Birds Anonymous

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Airdate:
10 August 1957 Blue Ribbon reissue: June 1964

Series:

Merrie Melodies

MPAA Number:	Production Number:	Vitaphone Number:
18063	1450	2728

Runtime:

6 minutes, 58 seconds

Copyright Renewed:

22 April 1985

Starring:

Sylvester
Tweety
Clarence

Crew

Birds Anonymous is a 1957 Merrie Melodies short directed by Friz Freleng.

Plot[]

Sylvester catches Tweety and is about to eat him, but he is interrupted by another cat named Clarence. Clarence claims that eating birds can become a serious addiction, and hands Sylvester a business card for a support group called Birds Anonymous. Sylvester goes to a meeting and hears the testimony of several cats and decides to kick the habit. Back home, he turns on the television, but a cooking program featuring a roast bird tempts him. He turns on the radio to distract himself, but it plays "Bye Bye Blackbird" and "When the Red Red Robin Comes Bob-bob-bobbin' Along". He handcuffs himself to the radiator so he can't reach Tweety, but desire overcomes him, and he pulls it right out of its fittings. He grabs the bird, but just as he is about to pop it in his mouth, Clarence shoots a plunger in Sylvester's face to stop him.

That night, Sylvester can't sleep because he is in withdrawals. "Just one," he rants, "I'll quit after just one more." He grabs Tweety, and Clarence stops him again by pouring alum in his mouth, which makes him pucker so much that he physically cannot fit Tweety inside. Sylvester attempts to use a straw to pull Tweety into his puckered mouth, but to no avail as the straw breaks. Sylvester finally breaks down sobbing, admitting he can't help himself. Clarence demonstrates how to love birds without eating them. He plants a kiss on Tweety's head, but the taste of the bird overcomes him, and he starts chasing Tweety himself. Shocked and angry, Sylvester intervenes and tries to restrain him. Tweety remarks, "Wike I said before, once a bad ol' puddy tat, awways a bad ol' puddy tat!".

Television[]

The Merrie Melodies Show (1972–1978)
Sylvester and Tweety (1976–1977)
The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show (1979–1981; 1983–1985)
The Daffy/Speedy Show [CBS] (1982–1983)
The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show (1986–1990; 1995–2000)
Looney Tunes on Nickelodeon (1990–1995)
Acme Hour [Cartoon Network] (1999–2003)
The Bugs and Daffy Show [Cartoon Network] (1999–2004)
The Looney Tunes Show [Cartoon Network] (2001–2004)
Looney Tunes on Boomerang (2003–2005; 2013–present)
Looney Tunes on Cartoon Network (2009–2015)
Bugs Bunny and Friends [MeTV] (2021–present)
Toon In with Me [MeTV] (2021–present)

Availability[]

Streaming[]

Notes[]

This cartoon won the 1957 Academy Award for best animated short subject. Before producer Eddie Selzer died, he gave the Oscar to Mel Blanc. The Oscar is now with Mel Blanc's family.^{[citation needed] (May 2018)}
This cartoon was included in Bugs Bunny's Easter Special, Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet, and Friz Freleng's Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (edited for time), which names the unnamed cat Clarence.
The working title was "Twee-Teetotaler".^[1]
Unlike most Warner Bros. cartoons reissued during the 1959–64 season, the original closing title is kept.