Review by lee_eisenberg

People who grew up in the latter half of the twentieth century know Felix the Cat as a streetwise type carrying around a bag of tricks that he has to keep safe from enemies plotting to use it for nefarious purposes. Well, the cat's origin was nothing like this. His debut was this obscure 1919 cartoon that billed him as Master Tom. No bag of tricks, and no Professor or Poindexter or Rock Bottom. Just the cat, a love interest, and some mishaps.

There's apparently a debate about who the cat's creator was. Whoever it was, this cartoon is pretty routine. I understand that Felix's popularity began to wane with the advent of sound cartoons. There was a Felix the Cat movie in the late '80s, but it sounds like it was one of those demented kinds movies. I'd say that the 1950s-'60s cartoon was the best incarnation of the wily cat. This short is just for historical reference.