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Storyline
Animated illustration of the folksong, "The Cat Came Back," sung by a quartet. Old Mr. Johnson, at 80-plus years, sits in his bed sit playing his tuba when someone leaves a small yellow cat on his doorstep. The cat is destructive, so Old Mr. Johnson puts it back on the doorstep. The cat comes back through the mail slot. Then Johnson tries the woods, the sea, a helium balloon, and a scenic railway. Each time, Old Mr. Johnson takes the brunt of the adventure and the cat returns more destructive than before. Finally it's time for dynamite. Nine lives anyone? Mee-ouch. Written by
<jhailey@hotmail.com>
Plot Summary
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Did You Know?
Trivia
The ending is almost identical to that of
Friz Freleng's 1948 cartoon
Back Alley Oproar featuring Sylvester and Elmer Fudd. The plot differs in that Sylvester is keeping Elmer awake with his back fence singing performance.
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Quotes
[
first lines]
Mr. Johnson:
[
yelling]
What?
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Connections
Featured in
Animated Century (2003)
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Soundtracks
"The Cat Came Back"
Written by Harry S. Miller
Performed by
John McCulloch,
Ed Ledson,
Richard Condie &
Cordell Barker See more »
This short, nominated for an Academy Award, is one of the two shorts produced under the auspieces of the National Film Board of Canada that most people would recognize (the other is Bob's Birthday) even if they've never seen anything else. The first time I saw this, I wondered if John Weldon and/or Cordell Barker had stood next to Richard Condie too long and mutated! I learned that Condie was directly and significantly involved in its creation. If you are one of the 28 people out there who haven't seen this cartoon, then why are you reading this? Go watch it, for heaven's sake! Most highly recommended.