Pizzicato Pussycat

Pizzicato Pussycat
Title card
Directed byI. Freleng
Story byWarren Foster
StarringMel Blanc
Marian Richman
Norman Nesbitt
Narrated byNorman Nesbitt
Music byMilt Franklyn
Animation byVirgil Ross
Manuel Perez
Layouts byHawley Pratt
Backgrounds byRichard H. Thomas
Color processColor
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • January 1, 1955 (1955-01-01)
Running time
7:20
LanguageEnglish

Pizzicato Pussycat is a Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated short directed by Friz Freleng,[1] released on January 1, 1955.[2] The first half of the title is a playing technique for string instruments (such as guitars, violins, violas, cellos, and double basses) that involves plucking instead of using a bow (for the lattermost), and also serves as an allusion to the theme of the short.

Plot

Mr. and Mrs. Jones, a suburban couple, are puzzled by mysterious piano music in their home, long after their daughter's toy piano vanished. The music is revealed to come from the toy piano, played by a mouse. The Joneses' pet cat initially wants to prey on the mouse, but the mouse strikes a deal with the cat, promising a piano performance in exchange for his life. The cat hides the mouse and toy piano in the real piano while she pretends to play, deceiving the Joneses. Mrs. Jones calls the press, and media frenzy ensues, with scientists baffled by the cat's musical talent despite scans revealing her brain to be peanut-sized. Contracts are signed for public performances, culminating in a disastrous show at Carnegie Hall when the cat presses one of the piano's keys leading to the piano hammer inadvertently breaking the mouse's glasses, thus hindering his ability to read the notes. Exposed as a fraud, the cat and mouse revert to their usual antics until they bond over jazz music with the cat realizing that she is talented with the drums, and the mouse being inspired to play the piano with her as a duet. Upon seeing the recent events, Mrs. Jones decides to call the press again, but Mr. Jones objects, unwilling to go through the same hassle again. The couple keep the extraordinary animals a secret and enjoy the music to themselves.

Music

Home media

Pizzicato Pussycat is available on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 4 Disc 4.[3] It will also be available on the Looney Tunes Collector's Vault: Volume 3 Disc 2.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 268. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
  2. ↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 104–106. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  3. ↑ Rich, Jamie S. (November 18, 2006). "Looney Tunes - Golden Collection, Volume Four". DVD Talk. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Looney Tunes Collector's Vault: Volume 3 Blu-ray". Blu-Ray.com. July 9, 2026. Retrieved July 19, 2026.

See also

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