Ventriloquist Cat

Tex Avery made many classic cartoons, but this may very well be his very best, as the title implies, it concerns a ventriloquist cat with nothing better to do than make a dogs life miserable. Non-stop laughs from beginning to end.

A cat uses ventriloquism to torment a dog. Plus dynamite.

The structure is the usual one for a Tex Avery cartoon: one gag after another, until the length of the cartoon is used up.... although there is an ending that's a bit different in tone from the rest. Here, as always, Avery's gags are beautifully composed and executed, with a little fillip at the end of each to induce a further giggle, that makes him one of the great cartoon directors at Termite Terrace at the start of the 1940s, each with their own style. Alas, Avery's theatrical cartoon career would last only another eight years, before the declining economics of the industry drove him to the ad business... where he would prosper, as befitted his genius.

When I began watching this cartoon, I was prepared for the worst, but it really seemed to be a good cartoon. But after a while, it has multiple faults. The basic theme is original, but after a while it was obvious the cartoonists only tried to form a new couple of natural born sadists like Tom and Jerry. Off course they failed doing so. Tom and Jerry are cult, this stupid dog and cat couldn't be as funny as worlds most loved cat and mouse team. In less than one minute, I believe I saw five explosions. Imagine if the kids of today would think killing somebody is funny! No, I really dislike this demonic cartoon. But I can't stop human evolution, so I guess it's too late to stop it now.

Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons.

Also have much admiration for Tex Avery, an animation genius whose best cartoons are animated masterpieces and some of the best he ever did. 'Ventriloquist Cat' is another example of an animated masterpiece and one of his all time best. Like the best of Tex Avery, 'Ventriloquist Cat' is a cartoon of amazing quality, is very creative and hilarious as one would expect from Avery on top form like he is here. Even when he wasn't at his best, he still delivered, have yet to see a "bad" effort from him.

Both the cat and dog characters have terrific comic timing and are interesting, likable characters. The cat is crafty and the bulldog getting the worst of the violence. The voice work can't be faulted.

Avery does a wonderful job directing, with his unique, unlike-any-other visual and characteristic and incredibly distinctive wacky humour style all over it as can be expected.

Once again there is nothing sadistic or repetitious, instead it's imaginative, wonderfully wild and hilarious throughout from start to finish. The sight gags throughout are an absolute joy and are immaculate in timing, the ending is both surprising and hysterical.

It is no surprise either that the animation is superb, being rich in colour and detail. The character designs are unique, Avery always did have creative character designs, and suitably fluid. The music, courtesy of Scott Bradley, is lushly and cleverly orchestrated, with lively and energetic rhythms and fits very well indeed.

Summing up, another Avery masterpiece. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Another hilarious Tex Avery cartoon with breakneck pace and always with a new twist on old gags! This short from 1950 predates ANY other use of "Sound sampling" which became a norm in the 80's with the advent of electronic samplers, especially for Rap. (Sound sampling is where you take a snippet of a musical or voice recording and repeat it several times, therefore using the original sound instead of having the performer repeat it). I could not imagine how either Tex or the sound engineer came up with the idea nor how it was performed cause this was recorded to magnetic 35 mm film stock, so I guess they PRERECORDED and dubbed(and spliced) the "MEOW MEOW!" to another sound reel and synchronized its playback when the orchestra and cast did the soundtrack (sound was always recorded BEFORE the cartoon was done)... He repeated this experiment in "Billy Boy" a few years later, except that then it was with SEVERAL samples from Daws Butler's voice... These early Hollywood pioneers are all but forgotten but they paved the way to all things modern... "MEOW, MEOW!!!.. MEOW, MEOW!!!"