Putty Tat Trouble (1951) User Reviews

Who Gets 'The Bird?'

[ccthemovieman-1 · 7/10 · 6 February 2007]

Tweety is outside, shoveling the snow out of his bird's nest, mumbling that he shouldn't have wished for a white Christmas. In one building, Sylvester cleans off the window and spots Tweety while in an adjacent building, another cat - an unnamed orange feline - does the same. They both pound on the doors to have their respective owners let them out.

They race from opposite directions and arrive at Tweety's nest at the same time. From that point on, it's a battle to see who gets the bird. A short time later, the orange tabby thinks he won, but swallows a mechanical dunking yellow bird by mistake. That scene might have been the funniest.

Tweety looks like a goner a few times but always seems to come out unscathed while the two cats beat the crap out of each other.

In all, nothing super but entertaining and a nice DVD transfer. The colors are bold and the picture sharp.

Just eat him and get it over with!

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 6/10 · 29 November 2004]

I hate Tweety. I hate his stupid head, his stupid eyes, his stupid voice and that whole androgynous thing he has going on. At one point in this cartoon Sylvester even gets him in his mouth but doesn't swallow. Why? I want Tweety to be digested and never seen again!

The story in this one is the rivalry between Sylvester and another, uglier, cat out for Tweety's blood. As they are constantly working against each other the annoying bird always gets away. If they just cooperated they might have put and end to his irritating catchphrase once and for all.

The Xmas theme gives it a cheery holiday feel though.

Double The Putty-Tat Troubles For Tweety

[StrictlyConfidential · 7/10 · 7 September 2020]

Oh-me! Oh-my! - Who would've ever thought that being a sweet, little bird like Tweety would also have its fair share of hazards and drawbacks, too?

But - Hey! - When you've got a totally determined and persistent putty-tat like Sylvester continually stalking you for his next meal - How can Tweety's diminutive size not make him a victim who is repeatedly finding himself on the lookout for any dangerous traps that are being cleverly set for his inevitable capture?

Anyway - This pre-CGI animated short from 1951 was (IMO) quite an enjoyable view. It was delightfully directed by Friz Freleng with the added bonus of featuring the always-amusing voice-talents of Mel Blanc.

Different enough to be funny

[bob the moo · 7 December 2003]

It's a white Christmas for Tweety, and he's shovelling out his nest when he suddenly gets double trouble. Not only does Sylvester come looking for food, but another cat also has his eye on Tweety. However Tweety doesn't have to do too much fighting as the two cats spend more time fighting each other than anything else.

I'm not a big fan of Tweety Pie, but this cartoon puts a different spin on things by making it a battle between the two cats more than Sylvester and Tweety battling it out. This twist on the usual tale is quite well done and is a reasonably fun game of tit for tat with the two cats bashing each other in a variety of amusing ways. I don't like Tweety and I wasn't bothered that he became basically a yellow package in a game of pass the parcel.

Neither of the cats really have too much of a character between them, but it doesn't matter too much. Tweety is a little better than usual, being less annoying than he often can be.

Overall this is nothing that special but was a nice little turn on the usual Tweety Pie cartoon. The antics are quite funny and it works reasonably well.

Though PUTTY TAT TROUBLE is one of the first Tweety Toons . . .

[oscaralbert · 7/10 · 8 November 2015]

. . . in which the obnoxious canary is pursued by TWO felines, only Sylvester the Super Cat successfully eats him--twice. (Tweety animated shorts are a lot like playing a video game, in which Tweety has a minimum of three lives; fortunately for Sylvester, the penguin-colored cat will stay looking well-fed but NOT morbidly obese, no matter how many canaries he ingests--that's Cartoon Rules for you!) While Sylvester's reddish rival DOES manage to "eat" or consume one of those desktop novelty dipping birds during PUTTY TAT TROUBLE, he comes up a few lives short of the standard feline nine by bringing a broom to a shotgun fight, to paraphrase Sean Connery's UNTOUCHABLES line. Tweety opens PUTTY TAT TROUBLE with a pop culture allusion of his own, referencing Bing Crosby's chart-topping "White Christmas" as he shovels snow from his bird's nest (a scene later plagiarized by Charles Schultz's Peanuts comic strip with the "Woodstock" character). It also turns out that Tweetie's "gilded cage" alternative (that is, his outdoor nest, to which even his usually doting owner "Granny" consigns him on mid-Winter days when his grating ways get on her nerves) is made up not of twigs, mud, and leaves, but of rubber bands.

Two cats fighting over one bird during holiday season

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 10 August 2014]

Putty Tat Trouble may have a formulaic story with an ending that doesn't come too much of a surprise, if you are familiar with the formula of the Sylvester/Tweety series there's not much new here. But in all honesty most of their cartoons are on the formulaic side anyway. That said, Putty Tat Trouble is great stuff and among their better cartoons. The bold and colourful animation with fluid detail aplenty is a definite thing to like as well as Carl Stalling's characterful and lively music score that not only is orchestrated so lushly but accentuates the action so well. Putty Tat Trouble has dialogue that will make you laugh and put you in a good line, Tweety's rather cutesy conversation with the mechanical bird being the only lull, the action is violent without being sadistic and exciting and the gags, especially the orange cat mistaking the mechanical yellow bird for Tweety and Sylvester and the orange cat literally bashing each other over the heads fighting over Tweety(doing so repeatedly but in different ways that are inventive and funny, no repetition whatsoever). The story is relentlessly energetic and for there is a festive feel and a real sense of the holiday season even amid the humour and manic mayhem. Tweety shows both his cute and anarchic sides and is not annoying at all(unlike some people I never had a problem with him) but the best moments are between the two cats, who are more interesting characters and have meatier material(that is true generally with Sylvester in his cartoons with Tweety), at the end you do feel sympathy for them. Mel Blanc as ever provides stellar vocals. All in all, lots of fun and among the better entries of a mostly entertaining if routine series of cartoons. 9/10 Bethany Cox

snow excuse for such rivalry

[lee_eisenberg · 7/10 · 15 January 2007]

I wonder why Sylvester doesn't just give up on trying to get Tweety. Clearly that bird has a bad-ass streak. But Sylvester keeps going after him, and in "Putty Tat Trouble" has to vie with an unidentified orange tabby around Christmas. Needless to say, their attempts have rather detrimental results (to them, that is).

I agree with a previous reviewer that Sylvester and the other cat could have just made a deal to divide up Tweety equally. But it appears that they're both really greedy (these toons have a real problem with that, don't they?). And anyway, their misfortunes are their own fault for trying to harm someone else.

So, it's not the best Sylvester-Tweety cartoon, but still worth seeing.

Putty Tat Trouble is another Tweety and Sylvester cartoon

[tavm · 9/10 · 8 January 2008]

As Tweety shovels show out of his nest, Sylvester in one building and an orange tabby in another are eyeing him for food. After their respective masters let them out, they both try to get the yellow canary for themselves. Guess what happens. That's right, it's a tit for tat in bird catching! Tweety also meets a friend in a toy drinking bird that bends back and forth in a glass of water and Sylvester and the tabby end up in thin ice with Tweety cutting around them. I think you know what happens after that! Friz Freling once again mines great humor out the cat-and-bird team as so-called innocent Tweety really one-ups Sylvester. Highly recommended, Putty Tat Trouble is on disc 4 of The Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Vol. 1.

One of the best cartoons in a tired and repetitive series

[phantom_tollbooth · 7/10 · 18 August 2008]

I'm not the biggest fan of Friz Freleng's generally quite repetitive Tweety and Sylvester series of cartoons but 'Putty Tat Trouble' is definitely an exception. This is partially due to the fact that this short was regularly shown at Christmas and is therefore linked to some warm and cosy memories of childhood but it's also because 'Putty Tat Trouble' is undoubtedly one of the best Tweety and Sylvester cartoons. It is the presence of a scraggy orange cat as a rival for Sylvester that really gives 'Putty Tat Trouble' a shot in the arm. Rather than just having a bulldog occasionally wander in and clobber him, Sylvester is pitted against an equal force in terms of brains and brawn. This sets in motion a high speed pursuit/tug of war that continues throughout the whole cartoon which makes for a pacier experience than the usual pattern of blackout gags. For the most part, Tweety is little more than a baton being passed from cat to cat, a motive to trigger off a brutal war between the two felines. With its attractive snowy scenery and speedy narrative, 'Putty Tat Trouble' is a lovely cartoon to look at and the furious pace (which only breaks for a cutesy conversation between Tweety and a toy drinking bird) means that any weak or predictable gags aren't so problematic because we move so quickly onto the next one. 'Putty Tat Trouble' improves upon a rapidly wearing formula simply by throwing in an extra antagonist, a decision which results in a fast-moving, exciting and funny cartoon

"Hey, I'm suwwounded by putty tats!"

[utgard14 · 8/10 · 6 March 2016]

Funny Tweety and Sylvester short, directed by Friz Freleng. It's a fairly routine story - Sylvester and another unnamed cat see Tweety in his nest and decide to grab him. Throughout the cartoon the two cats fight each other to get at Tweety, with hilarious results. Tweety is adorable as ever and has several great lines. My favorite part from the whole cartoon is when Tweety talks to a plastic drinking bird that keeps dipping its head into a bowl of water ("May I have a dwink with you?"). Sylvester (who doesn't speak) and the unnamed red/orange cat are both fun. Excellent voice work from Mel Blanc and Bea Benaderet. Lively music from Carl Stalling. The animation is colorful and attractive. It's all beautifully-drawn and painted. Tweety shorts aren't for all tastes (as judged by the "must be fun at parties" types contributing some of these reviews), but if you like his cartoons you'll probably enjoy this one a lot.

The Further Adventures of Tweety

[Rikichi · 10/10 · 24 February 2004]

In the large Looney Tunes canon of some of the greatest cartoons ever made, the Tweety and Sylvester entries give them even further solidity by being one of their most popular series and never letting the audience down with a below par effort. Most, including this one in particular, have an elegance enhanced by the music of Carl Stalling. Many of the gags are of the two putty tats competing against one another to be the one to catch Tweety, but when the action comes out of the cold outdoors to the scene in the basement of one of the apartment buildings, we have one of those transcendental moments of pure Looney Tunes genius when the little yellow bird meets another little yellow bird perched on a glass of water.

Sylvester is slumming with that blasted bird I tell ya

[movieman_kev · 5/10 · 2 November 2005]

It's Christmas time and Tweety Bird is shoveling out his bird's nest atop a city pole. Sylvester as always wants to eat him, but this time he has competition from a red alley cat who is hungry as well. Tweety is my least favorite of the Looney Tunes characters and I always believed in my heart of hearts that Sylvester was truly slumming whenever he was cast opposite the bird. He deserved better. And if I hear that stupid Gilded Cage song again in my life it will be too soon. This animated short can be found on disc 4 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 1 and includes an optional music only track.

My Grade: C-

"Dis is what I det for dweamin' of a white Twistmas."

[slymusic · 17 January 2006]

"Putty Tat Trouble" is a fun little cartoon starring that adorable little bird Tweety. The whole short is basically a battle of wits as Sylvester and an unidentified orange cat constantly fight each other in order to capture Tweety and devour him.

Two highlights: The cats' funniest scene together occurs in a cellar, where they repeatedly bash each other's heads. And in that same cellar, Tweety meets a wooden bird playmate, and they both repeatedly bend over and dunk their heads into a glass of water; Carl Stalling's accompanying music greatly accentuates this scene.

"Putty Tat Trouble" is an excellent Tweety/Sylvester cartoon with plenty of violence, all of it inflicted on the two cats, of course. Tweety emerges from all of it smelling like a rose and completely unscathed.

Nice Short

[Michael_Elliott · 19 April 2009]

Putty Tat Trouble (1951)

*** (out of 4)

It's Christmas time and Tweety is out shoveling the snow from his nest when Sylvester and another cat spot him. The two cats go full battle to try and get Tweety but he's much smarter than them. I'm not a huge fan of the Sylvester/Tweety cartoons but this one here is pretty good because for the most part the two cats are fighting each other while the bird stays pretty safe. The cuteness of Tweety is certainly on full display as is his other side, which is perfectly shown during a scene where the two cats are on a frozen pond. There are some nice laughs throughout as well as some good action so fans of the two will certainly be entertained.