE MERRIER, best rememebred for LA PETITE PARADE ("Le Filth Le Gargbage), not once but TWICE! After two go rounds of elephant and kidnapper this way, Penelope then
showers Rock Bottom with left over water, causing the crook to comment that he's all soaked..
Meanwhile, back at Feli'x.. Mack the worm;'s now finished biting the whole rope that bound Felix, just as Felix breaks free (what happened to the mouse syndrome, as we, nor he, never sees or hears fromMack again, maybe
he re-emerged at Hanna-Barbera in Augie Doggie's and Doggie Daddy's "worm in library cartoon, Have a Woirm Day, 1960). Now, thanks to Mack, Felix pursues Rock and Penelope, who've now appeared in a trailer that Rock stole4 (of couirse!)
and drives Penny off in. Her weight collapsies, her canine captor neverthess get s jack out of "his" cars, and carries the big friendly beast to the Rajah (living in the US!).
Followed by Felix the Cat nowq, Rock the Dog brings Penelope the Elephant to the Maharajah, who offers the big greedy dog a fortune..in Bakshees..TEN CENTS! (American money.) ROck then flips whilst throwing the bag AT the kindly
animal owner, joined by Felix, who has a good laugh!
This short featured some rather episodic turns in part two, near the end, what with Rockbottom and Penny's two "Didja see that ruck" go rounds, the next prank on Rock Bottom, and his theft of a car (or many he DID have it already legally bougtht), driving off, then colappsing, jacking up the trailer.
Penelope never re-appeared, nor does Professoer, Master CYlidner, Poindexter (though I think this was before those last two(, nor the Magic Bag of Tricks.
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