Top Cat 

Top Cat is the leader of a group of alley cats, always trying to cheat someone.

Creators:

Joseph Barbera, William Hanna

Stars:

Leo DeLyon, Allen Jenkins, Arnold Stang

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Leo DeLyon	...	Spook / ... 30 episodes, 1961-1962
Allen Jenkins	...	Officer Dibble 30 episodes, 1961-1962
Arnold Stang	...	Top Cat 30 episodes, 1961-1962
Maurice Gosfield	...	Benny the Ball 30 episodes, 1961-1962
Marvin Kaplan	...	Choo Choo / ... 30 episodes, 1961-1962
John Stephenson	...	Fancy-Fancy / ... 30 episodes, 1961-1962

Storyline

Set in the Alleys of New York, "Top Cat" tells the story of a gang of low-life cats with their charismatic Leader, Top Cat. With ability and mischief, Top Cat will always try to get rich gambling, to eat for free, or to play jokes on someone, but he is always being watched by Officer Dibble, who is very strict and fierce with them, but in fact is a friend to all of them.

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Plot Keywords:

jazz music | cat | alley | alley cat | half dressed cartoon animal | 

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Taglines:

He's the most tip-top!

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 September 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

Don Gato y Su Pandilla

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hanna-Barbera Productions,Screen Gems Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min (30 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color Black and White (original broadcasts)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Officer Dibble's wife was frequently mentioned, but never shown.

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Goofs

In the opening title song "Top Cat" (seen in every episode) the waiter should be shown in front of the lunch box on the table. His torso is behind the box until Top Cat jumps up and runs for the taxi. At that point the waiter "pops" fully in front of the lunch box. This was related by Arnold Stang on the DVD commentary and he was very annoyed (even years later!) that the studio would let such an error occur every week.

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Quotes

Professor Zimbach: [admiring a contemporary painting] This man has artistic temperament, like Van Gogh. You know, the painter who cut off his ear and sent it to his girlfriend.
Top Cat: Oh, yeah, to ask her why he hadn't heard from her.

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits feature Top Cat entering a high-class restaurant to have lunch... which he picks from a construction worker working across the restaurant. He escapes from the maitre'd and the worker into a taxi and gets away (originally the series title appears on a blind TC pulls down in the taxi - later versions feature the title as TC gets into the taxi).

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Connections

Referenced in Bad Movie Beatdown: Hercules in New York (2011)

User Reviews

Thank the Lord T.C. is FINALLY on DVD!

I first remember seeing "Top Cat" when it was part of NBC's Saturday morning lineup in the late 60's (I was born on April 29, 1962, when the show was halfway through its first - and only - prime-time season on ABC).

Whoever said, "You don't really appreciate something until after it's gone," was right - once "Top Cat" left NBC in 1969, all I had were comic books of the show to enjoy, as well as a coloring book of when T.C. and the gang went to the local zoo. When "T.C." was first syndicated in 1969, no stations here in Detroit (or around Lansing, Michigan, where I moved to in 1971 and lived until 1978) decided to purchase the reruns and show them (apparently the program directors of said stations didn't know a good cartoon series when they saw one); until 1996, when Cartoon Network reran "T.C." for the first time in ages, it would be a miracle (such as when I visited my relatives near Pittsburgh or my grandparents in California) before I ever saw any episodes of the show again.

About two weeks ago (January 14), I FINALLY purchased the entire 30-episode DVD box set of "Top Cat." It was such a treat to see all the episodes again, as well as the shorts with the actors who voiced the characters (my favorite "Top Cat" episodes have to be "All That Jazz," about the "diamond mine in Diambodi," and "The Golden Fleecing," about the female cat Honeydew Melon). And the best part is: Now I DON'T have to wait until if and when Boomerang decides to rerun "T.C." in the future; I can watch the show again any time I want!

(I also recently tracked down a copy of the 1962 TV soundtrack album on vinyl, so now I have another "T.C." collectible to enjoy. I hope to have one of my friends dub it onto a CD for me.)

So thanks, Warner Home Video, for helping revive an old, enjoyable childhood memory. It was certainly $45 well spent! (Now would you PLEASE see about putting another one of my all-time favorite, and seldom-seen, Hanna-Barbera cartoon series, "The Roman Holidays," on DVD soon? I know that would also be worth paying good money for!)