Bad Ol' Putty Tat

It seems like within just a few short years of debuting Sylvester, the Termite Terrace crowd had given him the works (Tweety actually debuted before Sylvester). In this case, Sylvester tries to go after Tweety yet again, but Tweety somehow has all the conveniences necessary - such as mallets and dynamite - to fend off a putty tat attack. Of course, things really get cool once they start playing badminton.

What you have to realize about Tweety is that he was not really what we think of as "cute". He was actually a mean mother. If anything, we should pity Sylvester. But no matter, "Bad Ol' Putty Tat" is another one of the cartoon greats.

Don't expect many if any surprises from the story of Bad Ol' Putty Tat it is on the predictable side(then again a lot of the Sylvester and Tweety cartoons are). But don't let that bother you too much because Bad Ol' Putty Tat is still colourful and fun, there may be those who may find it repetitive or tiring depending on whether you like Sylvester and Tweety or not but to me the cartoon was anything but. Bad Ol' Putty Tat is an early cartoon for Sylvester and Tweety but looking at the vibrancy and detail of the animation here you wouldn't have guessed and some of the drawing is noticeably more fluid than the later cartoons of theirs. Sylvester and Tweety are both well drawn. The music sounds beautiful, is very characterful and matches each action, gesture and expression really well(that was always one of Carl Stalling's strong traits in his compositions and he does it better than most composers scoring music for cartoons). The dialogue is sharp and witty, you do wish that Sylvester had dialogue but Tweety's dialogue is still funny, especially his final line and "Now how do you suppose I got me wittle self in such a pwedicament?". There are some great gags, ones that do raise a good laugh at least and they don't feel recycled either. The best ones are those with the trampoline, Sylvester disguising his finger as a female bird and Tweety being mistaken for a shuttlecock, they're pretty hilarious. Both Sylvester and Tweety work well and are a well-matched pair. Sylvester takes the laughs in his usual funny way, with some priceless facial expressions as always, and you do find yourself rooting for him. Tweety has that Freleng cuteness but he also has traits of the anarchic personality that Clampett gave him, the things he does like with the trampoline gag are things that he wouldn't have done in his later cartoons. Mel Blanc's vocal characterisations are spot on as well. So all in all, not among the very best of the Sylvester and Tweety cartoons but a thoroughly enjoyable one. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Friz Freleng's 'Bad Old Putty Tat' was only the third pairing of Tweety and Sylvester but already this set-up was beginning to grate. An uninspired chase around a nondescript, dingy garden, 'Bad Old Putty Tat' was an early indicator of how repetitive and unfunny this series would be. After an inventive opening shot which suggests a joke has happened off screen before the cartoon even began, 'Bad Old Putty Tat' quickly descends into the same tired old gags. Tweety, once such a brilliant character in the trio of Bob Clampett films in which he debuted, has become infuriatingly cutesy and unfunny while the usually brilliant Sylvester is here, as in so many Sylvester and Tweety cartoons, reduced to a mute dupe, a role that could be played by any other generic cat character. The only sequence during which 'Bad Old Putty Tat' feels like it might come to life is a scene in which Tweety is mistaken for a shuttlecock and that is mainly for my own sadistic desire to see the ruined Freleng version of Tweety being smacked back and forth with Badminton racquets!

Tweety Bird has to fight off Sylvester Cat. Despite their size difference, Tweety always comes out ahead. Sylvester doesn't get to say much. It is all Tweety Bird. It is Tweety who does all the talking and gets the best of the situation. I remember all the gags from my childhood. Maybe there is some reworking in other episodes. Mostly, this is the distillation of the quintessential Tweety Sylvester story. It doesn't get more complicated than this. The old lady may make an appearance in other episodes, but she's not essential. This has all the essential elements here and there is good in its pureness.

Sylvester's at it again, trying desperately to eat poor Tweety. This time Tweety's protected by a birdhouse surrounded in barbwire. He's also not afraid to smack Sylvester around. There are a lot of amusing gags where Sylvester gets banged up. You almost feel sorry for him until you remember he wouldn't have these problems if he would just find something else to eat. Tweety is especially adorable and funny in this. He has some great lines. Lovely and colorful animation as you expect from Warner Bros. in its heyday. Excellent voicework from Mel Blanc and fun music from Carl Stalling. You either like Tweety and Sylvester cartoons or you don't. I happen to enjoy them and this is a pretty darn good one.