I wasn’t familiar with it (it was before my time), so I had to look it up, and according to Wikipedia, it originally aired in prime time (Wednesdays 8:30-9pm Eastern). Not that that proves anything, but still…
“Top Cat” was a cartoon version of “Sgt Bilko,” aka “You’ll Never Get Rich.” Like many cartoons at that time, was written to play to all levels, from very young children to adults. (“The Flintstones” was another HB series aired in prime time.)
I was in first grade then and had no problem understanding either the language or the humor. I can still watch it today and enjoy every minute.
(Admittedly, I never got the “pro-vid-ing it’s with dignity” lyrics until I saw them printed out. This was due more to the vocalization than to the words themselves.)
No, I don’t think so. I think it’s an abbreviation of “who is” and not “belonging to whom.” The lyrics say that it is Top Cat who is intellectual, not that he has intellectual close friends. At least, that’s how I parse it.
There should, however, be a full stop after “intellectual.”
*Top Cat, the most effectual.
Top Cat, who’s intellectual.
Close friends get to call him T.C.
Providing it’s with dignity. *
And Benny the Ball, the short blue cat in Top Cat, was played by Maurice Gosfield, who played the short, slobby, and slow-witted Pvt. Doberman on “Bilko”.
Top Cat was based on Sgt. Ernie Bilko, played by Phil Silvers. He was of course played by Arnold Stang, who was a popular actor in comedies and also appeared in “Hercules in New York,” starring an Austrian bodybuilder who was known as Arnold Strong. Strong later became a superstar under his real name, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
