# Trying to remember a Warner Bros cartoon... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 14, 2010, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-remember-a-warner-bros-cartoon/546643 "2010-07-14T09:34:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Noel\_Prosequi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b19c9b/32.png) [@Noel\_Prosequi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noel_Prosequi)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-remember-a-warner-bros-cartoon/546643/1 "2010-07-14T09:34:33Z")
There’s a cartoon by WB (I’m pretty sure) which I remember from years ago. It starred a generic cat and dog (I don’t recall seeing them in any other cartoons). The premise was that the cat would taunt/annoy the dog in some way - it may even have been inadvertent. The cat would then be punished by being dragged by the dog to an improbable Rube Goldberg machine with a name like Happy Birthday. The machine varied each time punishment was due, but the premise was that the cat would be dragged mechanically through a series of painful and humiliating processes before being left looking ridiculous at the end. The cat would howl pathetically every time he was dragged to the machine of the hour, crying "no! Not that! Not Happy Birthday!"etc, etc. I can’t recall how it ended, but the rules of the cartoon universe suggest that maybe the dog got hoist on his own petard. Anyone remember this cartoon? A youtube link would be great, but since I can’t recall the name or much else about it, I can’t search for it. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-remember-a-warner-bros-cartoon/546643/2 "2010-07-14T09:43:20Z")
I recall the cartoon you’re talking about. It was kind of like this: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/t1bqrCN3tkI/hqdefault.jpg "Not Happy Birthday") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1bqrCN3tkI) except like you said, the torture was more drawn out and complicated than that. The abuse was one-sided, from what I remember. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-remember-a-warner-bros-cartoon/546643/3 "2010-07-14T10:48:42Z")
[It’s Hummer Time or Early to Bet](http://www.bcdb.com/bcdb/cartoon.cgi?film=473) ---
**Author:** ![Noel\_Prosequi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b19c9b/32.png) [@Noel\_Prosequi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noel_Prosequi)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-remember-a-warner-bros-cartoon/546643/4 "2010-07-14T12:43:28Z")
Yep. Nailed it, folks. My thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-remember-a-warner-bros-cartoon/546643/5 "2010-07-14T12:58:47Z")
Can I throw one in? It may not be Warner Bros, but I think it is. It is a kid with an over-active imagination. My dim memory seems to think his name is Ralph or Ralphie. He keeps imagining himself in all sorts of situations, like flying a war plain, or going off to war, etc. He gets sent to the principal’s office and he imagines he is on death row. Whenever Calvin (from Calvin and Hobbes) featured a strip with Spaceman Spiff or some such, I always thought of this cartoon. ---
**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-remember-a-warner-bros-cartoon/546643/6 "2010-07-14T13:15:08Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > Can I throw one in? It may not be Warner Bros, but I think it is. > > It is a kid with an over-active imagination. My dim memory seems to think his name is Ralph or Ralphie. He keeps imagining himself in all sorts of situations, like flying a war plain, or going off to war, etc. He gets sent to the principal’s office and he imagines he is on death row. > > Whenever Calvin (from Calvin and Hobbes) featured a strip with Spaceman Spiff or some such, I always thought of this cartoon. You’re thinking of [Ralph Phillips](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Phillips). He appeared in a few Warner Brothers cartoons. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-remember-a-warner-bros-cartoon/546643/7 "2010-07-14T21:56:06Z")
> [@Santos\_L\_Halper](#): > > You’re thinking of [Ralph Phillips](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Phillips). He appeared in a few Warner Brothers cartoons. That is definitely it! Thank you. Years ago I had a drunken discussion with some friends where I compared Ralph Phillips to Calvin and I was accused of: being drunk; making things up; getting old and senile; all of the above. \*Now \*I’ll show them! ---
**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-remember-a-warner-bros-cartoon/546643/8 "2010-07-15T02:01:26Z")
BTW, you can see the two Ralph Phillips cartoons on youtube. Both were directed by Chuck Jones: [From A to Z-Z-Z-Z](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IOvEo9f4bk) [Boyhood Daze](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKMtUEyiEF4) ---
**Author:** ![BigBertha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@BigBertha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigBertha)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-remember-a-warner-bros-cartoon/546643/9 "2010-07-15T03:16:32Z")
OP, I remembered that, but didn’t know what it was either. My favorite was the pampered cat with Meadows the butler and his family and butler just up and move and hes left alone, not knowing how to do anything. these two mice mess with him and they tell him hes dead and going to cat heaven. he yells, I don’t know where cat heaven is, ya gotta help me. Loved it. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-remember-a-warner-bros-cartoon/546643/10 "2010-07-15T04:07:07Z")
> [@BigBertha](#): > > My favorite was the pampered cat with Meadows the butler and his family and butler just up and move and hes left alone, not knowing how to do anything. these two mice mess with him and they tell him hes dead and going to cat heaven. he yells, I don’t know where cat heaven is, ya gotta help me. > Loved it. I think you’re conflating a couple of different cartoons with the mice, Hubie and Bertie, and the cat, Claude. The “cat heaven” one was “The Hypo-chondri-cat”, and the butler one was “The Aristo-cat”. Claude (who was always a favorite of mine, too) also gets abused by Hubie and Bertie in “Mouse Wreckers” and “Cheese Chasers”. He tangles with an annoying little yappy dog in several other cartoons (the title I remember is “Terrier Stricken”) and with Marc Antony the bulldog in “Feline Frame-Up”. There may be other appearances I’m forgetting. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-remember-a-warner-bros-cartoon/546643/11 "2010-07-15T04:13:05Z")
> [@Santos\_L\_Halper](#): > > Both were directed by Chuck Jones Well that explains why all the kids look like Whos. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-remember-a-warner-bros-cartoon/546643/12 "2010-07-15T05:57:42Z")
> [@](#): > > Can I throw one in? It may not be Warner Bros, but I think it is. > > It is a kid with an over-active imagination. My dim memory seems to think his name is Ralph or Ralphie. He keeps imagining himself in all sorts of situations, like flying a war plain, or going off to war, etc. He gets sent to the principal’s office and he imagines he is on death row. > > Whenever Calvin (from Calvin and Hobbes) featured a strip with Spaceman Spiff or some such, I always thought of this cartoon. [The Secret Life of Walter Mitty](http://www.all-story.com/issues.cgi?action=show_story&story_id=100) ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-remember-a-warner-bros-cartoon/546643/13 "2010-07-15T07:48:29Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > [The Secret Life of Walter Mitty](http://www.all-story.com/issues.cgi?action=show_story&story_id=100) The inspiration for “From A to Z-Z-Z-Z,” yes? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-remember-a-warner-bros-cartoon/546643/14 "2010-07-16T02:55:42Z")
Huh, from the OP I could have sworn that **Noel** was into the Magic Mushrooms again. It’s not a cartoon, but I’m still futilely searching for anyone who remembers a late 1970s radio serial entitled “Huckleberry Raskolnikov - The All-American Boy With The Marxist Orientation”. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-remember-a-warner-bros-cartoon/546643/15 "2010-07-16T20:06:42Z")
> [@](#): > > It’s not a cartoon, but I’m still futilely searching for anyone who remembers a late 1970s radio serial entitled “Huckleberry Raskolnikov - The All-American Boy With The Marxist Orientation”. I’ve never heard of it. But National Lampoon did a [radio show](http://www.marksverylarge.com/nlrh/nlrhintro.html) back in the seventies and that sounds like something they might have done.