Heathcliff (1984 TV series)

Heathcliff (a.k.a. Heathcliff and The Catillac Cats) is a French-American animated television series that debuted on September 5, 1984.^[1] It was the second series based on the Heathcliff comic strip and was produced by DIC Entertainment. It ran in syndication until 1988 with a total of 86 episodes. The first show based on the comic strip was Heathcliff and Dingbat, which debuted in 1980. The Catillacs Cats characters were created by Jean Chalopin and Bruno Bianchi. Mel Blanc provided the voice of Heathcliff. Animation was outsourced to many Japanese, Taiwanese, and Korean studios including TMS, Studio Korumi, Wang Film, Cuckoo's Nest, Mushi, Araki, and others for the first season before DIC utilized their own, private Japanese studio to avoid paying other companies.

Premise

The first season ran for 65 episodes while the second season ran for 21. Each episode included an additional segment featuring The Catillac Cats. While the series was on the air, the movie Heathcliff: The Movie, was released which was a compilation of segments.^[2]

Characters

• Heathcliff: the title character, he is an orange street smart, comical, and trigger-happy cat who spends most of his time trying to turn a dustbin over onto people's heads. Heathcliff is a street cat who loves to fight anyone but will not fight girls. He will also lie, cheat and steal to get himself some food, but despite it all, he is a good guy. He is always quick thinking of a trickster. Heathcliff was voiced by Mel Blanc.
• Sonja: the Heathcliff's love, a fluffy white Persian cat, who wears a pink collar. Heathcliff is always trying to win Sonja over, although generally she is not usually too impressed with Heathcliff's antics as she is a far classier type of cat. Sonja would often date other male cats that Heathcliff would have to fight, but always ends hanging out and reconciling with him. Sonja was voiced by Marilyn Lightstone.
• Knuckles: dressed in a pink hat and a red-and-black striped shirt, Knuckles and his henchman are not really Heathcliff's enemies — more like a group of cats that he constantly annoyed and/or bullied. More often than not they were after him, because he had tried to trick them in some way. Knuckles was voiced by Derek McGrath.
• Spike: probably the closest thing to a nemesis that Heathcliff has, Spike, a bulldog, is nowhere near as clever as Heathcliff — all brawn and no brains. But despite being strong, he fears Heathcliff and was never able to overcome Heathcliff's trickery. Spike is owned by a neighborhood bully called Muggsy. Heathcliff is able to handle both of them when necessary. Spike was voiced by Derek McGrath.
• Iggy Nutmeg: Heathcliff's owner who lives with his grandparents. Iggy sometimes takes Heathcliff to strange places and new locations for adventures. Iggy was voiced by Donna Christie.
• Marcy: a small girl who lived in the same neighborhood as Iggy's family. Marcy always saw the best in Heathcliff and thought he was a little angel. She also loves to have Heathcliff ride in her baby doll carriage, which for the most part Heathcliff is more than happy to oblige. Marcy was voiced by Jeannie Elias.
• Pop: Heathcliff's father, he is an orange cat, who is normally in and out of prison, as evident on the episode "Pop On Parole". Pop was voiced by Peter Cullen.
• Grandpa Nutmeg: Iggy's grandpa. Grandpa often shows dislike to Heathcliff, but Iggy and Grandma usually come to Heathcliff's defense. Grandpa Nutmeg was voiced by Ted Zeigler.
• Grandma Nutmeg: grandma cooks a lot and Heathcliff steals her food. Grandma, like Iggy and Marcy, thinks Heathcliff is an angel. Grandma Nutmeg was voiced by Marilyn Lightstone.
• Ricky Peppercorn: loud mouthed restauranteur who occasionally tries to bargain with Heathcliff.

The Catillac Cats (Cats & Co.)

A gang of cats that played alongside Heathcliff. When Riff-Raff is not around, the Catillac Cats are sometimes helping Heathcliff in some adventures or sometimes tease him. They drive a slick Cadillac which could transform into an RV and a boat. They live in a junkyard.

• Riff-Raff: the boss, lives in a trashed airplane on top of a junk-pile while using a trapdoor for an exit. He is a small brown cat with a large white cap. Riff-Raff was voiced by Stanley Jones.
• Hector: second-in-command, sometimes wanted to be leader. Insecure. No background on his origin. His colors are brown, beige, and dark brown. Hector wears a headband, beige jumpsuit, and a neck-tie. He mainly drove the convertible Cadillac. Sometimes Wordsworth would drive. Hector was voiced by Danny Mann.
• Wordsworth: is a white cat on roller-skates, speaks in rhyme and always wears a yellow personal cassette player. Wordsworth is voiced by Stanley Jones.
• Mungo: big, clumsy and not the sharpest tool in the box. He is a large cat with unique purple/blue/grey fur that wears a red tank top and a matching red beanie. The name was based on the character Mongo from the 1974 Mel Brooks film Blazing Saddles. Mungo was voiced by Ted Zeigler.
• Cleo: Riff-Raff's love interest, most episodes focused around Riff-Raff trying to woo her. She lives in a musical instrument shop with Bush. She had an 1980s hairstyle and leg warmers. Cleo was voiced by Donna Christie.
• Leroy: guard dog who lives in the junkyard with the Catillac Cats. Leroy was voiced by Ted Zeigler.
• Bush: a loyal sheepdog who lived with Cleo in the music shop. Unfortunately due to his bushy hair-do, most of the time when Riff-Raff would break in to take Cleo out, Bush would end up running into various musical instruments trying to stop him. Bush was voiced by Danny Wells.

Voices

• Mel Blanc — Heathcliff;
• Donna Christie — Cleo, Iggy;
• Peter Cullen — Additional Voices (season 1);
• Jeannie Elias — Marcy, Willie;
• Stanley Jones — Riff-Raff, Wordsworth, Milkman;
• Marilyn Lightstone - Sonja, Grandma; Additional Voices (season 1 & 2);
• Danny Mann — Hector, Fish Market Proprietor; Additional Voices (season 2);
• Derek McGrath — Knuckles, Muggsy, Spike; Additional Voices (season 1);
• Marilyn Schreffler — Additional Voices (season 1);
• Danny Wells — Bush, Raul;
• Ted Zeigler — Leroy, Mungo, Grandpa; Additional Voices (season 2).

Episode list

Season 1

1. The Great Pussini / Kitty Kat Kennels
2. Chauncey's Great Escape / Carnival Capers
3. Mad Dog Catcher / Circus Beserkus
4. Rebel Without a Claws / The Farming Life Ain't For Me
5. Heathcliff's Middle Name / Wishful Thinking
6. King of the Beasts / Cat Can Do
7. Smoke Gets in my Eyes / Much Ado about Bedding
8. City Slicker Cat / House of the Future
9. Spike's Cousin / For the Birds
10. Heathcliff's Pet / Swamp Fever
11. Teed Off / Monstro vs. the Wolf Hound
12. Say Cheese / Cat's Angels
13. Meow Meow Island / Iron Cats
14. Family Tree / Who's Got the Chocolate?
15. Be Prepared / Cruisin' for a Bruisin'
16. Heathcliff Gets Canned / Whackoed Out
17. Brain Sprain / Cat Balloon
18. May the Best Cat Win (possibly the pilot episode)/ Comedy Cats*
19. Revenge of the Kitty / Jungle Vacation
20. Hospital Heathcliff / Hector's Takeover
21. Going Shopping / Cat in the Fat
22. Wild Cat Heathcliff / Kitten Around
23. Cat Burglar Heathcliff / Lucky's Unlucky Day
24. The Blizzard Bandit / Harem Cat
25. Kitten Smitten / Young Cat with a Horn
26. The Gang's All Here / The Meowsic Goes Round & Round
27. Snow Job / Condo Fever
28. Heathcliff Pumps Iron / Mungo's Dilemma
29. Heathcliff's Double / Big Foot
30. Terrible Tammy / The Games of Love
31. Big Top Bungling / Space Cats
32. Lard Times / The Merry Pranksters
33. Spike's Slave / Scaredy Cats
34. Gopher Broke / A Camping We Will Go
35. Where There's an Ill, There's a Way / Yes Sewer That's my Baby
36. Soap Box Derby / A Better Mousetrap
37. Bamboo Island / Superhero Mungo
38. Butter Up! / Mungo Gets No Respect
39. Sonja's Nephew / Dr. Mousetus
40. Cat Food for Thought / Going South
41. Phantom of the Garbage / Junkyard Flood
42. Trombone Terror / The Other Woman
43. Pop on Parole / The Babysitters
44. The Siamese Twins / The Mungo Mash
45. Copa-ca-Heathcliff / Leroy's in Love
46. Used Pets / Search for a Star
47. An Officer and an Alley-Cat / Hector Spector
48. Service with a Smile / Junk Food
49. Boom Boom Pussini / Beach Blanket Mungo
50. Sealand Mania / Riff Raff the Gourmet
51. The Super M.A.C. Menace / Journey to the Center of the Earth
52. A Piece of the Rock / Divide and Clobber
53. Flying High / Debutante Ball
54. Heathcliff Reforms / Prehysteric Riff Raff
55. Heathcliff's Surprise / The Big Break In
56. The Catfather / The Big Swipe
57. Tally-Ho Heathcliff / Cleo Moves In
58. Granpda vs. Grandpa / The Big Game Hunter
59. The Great Tuna Caper / Peco's Treasure
60. The Baby Buggy Bad Guys / Riff Raff's Mom
61. Momma's Back in Town / Trash Dance
62. Claws / Hector the Detector
63. Raiders of the Lost Cat / Mungo Lays an Egg
64. The Home Wrecker / In Search of Catlantis
65. Star or Tomeow-meow / Soccer Anyone?

Note: The DVD lists episode, May the Best Cat Win as first, and titles the episode Pilot.

Season 2

1. The Whitecliffs of Dover / Life Saver
2. Nightmare in Beverly Hills / The Cat in the Iron Mask
3. The Shrink / Brushing Up
4. Dr. Heathcliff and Mr. Spike / Time Warped
5. Spike's New Home / Mungo's Big Romance
6. The Cat and the Pauper / Mungo of the Jungle
7. In the Beginning / Catlympic Cats
8. Rear Cat Window / Cat Days, Ninja Nights
9. Something Fishy / Christmas Memories
10. Heathcliff's Mom / Hockey Pucks
11. Cat Day Afternoon / Hector Protector
12. Feline Good / Off-Road Racer
13. Spike's Coach / The Trojan Catillac
14. Heathcliff Gets Framed / Repo Cat
15. Missing in Action / Bag Cat Sings the Blues
16. It's a Terrible Life / Leroy Gets Canned
17. Hair of the Cat / Tenting Tonight
18. The Fortune Teller / Cottontails, Chickens, & Colored Eggs
19. Break an Egg / A Letter to Granny
20. The New York City Sewer System / High Goon
21. North Pole Cat / He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

Theme song

The theme was written by Shuki Levy and Haim Saban and performed by Noam Kaniel.

Movie

Heathcliff: The Movie was released to theaters on January 17, 1986, and subsequently on VHS in 1988 by Paramount Video. It includes seven segments from the original show:

• Cat Food for Thought
• Heathcliff's Double
• The Siamese Twins
• An Officer and an Alley Cat
• The Catfather
• Boom Boom Pussini
• Pop on Parole

Broadcast history

In the United States, the series was aired in national first-run syndication from September 5, 1984 until 1988, and reruns of the series were then aired on Nickelodeon from 1988 until 1993. It was rerun on Family Channel from 1993-1998 and Fox Family Channel from 1998 until 1999. From September 27, 2010 until September 23, 2011, reruns of the series were aired in the United States on the This Is for Kids block on This TV.^[1][3] In the U.K. the series aired on CBBC during the late 1980s and early 1990s, then it was repeated on Channel 4 until 1996, then in the early 2000s it was aired on Toon Disney U.K. in 2000 also in 2000 the TV Show was aired in Syndication in North American Local Channels, and was usually billed under the title Heathcliff Cats & Co.^[4] The series also aired in Japan.

As per an interview with Donna Christie (voice actor for Iggy Nutmeg and Cleo), the series did not continue because of Mel Blanc's failing health.^[5]

DVD releases

On February 24, 2004, UAV Entertainment released two best-of collections with each set featuring nine select episodes from the series.

On May 25, 2004, Sterling Entertainment released Heathcliff: The Movie on DVD. However, this release is now out of print.

In the UK, there have been several volumes of Heathcliff released on DVD by Maximum Entertainment. These DVDs are now out of print.

On September 20, 2005, Shout! Factory and Sony BMG Music Entertainment released Heathcliff & the Catillac Cats in a 4-disc boxset featuring the first 24 episodes of the series. This release has been discontinued and is now out of print as Shout! Factory has lost the rights to the series.^[6]

Since 2007, NCircle Entertainment has released seven Heathcliff DVDs.^[7]

On February 21, 2012, Mill Creek Entertainment released Heathcliff- Season One, Volume 1 on DVD. This 3-disc set features the first 32 episodes from the Season 1.^[8] They also released a 10 episode best-of collection on that same day. Heathcliff- Season 1, Volume 2 was released on October 1, 2013, which contains the remaining 33 episodes from Season 1.^[9] As of 2015, these releases have been discontinued and are out of print.

On August 2, 2016, Mill Creek released Heathcliff - The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time.^[10] The 9-disc set contains all 86 episodes of the series, including the final 21 episodes which were previously unreleased.

The episode "Going Shopping / Cat in the Fat" was included as a bonus in the DVD release of the first half of the Beverly Hills Teens series.^[11]

In France, two more 4-disc sets were released under the French title of the series, Les Entrechats.

References

External links

• Heathcliff at DHX Media Website
• Heathcliff and The Catillac Cats at the Big Cartoon DataBase
• Heathcliff & the Catillac Cats on IMDb
• Heathcliff and the Catillac Cats at TV.com