"Hyde and Go Tweet" (1960) Breakdown Thread

[Jon Cooke]

Direction: Friz Freleng
Animation: Art Davis, Gerry Chiniquy, Virgil Ross
Layouts: Hawley Pratt
Backgrounds: Tom O'Loughlin
Film Editor: Treg Brown
Voices: Mel Blanc
Music: Milt Franklyn

Series: Merrie Melodies
Release Date: May 14, 1960
Production Number: 1526
MPAA Number: unknown

Synopsis: Sylvester is sleeping on the ledge of a building, outside of the window of the laboratory of Dr. Jekyll. He wakes up and spots Tweety who he chases into the Doctor's lab. Tweety attempts to hide from the putty tat and hops into the bottle of Hyde Formula, which keeps transforming him into a monstrous canary ... at random, temporary intervals. A chase ensues throughout the building with Tweety turning into a monster just when Sylvester thinks he's finally caught the bird. In the end, Sylvester wakes up from the nightmare and runs through the wall in terror at the sight of Tweety ("HELP! HE'S A KILLER! AAH! AAH! AAH!"). Two onlooking alley cats are unimpressed with Sylvester's shameful display of cowardness. Tweety agrees: "Yeah, shameful."

Video Availability:
Sylvester and Tweety's Crazy Capers (WHV, VHS, 1985)
Looney Tunes After Dark (WHV, Laserdisc, 1993)
Marvin the Martian & K-9: 50 Years on Earth (WHV, VHS, 1998)
Marvin the Martian: Space Tunes (WHV, VHS, 1999 edition)

Trivia:
No MPAA number on the credits.

Included as part of the 1988 compilation film, Daffy Duck's Quackbusters.

Friz Freleng's third Jekyll/Hyde short, previous ones were "Dr. Jerkyll's Hide" (1954) and "Hyde and Hare" (1955).

Hyde Monster Tweety has also been used in an episode of The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries and as a Looney Tunes: Back in Action action figure (presumably because the character was going to make an appearance in the film originally).

[Jon Cooke]

More images attached.

[Jon Cooke]

Two more.

[Speedy Boris]

Arthur Davis animates the bulk of the indoor chase sequence. Speaking of animation, I believe Sylvester on the ground shouting "Save me! He's a killer!" is reused animation from "Birds Anonymous". If not, it sure looks like it.

Songs used:
"Meow" (the very end of the short)
"A Cup of Coffee, a Sandwich, and You" (when Sylvester's making the Tweety sandwich)

No idea what the title card melody is, but it almost sounds like Milt Franklyn based a melody on the name of the cartoon.

[Zartok-35]

Introduction, Dr. Jekyll -Gerry Chiniquy
Sylvester chases pigeons, tweety arrives, ensuing chase scenes -Virgil Ross
Into building, Tweety gets into forumla, Sylvester falls apart, aforementioned indoor chase scenes, Sylvester into elevator shaft -Art Davis
Up and down the stairs -Virgil Ross
Sylevester jumps, "Fly faster! Fly harder!", feather landing, "Help! He's a killer!" -Gerry Chiniquy
Sylvester locks himself in the room, makes sandwich, gets swallowed - Virgil Ross
Sylvester wakes up on ledge, gets scared and breaks through wall, "Outrageous display of wanton cowardace" -Gerry Chiniquy

[speedy fast]

There was a Tweety and Sylvester game for Sega Genesis which included a level based on this short. I can't remember what the game was called and never played it, though.

[Speedy Boris]

There was a Tweety and Sylvester game for Sega Genesis which included a level based on this short. I can't remember what the game was called and never played it, though.

I believe you're referring to "Sylvester & Tweety in Cagey Capers".

[The Crazy HR]

Notice a different "Voices" credit, rather than "Voice Characterization".

[zavkram]

Notice a different "Voices" credit, rather than "Voice Characterization".

Yeah, I noticed that too... I'm wondering if that was simply dictated by the limitations of the layouts?

[LooneyTunerIan]

This cartoon was a also a stage in Looney Tunes: Cartoon Conductor.