Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse, is a 1960 children's cartoon television show, that was produced by Trans-Artists Productions, and syndicated by Tele Features Inc.[1] The characters were originated and created by authors Bob Kane and Gerald J. Rappoport as a spoof of Kane's earlier creations, Batman and Robin.[2] In many ways, Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse presages the camp aspects of the later Batman live action series, which William Dozier and Howie Horwitz produced as a villain-driven action-comedy lampoon. Storyboard design was by Kane's assistant/ghost Sheldon Moldoff.
| Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse | |
|---|---|
 A&E's DVD release of Courageous Cat & Minute Mouse | |
| Created by | Bob Kane |
| Directed by | Marvin Woodward Reuben Timmins Sid Marcus Amby Paliwoda |
| Voices of | Dallas McKennon Roy Halee Dayton Allen |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 130 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Sam Singer |
| Running time | 5 minutes |
| Production company | Trans-Artists Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | Syndication |
| Release | September 14, 1960 – November 30, 1962 |
Plot edit
In the animated series, the pair are anthropomorphic animal superheroes without known secret identities (the green-eyed caped crimefighter and his squeaky-voiced companion are usually addressed as simply "Courageous" and "Minute") who live in the Cat Cave. When summoned via the Cat Signal over their television set, Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse race to the scene of the crime in their sleekly feline red Cat Mobile which can convert into both the extendable-winged Cat Plane and submersible Cat Boat and thwart the criminal plots of various villains who threaten Empire City.[3] The episodes contained storylines and screenplays and characters written by authors Gerald J. Rappoport and drawings and characters by Bob Kane.
Though they fought many miscreants, the duo's recurring arch-enemy was Chauncey "Flat-Face" Frog who appeared in nearly every episode.
The five-minute length of the cartoons made the series suitable for use as interstitials or airtime fillers, especially to accommodate a movie or show that ended at an unusually early time, as well as animated content for local children's shows. The first episode was broadcast on Wednesday September 14, 1960 as part of "The Tommy Seven Show" by means of channel 7, of which the call letters were WABC-TV of New York City.
Characters edit
Heroes edit
- Courageous Cat – The protector of Empire City. Whenever fighting bad guys, Courageous Cat would use his all-purpose Cat Gun or a vast variety of different deus ex machina "trick guns" he pulls out of his cape that (like the Green Arrow's trick arrows) fire whatever the situation requires like a rope, some water, a parachute, cages, boxing gloves, lightning-like magnetic rays, or even more bizarre ammunition, and even the occasional actual bullet. In case of emergency, Courageous also has extra pre-James Bond secret gadgets hidden in his belt buckle and the star emblem on his chest.[4]
- Minute Mouse – Courageous Cat's rodent sidekick.
Supporting characters edit
- The Chief – A canine chief of police who calls in the "furry foes of felony" via the Cat Signal.
- Marilyn Mouse – Minute Mouse's movie star girlfriend.
- Sassy Bones – A blonde mouse who is a chanteuse at a nightclub called The Pad with whom Rodney Rodent is enamored.
- Periscope Pete – A living, breathing periscope with a bush for a body.
Villains edit
- Chauncey "Flat-Face" Frog – Chauncey is a chortling, cigar-smoking, derby-hatted criminal mastermind whose voice was based on Edward G. Robinson.[5]
- Harry Gorilla – Chauncey "Flat-Face" Frog's hulking, half-witted henchman.
- Professor Shaggy Dog – A mad scientist with an Albert Einstein-like mop of white hair who is tall, thin, and bewhiskered in some episodes and short and bespectacled in others.
- Big Shot and Little Shot – A burly bulldog (who talks like James Cagney in some episodes) and his short sidekick who are generic gruff gangsters that are Chauncey "Flat-Face" Frog's rivals in crime.
- The Black Cat – A sinister thief. He is a "cat burglar" who is a caricature of Cary Grant.
- Rodney Rodent – A French-accented rat artist gone bad.
- Shoo Shoo Fly – A tiny insect whose small size belies its enormous appetite, its name is a reference to shoofly pie and the tsetse fly.
- Robber Rabbit – A gravel-voiced rabbit thug in a black turtleneck.
- Foxy the Fox – A debonair fox thief in a top hat and tuxedo.
- The Great Hambone – An egotistical canine actor and master of disguise.
- Iron Shark – A fish-shaped submarine.
- Professor Von Noodle Stroudel/Strudel – A German-accented human scientist who is not so much a villain as oblivious to the effects of his experiments on the world around him.
- Comrade and Commissar – Russian-accented, trench coat-clad foreign dog spies whom Courageous and Minute were never able to apprehend due to their "diplomatic immunity" – true Cold War villains.
- The Unmentionables and The Unthinkables – Rival gangs headed by Chauncey "Flat-Face" Frog and Big Shot. Their names are a parody of The Untouchables.
- Outrageous Cat – Courageous Cat's Wild West outlaw-style cousin who talks like Yosemite Sam.
- Screwy Squirrel-A rarely seen criminal who usually appeared as part of a group.
- Tony and Angel-A pair of crooks who steal an invisibility formula so that they can commit crimes without being seen.
Voice cast edit
- Dallas McKennon – Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse[6]
Episodes edit
| No. | Title | Original air date [7] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Disguise the Limit" | September 14, 1960[8] | |
| The Frog masquerades as Courageous in order to frame his greatest enemy for a crime Courageous did not commit. | |||
| 2 | "Monster from Outer Space" | September 21, 1960 | |
| TBA | |||
| 3 | "The Case of the Cousin Outrageous" | September 28, 1960 | |
| Courageous has to deal with the antics of his cousin, Outrageous Cat, who speaks in a similar manner to Yosemite Sam. | |||
| 4 | "The Case of the Abandoned Movie Sets" | October 5, 1960 | |
| The Frog and Harry use abandoned movie sets for a hideout. | |||
| 5 | "The Case of the Auto Tycoons" | October 12, 1960 | |
| TBA | |||
| 6 | "The Case of the Backward Clock" | October 19, 1960 | |
| Professor Shaggy Dog tries to run all the clocks backwards. | |||
| 7 | "The Case of the Bank Robbery" | October 26, 1960 | |
| TBA | |||
| 8 | "The Case of the Big Ball Game" | November 2, 1960 | |
| TBA | |||
| 9 | "The Case of the Big Movie Star" | November 9, 1960 | |
| TBA | |||
| 10 | "The Case of the Big Party" | November 16, 1960 | |
| TBA | |||
| 11 | "The Case of the Big Pipe Line" | November 30, 1960 | |
| The Frog and Harry find the Great Pizano working in the city's sewers, and they plan a heist. | |||
| 12 | "The Case of the Big Prison Break" | December 7, 1960 | |
| The Frog switches identities with Courageous by swapping clothes and stealing his car. | |||
| 13 | "The Case of the Big Race" | December 14, 1960 | |
| Courageous and Minute race against Rodney Rodent for a $1,000 first prize. | |||
| 14 | "The Case of the Big Squeeze" | January 4, 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 15 | "The Case of the Big Trial" | January 11, 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 16 | "The Case of the Blinking Planet" | January 18, 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 17 | "The Case of the Boxing Champ" | January 25, 1961 | |
|
The Frog takes over Mike's Gym, and decides to train Harry(called Punchy in this episode) to become a boxing champion. However, Harry/Punchy keeps saying that he likes bananas. | |||
| 18 | "The Case of the Carnival Capers" | February 1, 1961 | |
| Robber Rabbit and Screwy cheat Minute Mouse out of his winnings and pickpocket Courageous, leading to a mad chase. | |||
| 19 | "The Case of the Cat Cave Treasure" | February 8, 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 20 | "The Case of the Construction Caper" | February 15, 1961 | |
| After Big Shot robs a construction company, Courageous and Minute pursue him on the job site. | |||
| 21 | "The Case of the Counterfeiters" | February 22, 1961 | |
| The Frog creates counterfeit cash that has more content than the real thing. | |||
| 22 | "The Case of the Creatures From Down Under" | March 1, 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 23 | "The Case of the Crime Kits" | March 8, 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 24 | "The Case of Crime and Punishment" | March 15, 1961 | |
| The Frog recounts his life story on how he always gets back in jail after he gets out. | |||
| 25 | "The Case of the Crime Lab" | March 22, 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 26 | "The Case of the Diamond Smugglers" | March 29, 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 27 | "The Case of the Draggy Dragster" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 28 | "The Case of the Embassy Stake Out" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 29 | "The Case of the Fabulous Diamond" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 30 | "The Case of the Flying Eye" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 31 | "The Case of the Flying Saucer" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 32 | "The Case of the Fortune Teller" | 1961 | |
| Rodney Rodent gives Courageous and Minute bad advice and turns them against each other. | |||
| 33 | "The Case of the Frogmen" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 34 | "The Case of the Fugitive at Large" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 35 | "The Case of the Gasoline War" | 1961 | |
| Big Shot and Little Shot try to open a legitimate business, but the Frog gets the better of them. | |||
| 36 | "The Case of the Golden Statue" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 37 | "The Case of the Great Impersonations" | 1961 | |
| Actor Hamilton Hambone impersonates several ambassadors to prove his talent. | |||
| 38 | "The Case of the Great Circus Mystery" | 1961 | |
| The Frog causes trouble at a circus. | |||
| 39 | "The Case of the Gun Mix-up" | 1961 | |
| Minute tries his hand at using Courageous's trick guns, but he consistently uses the wrong gun for the wrong job. | |||
| 40 | "The Case of the Haunted Ship" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 41 | "The Case of the Haunted House" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 42 | "The Case of the Hawaiian Holiday" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 43 | "The Case of the Hermit of Creepy Hollow" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 44 | "The Case of the Invisible Robbers" | 1961 | |
| Courageous and Minute have their hands full when robbers find an invisibility tonic. | |||
| 45 | "The Case of the Iron Shark" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 46 | "The Case of the King-Size Caper" | 1961 | |
| Professor Shaggy Dog manages to turn Courageous and Minute into giants. | |||
| 47 | "The Case of the Mad Cowboys" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 48 | "The Case of the Mad Painter" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 49 | "The Case of the Mad Scientist" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 50 | "The Case of the Magic Wand" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 51 | "The Case of the Mail of Train Robbery" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 52 | "The Case of the Masked Raiders" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 53 | "The Case of the Masked Raiders" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 54 | "The Case of the Minced Spies" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 55 | "The Case of the Mind Reader" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 56 | "The Case of the Missing Masterpiece" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 57 | "The Case of the Missing Partner" | 1961 | |
| Minute Mouse is kidnapped. | |||
| 58 | "The Case of the Monster Vine" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 59 | "The Case of the Movie Rays" | 1961 | |
| Professor Shaggy Dog uses movie projectors to create illusions leading to city-wide panic so that the Frog can rob all the banks and stores unchallenged. | |||
| 60 | "The Case of the Museum" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 61 | "The Case of the Mysterious Bottle" | 1961 | |
| The Frog tricks Courageous and Minute and strands them on an island. | |||
| 62 | "The Case of the Mysterious Submarine" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 63 | "The Case of the Mysterious Weather" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 64 | "The Case of the Nine Lives" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 65 | "The Case of the Northwoods Caper" | 1961 | |
| Courageous and Minute go after Bully Bulldog when he wreaks havoc in the woods. | |||
| 66 | "The Case of the Opera Singer" | 1961 | |
| To assist in his capers, The Frog recruits opera singer the Great Pizano. | |||
| 67 | "The Case of the Peace Pipe" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 68 | "The Case of the Perfect Alibi" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 69 | "The Case of the Professor's Machine" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 70 | "The Case of the Rescue Squad" | 1961 | |
| TBA | |||
| 71 | "The Case of the Robber Rabbit" | 1962 | |
| Robber Rabbit plays around in a department store after stealing carrots from a street vendor. | |||
| 72 | "The Case of the Robot" | 1962 | |
| TBA | |||
| 73 | "The Case of the Saggin' Dragon" | 1962 | |
| A prehistoric monster shows up in Empire City and wreaks havoc. | |||
| 74 | "The Case of the Scheming Cleaners" | 1962 | |
| TBA | |||
| 75 | "The Case of the Secret Weapon" | 1962 | |
| TBA | |||
| 76 | "The Case of the Shoo Shoo Fly" | 1962 | |
| TBA | |||
| 77 | "The Case of the Sleepy Chief" | 1962 | |
| TBA | |||
| 78 | "The Case of the Sniffer Machine" | 1962 | |
| TBA | |||
| 79 | "The Case of the Spies' Return" | 1962 | |
| TBA | |||
| 80 | "The Case of the Stolen Cheese" | 1962 | |
| Robber Rabbit decides to steal imported cheese, but he fails to count on Minute's strong sense of smell. | |||
| 81 | "The Case of the Stolen Pyramid" | 1962 | |
| TBA | |||
| 82 | "The Case of the Thinking Cap" | 1962 | |
| TBA | |||
| 83 | "The Case of the Tin Can Caper" | 1962 | |
| The Frog uses his mad science to transform valuables into tin cans. | |||
| 84 | "The Case of the Trampoline Performers" | 1962 | |
| TBA | |||
| 85 | "The Case of the TV Director" | 1962 | |
| TBA | |||
| 86 | "The Case of the TV Mystery" | 1962 | |
| TBA | |||
| 87 | "The Case of the Undercover Agents" | 1962 | |
| TBA | |||
| 88 | "The Case of the Unmentionables" | 1962 | |
| TBA | |||
| 89 | "The Case of the Unthinkables" | 1962 | |
| The Frog leads a gang of thugs that set out to steal an armored car with the cash in it. | |||
| 90 | "The Case of the Visiting Patient" | 1962 | |
| TBA | |||
| 91 | "The Case of the Waterfront Caper" | 1962 | |
| TBA | |||
| 92 | "The Return of the Shoo Shoo Fly" | November 30, 1962[9] | |
| TBA | |||
Home video releases edit
A&E Home Video (distributed by New Video) released all 130 five-minute-long episodes on DVD in Region 1 on October 29, 2002.
Music edit
The memorable theme music by Johnny Holiday features a walking bass line and is fashioned after the theme for Peter Gunn.[10][11] It has most notably been performed in concert by the New York Dolls[12] and their version of the "Courageous Cat Theme" featured on their album Rock'n Roll (1994). The theme was also featured in "Thousand Dollar Bill", a 1959 episode of the Mike Connors detective series Tightrope!. It also appears in "The Jackson Greene Story", a 1959 episode of The Millionaire (TV series). It was also sampled on Jay-Z's first recording "HP Gets Busy" by High Potent (1986), LL Cool J's "I'm Bad" (1987), and Soul Coughing's "Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago" (1994).
In 2019, Brown Bear Records released a cover of the theme by The Gavoons on Brown Bear on TV, a compilation album of covers of television themes.[13]
Merchandise edit
In 1960, Simon Says Records released a 12" vinyl record entitled COURAGEOUS CAT in the story of “Around the World in a Daze” featuring Dal McKennon and Johhny Holiday performing all the voices. It runs for 24 minutes and is available to listen to on Youtube.[14]
Other items of merchandise from the early 1960s included a Courageous Cat Sliding Squares Puzzle, a Super Slate, a Collegeville Courageous Cat halloween costume including mask, at least two coloring books, and matchbooks.
Later appearances edit
Reruns of Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse were shown on Nickelodeon's Weinerville in the 1990s along with reruns of Batfink and both segments of The Alvin Show.
In Germany and Austria the show was called Mirakulus und Supermaus, and was broadcast as part of the German children's television show Bim Bam Bino (1988-98) on Tele 5. Some episodes were released on VHS and DVD.
Film version edit
In 2012 it was announced that Evergreen Media Group had acquired the rights to produce a live action/CGI film based on Courageous Cat, but as this has not manifested it is mostly likely no longer in development.[15]
Streaming services edit
All episodes are currently available to watch on Amazon Prime in the US, and most are also available on stream services PROClassicTV and PlutoTV. As of 2023 episodes are available to watch in blocks of 5 on BFLIX.
References edit
- ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 137–138. ISBN 978-1538103739.
- ^ Woolery, George W. (1983). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981. Scarecrow Press. pp. 73–74. ISBN 0-8108-1557-5. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ Rovin, Jeff (1991). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cartoon Animals. Prentice Hall Press. p. 57. ISBN 0-13-275561-0. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
- ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 217–218. ISBN 978-1476665993.
- ^ Ehrbar, Greg (October 2, 2018). "Bob Kane's "Courageous Cat & Minute Mouse" on Records |". cartoonresearch.com. Archived from the original on October 5, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- ^ DataBase, The Big Cartoon. "Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse Episode Guide -Trans-Artists Prods @ BCDB". Big Cartoon DataBase (BCDB). Retrieved July 12, 2019.[dead link]
- ^ "Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse". www.amazon.com. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
- ^ "Don Markstein's Toonopedia: Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse". toonopedia.com. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ^ Office, Library of Congress Copyright (1963). "Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series". Google Books. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ^ Dalton Ross, "Courageous Cat & Minute Mouse: the Complete Series" (review) Archived December 7, 2010, at the Wayback Machine from Entertainment Weekly, June 29, 2002.
- ^ Administrator "Charles," "Courageous Cat & Minute Mouse" from Animation Nation, June 2, 2009.
- ^ New York Dolls - Courageous Cat Theme / Personality Crisis (Live at Gertie's, Dallas 1973) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND34jq3qch0
- ^ The Gavoons cover on "Brown Bear on TV" https://seasonalmenswear.bandcamp.com/track/courageous-cat-and-minute-mouse-theme
- ^ Ehrbar, Greg (October 2, 2018). "Bob Kane's "Courageous Cat & Minute Mouse" on Records |". cartoonresearch.com. Archived from the original on October 5, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- ^ Mike Fleming Jr (July 13, 2012) Batman Creator Bob Kane's 'Courageous Cat' Getting Film Treatment deadline.com
External links edit
- Courageous Cat at Toon Tracker Archived from the original on May 14, 2011.
- Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse at IMDb
- Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse on Amazon Prime
- Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse on PROClassicTV
