   #copyright

Felix the Cat

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   The famous Felix pace as seen in "Oceantics" (1930)
   Enlarge
   The famous Felix pace as seen in "Oceantics" (1930)

   Felix the Cat is a cartoon character from the silent-film era. His
   black body, white eyes, and giant grin, coupled with the surrealism of
   the situations in which his cartoons place him, combined to make Felix
   one of the most recognizable cartoon characters in the world. Felix was
   the first character from animation to attain a level of popularity
   sufficient to draw movie audiences based solely on his star power.

   Felix's origins remain disputed. Australian cartoonist and film
   entrepreneur Pat Sullivan and American animator Otto Messmer have both
   claimed to be his creator, and evidence seems to back up both claims.
   However, many historians, such as John Canemaker, argue that Messmer
   ghosted for Sullivan. Other historians disagree. What is certain is
   that the cat emerged from Sullivan's studio.

   During the 1920s, Felix enjoyed sudden, enormous popularity in
   international popular culture. He got his own comic strip (drawn by
   Messmer), and his image soon adorned all sorts of merchandise. Jazz
   bands such as Paul Whiteman's sang about him. Nevertheless, the success
   was short-lived. The arrival of talking cartoons, particularly those of
   Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse, eclipsed the silent offerings of Sullivan
   and Messmer. A few talking Felix shorts produced by Sullivan's brother
   failed to win back audiences.

   Television would prove the cat's savior. Felix cartoons began airing on
   American TV beginning in 1953. Meanwhile, Joe Oriolo, the new artist
   behind the Felix comic strip, gained the rights to feature Felix in a
   new series specifically for television. Oriolo introduced new
   characters, such as Poindexter and Rock Bottom, and he gave Felix a "
   Magic Bag of Tricks", which could shift into myriad shapes based on
   Felix's needs. Joe Oriolo's son, Don Oriolo, continues as Felix's
   caretaker today, and the cat has since starred in other television
   programs and in a feature film.

Creation

   A scene of Felix "laffing" from "Felix in Hollywood" (1923).
   Enlarge
   A scene of Felix "laffing" from "Felix in Hollywood" (1923).

   On November 9, 1919, Master Tom, a character resembling Felix, debuted
   in a Paramount Pictures short entitled Feline Follies. Produced by the
   New York City-based animation studio owned by Pat Sullivan, the cartoon
   was directed by cartoonist and animator Otto Messmer. It was a success,
   and the Sullivan studio quickly set to work on producing another film
   featuring Master Tom, The Musical Mews (released November 16, 1919). It
   too proved to be successful with audiences. Paramount producer John
   King suggested that the cat ought to be renamed to "Felix", after the
   Latin words felis (cat) and felix (luck), which was used for the third
   film, The Adventures of Felix (released on December 14, 1919). In 1924,
   animator Bill Nolan redesigned the fledgling feline, making him both
   rounder and cuter. Felix's new looks, coupled with Messmer's mastery of
   character animation, would soon rocket Felix to international fame.
   Felix and Charlie Chaplin share the screen in a memorable moment from
   "Felix in Hollywood" (1923).
   Enlarge
   Felix and Charlie Chaplin share the screen in a memorable moment from
   "Felix in Hollywood" (1923).

   The question of who exactly created Felix remains a matter of dispute.
   Sullivan stated in numerous newspaper interviews that he created Felix
   and did the key drawings for the character. On a visit to Australia in
   1925, Sullivan told The Argus newspaper that "The idea was given to me
   by the sight of a cat which my wife brought to the studio one day." On
   other occasions, he claimed that Felix had been inspired by Rudyard
   Kipling's "The Cat that Walked by Himself" or by his wife's love for
   strays. Members of the Australian Cartoonist Association have
   demonstrated that lettering used in Feline Follies matches Sullivan's
   handwriting. Sullivan's claim is also supported by his March 18, 1917,
   release of a cartoon short entitled The Tail of Thomas Kat, more than
   two years prior to Feline Follies. Both an Australian ABC-TV
   documentary screened in 2004 and the curators of an exhibition at the
   State Library of New South Wales, in 2005, suggested that Thomas Kat
   was a prototype or precursor of Felix. However, few details of Thomas
   have survived. His fur colour has not been definitively established,
   and the surviving copyright synopsis for the short suggests significant
   differences between Thomas and the later Felix. For example, whereas
   the later Felix magically transforms his tail into tools and other
   objects, Thomas is a non- anthropomorphized cat who loses his tail in a
   fight with a rooster, never to recover it.

   Sullivan was the studio proprietor and — as is the case with almost all
   film entrepreneurs — he owned the copyright of any creative work by his
   employees. In common with many animators at the time, Messmer was not
   credited. After Sullivan's death in 1933, his estate in Australia took
   ownership of the character.

   It was not until many years after Sullivan's death that Sullivan
   staffers such as Hal Walker, Al Eugster, and Sullivan's lawyer, Harry
   Kopp, credited Messmer with Felix's creation. They claimed that Felix
   was based on an animated Charlie Chaplin that Messmer had animated for
   Sullivan's studio earlier on. The down-and-out personality and
   movements of the cat in Feline Follies reflect key attributes of
   Chaplin's, and, although blockier than the later Felix, the familiar
   black body is already there (Messmer found solid shapes easier to
   animate). Messmer himself recalled his version of the cat's creation in
   an interview with animation historian John Canemaker:


   Felix the Cat

      Sullivan's studio was very busy, and Paramount, they were falling
       behind their schedule and they needed one extra to fill in. And
   Sullivan, being very busy, said, "If you want to do it on the side, you
    can do any little thing to satisfy them." So I figured a cat would be
  about the simplest. Make him all black, you know — you wouldn't need to
   worry about outlines. And one gag after the other, you know? Cute. And
    they all got laughs. So Paramount liked it so they ordered a series.


   Felix the Cat

   Many animation historians (most of them American and English) back
   Messmer's claims. Among them are Michael Barrier, Jerry Beck, Colin and
   Timothy Cowles, Donald Crafton, David Gerstein, Milt Gray, Mark
   Kausler, Leonard Maltin, and Charles Solomon.

   Regardless of who created Felix, Sullivan marketed the cat
   relentlessly, while the unaccredited Messmer continued to produce a
   prodigious volume of Felix cartoons. Messmer did the animation directly
   on white paper with inkers tracing the drawings directly. The animators
   drew backgrounds onto pieces of celluloid, which were then laid atop
   the drawings to be photographed. Any perspective work had to be
   animated by hand, as the studio cameras were unable to perform pans or
   trucks. Messmer began a comic strip in 1923, distributed by King
   Features Syndicate.

Popularity and distribution

   The Felix the Cat comic strip debuted in Britain's Daily Sketch on
   August 1, 1923 and entered syndication in the US on August 19 that same
   year. This particular strip was the second to appear (on August 26).
   Although this was Messmer's work, he was required to sign Sullivan's
   name to it. The strip includes a notable amount of 1920s slang that
   seems unusual today, such as "buzz this guy for a job" and "if you want
   a swell feed just foller me".Click to enlarge.
   Enlarge
   The Felix the Cat comic strip debuted in Britain's Daily Sketch on
   August 1, 1923 and entered syndication in the US on August 19 that same
   year. This particular strip was the second to appear (on August 26).
   Although this was Messmer's work, he was required to sign Sullivan's
   name to it. The strip includes a notable amount of 1920s slang that
   seems unusual today, such as "buzz this guy for a job" and "if you want
   a swell feed just foller me".
   Click to enlarge.

   Paramount Pictures distributed the earliest films from 1919 to 1921.
   Margaret J. Winkler distributed the shorts from 1922 to 1925, the year
   when Educational Pictures took over the distribution of the shorts.
   Sullivan promised them one new Felix short every two weeks. The
   combination of solid animation, skillful promotion, and widespread
   distribution sent Felix's popularity soaring to new heights.

   By 1923, the cat was at the peak of his film career. Felix in
   Hollywood, a short released during this year, plays upon Felix's
   popularity, as he becomes acquainted with such fellow celebrities as
   Douglas Fairbanks, Cecil B. DeMille, Charlie Chaplin, Ben Turpin, and
   even censor Will H. Hays. His image could be seen on clocks, Christmas
   ornaments, and as the first giant balloon ever made for Macy's
   Thanksgiving Day Parade. Felix also became the subject of several
   popular songs of the day, such as " Felix Kept Walking". Even Paul
   Whiteman, the king of jazz himself, did a bit on the frisky feline.
   Sullivan made an estimated $100,000 a year from toy licensing alone.
   With the character's success also emerged a handful of new costars.
   These included Felix's master Willie Brown, a foil named Skiddoo the
   Mouse, Felix's nephews Inky, Dinky, and Winky, and his girlfriend
   Kitty.
   Abstract surrealism was abundant in many of the classic Felix shorts.
   Shown here is a still from "Felix Woos Whoopee" (1930).
   Enlarge
   Abstract surrealism was abundant in many of the classic Felix shorts.
   Shown here is a still from "Felix Woos Whoopee" (1930).

   Most of the early Felix cartoons mirrored American attitudes of the "
   roaring twenties". Ethnic stereotypes appeared in such shorts as Felix
   Goes Hungry (1924). Recent events such as the Russian Civil War were
   depicted in shorts like Felix All Puzzled (1924). Flappers were
   caricatured in Felix Strikes It Rich (also 1924). He also became
   involved in union organizing with Felix Revolts (1923). In some shorts,
   Felix even performed a rendition of the Charleston.

   References to alcoholism and Prohibition were also commonplace in many
   of the Felix shorts, particularly Felix Finds Out (1924), Whys and
   Other Whys (1927), Felix Woos Whoopee (1930) to name a few. In Felix
   Dopes It Out (1924), Felix tries to help his hobo friend who is plagued
   with a red nose. By the end of the short, the cat finds the cure for
   the condition: "Keep drinking, and it'll turn blue."

   In addition, Felix was the first image ever broadcast by television
   when RCA chose a papier-mâché Felix doll for a 1928 experiment via
   W2XBS New York in Van Cortlandt Park. The doll was chosen for its tonal
   contrast and its ability to withstand the intense lights needed. It was
   placed on a rotating phonograph turntable and photographed for
   approximately two hours each day. After a one-time payoff to Sullivan,
   the doll remained on the turntable for nearly a decade as RCA
   fine-tuned the picture's definition.

   Felix's great success also spawned a host of imitators. The appearances
   and personalities of other 1920s feline stars such as Julius of Walt
   Disney's Alice Comedies, Waffles of Paul Terry's Aesop's Film Fables,
   and especially Bill Nolan's 1925 adaptation of Krazy Kat (distributed
   by the eschewed Winkler) all seem to have been directly patterned after
   Felix.

   Felix's cartoons were a hit with the critics as well. They have been
   cited as imaginative examples of surrealism in filmmaking. Felix has
   been said to represent a child's sense of wonder, creating the
   fantastic when it is not there, and taking it in stride when it is. His
   famous pace—hands behind his back, head down, deep in thought—became a
   trademark that has been analyzed by critics around the world. Felix's
   expressive tail, which could be a shovel one moment, an exclamation
   mark or pencil the next, serves to emphasize that anything can happen
   in his world. Aldous Huxley wrote that the Felix shorts proved that
   "What the cinema can do better than literature or the spoken drama is
   to be fantastic."

   In 1928, Education ceased releasing the Felix cartoons and several were
   reissued by First National Pictures. Copley Pictures distributed them
   from 1929 to 1930. He saw a brief three-cartoon resurrection in 1936 by
   the Van Beuren Studios, but the glory of the old days had disappeared
   during the cat's short-lived stint in colour and sound. Sullivan did
   most of the marketing for the character in the 1920s.
   The US Navy insignia for the VF-31 Tomcatters squadron from 1948. The
   squadron motto is "We get ours at night".
   Enlarge
   The US Navy insignia for the VF-31 Tomcatters squadron from 1948. The
   squadron motto is "We get ours at night".

Felix as mascot

   Given the character's unprecedented popularity and the fact that his
   name was partially derived from the Latin word for "happy", some rather
   notable individuals and organizations adopted Felix as a mascot. The
   first of these was a Los Angeles Chevrolet dealer and friend of Pat
   Sullivan named Winslow B. Felix who first opened his showroom in 1921.
   The three-sided neon sign of Felix Chevrolet, with its giant, smiling
   images of the character, is today one of LA's best-known landmarks,
   standing watch over both Figueroa Street and the Harbour Freeway.
   Others who adopted Felix included the 1922 New York Yankees and aviator
   Charles Lindbergh, who took a Felix doll with him on his historic
   flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

   This popularity persisted. In the late 1920s, the U.S. Navy's Bombing
   Squadron Two (VB-2B) adopted a unit insignia consisting of Felix
   happily carrying a bomb with a burning fuse. They retained the insignia
   through the 1930s when they became a fighter squadron under the
   designations VF-6B and, later, VF-3, whose members Edward O'Hare and
   John Thach became famous Naval Aviators in World War II. After the
   world war a US Navy fighter squadron currently designated VF-31
   replaced its winged meat-cleaver logo with the same insignia, after the
   original Felix squadron had been disbanded. The carrier-based
   night-fighter squadron, nicknamed the "Tomcatters," remained active
   under various designations continuing through the present day and Felix
   still appears on both the squadron's cloth jacket patches and aircraft,
   carrying his bomb with its fuse that has yet to burn down.

From silent to sound

   Felix and Inky and Winky in "April Maze" (1930)
   Enlarge
   Felix and Inky and Winky in "April Maze" (1930)

   With the advent of The Jazz Singer in 1927, Educational Pictures, who
   distributed the Felix shorts at the time, urged Pat Sullivan to make
   the leap to "talkie" cartoons, but Sullivan refused. Further disputes
   led to a break between Educational and Sullivan. Only when Walt
   Disney's Steamboat Willie made cinematic history as the first talking
   cartoon with a synchronized soundtrack did Sullivan see the
   possibilities of sound. He managed to secure a contract with First
   National Pictures in 1928. However, for reasons unknown, this did not
   last, so Sullivan sought out Jacques Kopfstein and Copley Pictures to
   distribute his new sound Felix cartoons. On October 16, 1929, an
   advertisement appeared in Film Daily with Felix announcing,
   Jolson-like, "You ain't heard nothin' yet!"

   Unfortunately, nothing good was heard from Felix's transition to sound.
   The results were disastrous. More than ever, it seemed as though
   Disney's mouse was drawing audiences away from Sullivan's silent star.
   Not even entries such as the off-beat "Felix Woos Whoopee" or the Silly
   Symphony-esque April Maze (both 1930) could regain the franchise's
   audience. Kopfstein finally canceled Sullivan's contract. Subsequently,
   he announced plans to start a new studio in California, but such ideas
   never materialized. Things went from bad to worse when Sullivan's wife,
   Marjorie, died in March 1932. After this, Sullivan completely fell
   apart. He slumped into an alcoholic depression, his health rapidly
   declined, and his memory began to fade. He could not even cash checks
   to Messmer because his signature was reduced to a mere scribble. He
   died in 1933. Messmer recalled,


   Felix the Cat

    He left everything a mess, no books, no nothing. So when he died the
    place had to close down, at the height of popularity, when everybody,
   RKO and all of them, for years they tried to get hold of Felix . . . .
     I didn't have that permission [to continue the character] 'cause I
                     didn't have legal ownership of it.


   Felix the Cat

   In 1935, Amadee J. Van Beuren of the Van Beuren Studios called Messmer
   and asked him if he could return Felix to the screen. Van Beuren even
   stated that Messmer would be equipped with a full staff and all of the
   necessary utilities. However, Messmer declined his offer and instead
   recommended Burt Gillett, a former Sullivan staffer who was now heading
   the Van Beuren staff. So, in 1936, Van Beuren obtained approval from
   Sullivan's brother to license Felix to his studio with the intention of
   producing new shorts both in colour and with sound. With Gillett at the
   helm, now with a heavy Disney influence, he did away with Felix's
   established personality and made him just another funny-animal
   character of the type popular in the day. The new shorts were
   unsuccessful, and after only three outings Van Beuren discontinued the
   series.

The cat's comeback

   In 1953, Official Films purchased the Sullivan-Messmer shorts, added
   soundtracks to them, and distributed to the home movie and television
   markets. Messmer himself pursued the Sunday Felix comic strips until
   their discontinuance in 1943, when he began eleven years of writing and
   drawing monthly Felix comic books for Dell Comics. In 1954, Messmer
   retired from the Felix daily newspaper strips, and his assistant Joe
   Oriolo took over. Oriolo struck a deal with Felix's new owner, Pat
   Sullivan's nephew, to begin a new series of Felix cartoons on
   television. Oriolo went on to star Felix in 260 television cartoons
   distributed by Trans-Lux starting in 1958. Like the Van Beuren studio
   before, Oriolo gave Felix a more domesticated and pedestrian
   personality, geared more toward children, and introduced now-familiar
   elements such as Felix's Magic Bag of Tricks, a satchel that could
   assume the shape and characteristics of anything Felix wanted. The
   program is also remembered for its distinctive theme song written by
   Winston Sharples:

          Felix the Cat,
          The wonderful, wonderful cat!
          Whenever he gets in a fix
          He reaches into his bag of tricks!

   The show did away with Felix's previous supporting cast and introduced
   many new characters. These include the sinister, mustachioed Professor;
   his intelligent but bookish nephew Poindexter (with an IQ of 222); the
   Professor's bulldog-faced, bumbling sidekick Rock Bottom; an evil,
   cylindrical robot and "King of the Moon" named The Master Cylinder; and
   a small, unassuming and friendly Inuit named Vavoom, whose only
   vocalization is a literally earth-shattering shout of his own name.
   These characters were performed by voice actor Jack Mercer.

   Oriolo's plots revolve around the unsuccessful attempts of the
   antagonists to steal Felix's Magic Bag, though in an unusual twist,
   these antagonists are occasionally depicted as Felix's friends as well.
   The cartoons proved popular, but critics have dismissed them as paling
   in comparison to the earlier Sullivan-Messmer works, especially since
   Oriolo aimed the cartoons at children. Limited animation (required due
   to budgetary restraints) and simplistic storylines did nothing to
   diminish the series' popularity.

   Today, Oriolo's son, Don continues to market the cat. In 1988, Felix
   starred in his first (and only) feature film, Felix the Cat: The Movie,
   in which he, the Professor and Poindexter visit an alternate reality.
   The film was a box-office failure. Additionally, it was not even
   released until 1991. In 1995 to 1997, Felix appeared on television
   again, in an off-beat series called The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat.
   Baby Felix followed in 2000 for the Japanese market and the
   direct-to-video Felix the Cat Saves Christmas. Oriolo has also brought
   about a new wave of Felix merchandising, everything from mugs to a
   video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

VHS & DVD

   Felix in his very first screen appearance "Feline Follies" (1919)
   Enlarge
   Felix in his very first screen appearance "Feline Follies" (1919)

   Since the publication of John Canemaker's Felix: The Twisted Tale of
   the World's Most Famous Cat in 1991, there has been a renewed interest
   in the early Sullivan-Messmer shorts. In recent years, the films have
   seen lots of VHS and DVD exposure, most notably on the Presenting Felix
   the Cat compilations from Bosko Video, Felix! from Lumivision, Felix
   the Cat: The Collector's Edition from Delta Entertainment, Before
   Mickey from Inkwell Images Ink, the recent Felix the Cat and 1920's
   Rarities from Thunderbean Animation, as well as a few volumes from
   Tom's Vintage Film. Messmer Felix comic compilations have also begun to
   emerge including Nine Lives to Live: A Classic Felix Celebration by
   David Gerstein and more recently The Comic Adventures of Felix the Cat
   from Determined Productions.

Use of Felix by United States Navy aviators

   "Felix" was originally officially adopted by the US Navy as a mascot
   for aviation squadrons in late 1928. VB-2B squadron in Coronado,
   California originally adopted Felix for their squadron insignia, and
   Lieutenant Chourre’ of VB-2B created the emblem of Felix happily
   carrying a bomb with a burning fuse. VB-2B retained the insignia
   through the 1930s when they became a fighter squadron under the
   designations VF-6B and, later, VF-3.

   VF-3 Squadron swapped designations with VF-6 squadron in 1943 and both
   squadrons claimed the "Felix" mascot and call-sign after the switch,
   which caused a controversy for the next three years. The "Felix" patch
   was so popular, it was immediately adopted by the former VF-6 squadron,
   but "Felix" faced to the right instead of to the left.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_the_Cat"
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