Shinbone Alley (1970)

A newspaper man is reincarnated as a cockroach and makes friends with a free-spirited female alley cat.

Directors:

John Wilson (as John David Wilson), David Detiege

Writers:

Joe Darion (screenplay), John Wilson (story continuity)

Stars:

Carol Channing, Eddie Bracken, Alan Reed

Cast

Credited cast:
Carol Channing	...	Mehitabel (voice)
Eddie Bracken	...	Archy (voice)
Alan Reed	...	Big Bill (voice) (as Allen Reed Sr.)
John Carradine	...	Tyrone T. Tattersall (voice)
Hal Smith	...	Freddie the Rat / Prissy Cat (voice)
Joan Gerber	...	Penelope the Fat Cat / Ladybugs of the Evening (voice)
Sal Delano	...	Beatnik Spider (voice)
Ken Sansom	...	Rosie the Cat (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Byron Kane	...	Newspaperman (voice)

Storyline

A newspaperman jumps in the river to drown himself. He reappears as a cockroach, who finds he can still type by jumping up and down on the keys of a typewriter. He is in love with Mehitabel, the office cat. He writes poetry to her, and tries to keep her on the straight and narrow. Big Bill the Alley tom cat is Mehit's heart-throb, and Archy's nemesis. She has kittens, and archy declares war in a George Herriman sequence.

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Plot Keywords:

cutout animation | cat | cockroach | office | love | 

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Taglines:

A PURR-fectly Delightful film for the Whole Family

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Fantasy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 April 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kujien kuningatar

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fine Arts Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

I Am Only a Poor Humble Cockroach
Music by George Kleinsinger
Lyrics by Joe Darion

User Reviews

A unique animation experience, well worth viewing.

Shinbone Alley is not like every other animated film. It brings a unique approach to animation. It is almost like viewing an animated jazz opera in some respects. The characters are well defined and quite good, and some of the backgrounds are almost works of art on the New York scene. It is true that some very small children might not understand it, but a vast majority of people who view the film will find aspects of it that they will love; like the George Herriman sequence when archy declares war on humans. Carol Channing is wonderful as mehitabel, especially when she sings Shakespeare. Eddie Bracken is great as archy. This is the type of film that can be viewed again and again, and you find something new and interesting each time you see it. It was definitely a style setter in 2D animation, and should be applauded for its unconventional approach. Throughout the years, there have been a handful of animated films that could truly be called one-off, style setting, animation treasures -- Fantasia, Yellow Submarine, Toy Story, for example. I feel that Shinbone Alley easily fits into this select group of animated films.