Garfield: Garfield in Paradise

Garfield 

         Haven't done "Garfield" in a while, and there's a bunch of specials left to do, so let's head to 1986 for "Garfield in Paradise" This special aired on CBS (Cats Bringing shows) on May 27, 1986.  It's the fifth of the Garfield specials. 

           The special starts right with action with Jon dressing Garfield as a boy to get him onto the plane. (how dodgy) Also Jon has chosen the cheap flight as well to a cheap knock of version of Hawaii.   (I also notice Odie is not here, so Jon picked his favorite pet and has a favorite) 

   

Nice Son there Jon/ Copyright Jim Davis 

       The special has songs , of course, bringing in the talents used in these specials of Desirée Goyette, Lou Rawls and Lorenzo Music. The intro song is sung by Rawls and Goyette and it goes for a tropical/Hawaii feel.   

    Jon and  'son' go to the hotel, and they meet Frank Nelson's voice who's playing the hotel clerk. Frank Nelson is the guy known for going "Yessss"  Davis wanted him to play the role, but the casting director thought that guy from the radio days would be dead, and booked Hal Smith.  He shows up and heard about the role and wondered why Nelson wasn't picked and they found out he wasn't dead.  He got to dot he role,  Nelson did pass a few months after this special aired. (source) 

Noo, we don't have a room 13 / Copyright Jim Davis

     Jon is surprised the super cheap hotel is super cheap. (Find out next time, to see how 50  cent meat tastes) Oh there's Odie, he snuck in a suit case. (This is a weird world) Jon decides to improve their vacation, by renting a car,  Frank Nelson also voices the rental car guy, because we are doing that joke too.   The car  place has a rental car -meaning one so they take that. (It looks cool very nice retro)    The next song having Jon's voice actor, Thom Huge, sing in it too was a nice touch. 

Groovin' / Copyright Jim Davis 

More after the Jump 

Garfield: Garfield on the Town

 The Flashback Garfield

     We are back to writing about Garfield, everyone's favorite lasagna eating cat, and another TV special. Since this is how this blog rolls, we aren't doing them in order and already did the last special , now it's time for the 2nd special "Garfield on the Town".  "Garfield on the Town" has a "Peanuts" connection (this happens alot) with Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez  were producers for it though you won't get any Peanuts character style this time. Of course Phil Roman directed it.  It was originally aired on CBS on October 28th 1983.   It won a prime time Emmy in 1984 beating "A Disney Christmas Gift", "It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown", and "The Smurfic games". Being the first ,but not last Garfield special to win an Emmy.  Alright let's start.


     

            Garfield doesn't want to get out of bed and walk on the cold floor (we are all like Garfield)  , then Garfield and we get a theme song by Lou Rawls.  Odie and Garfield mess up the house and Jon scolds them and especially points out Garfield saying that the cat is being hyperactive.  So, Vet time. (eek) Garfield accidentally falls  out of the car and Jon apparently doesn't notice. (He's a bright bulb)  Garfield walks  around town (roll credits?)  and gets told by lady cats to buzz off. Meanwhile, Jon calls the pet hospital  to see if Garfield ended up there after all.


       Garfield wonders the back alleys and runs into a cat with a gold tooth (I don't know) and they start a cat rumble ( I think , it's more West Side Story cat rumbling). He thinks he won but then there are more alley cats. (more Alley cats in the alley, I'm surprised) Garfield runs while the horde of cats chase him and he finds an old run down building to run inside.  Then he meets a cat, that turns out to be his mother.

awww/ Copyright Jim Davis 

    It's the next morning and his mother tells him that used to be a kitchen of the Italian restaurant where he grew up.   The special gives us a back story into how Garfield likes lasagna and other Italian food  which is a nice touch.  His mother shows him his family or cousins. They are "mousers", cats who eat mice  which Garfield doesn't like personally.  Anyway, those Alley cats from earlier show up and his family decide to fight the gang of cats and an old fashioned rumble starts and they win!  His family decides he should go home because he's not suited to this life and he bids his mother a farewell.

awww 2 / Copyright Jim Davis 

        Just by timing somehow, Garfield finds Jon driving by  and chases the car then Odie notices and everyone is reunited.
 
    Another fun fact: This special was the only Garfield special co-written by  Lorenzo Music (the voice of Garfield) the other writer being "Garfield" creator , Jim Davis.
   It's  simple special but one with a lot of heart , I can see why it won an Emmy. It has touching moments between Garfield and his mother and the end with Garfield, Jon, and Odie. The music in the special is wonderful with the final song enough to bring some tears. I think it's fine special and can see why it's a Garfield classic.  Give this one a watch.

A Garfield Lookback: Garfield's Babes and Bullets

The Flashback  Garfield 


         We did the Garfield related holiday specials as Lookbacks but much like "Peanuts" , "Garfield" did branch out into  TV specials. So we are starting another sub-series for a look at "Garfield" specials.   (Yay)  Much like the Peanuts specials reviews we aren't going in order of appearance we are going  just kind of in a flow.  Let's start with "Garfield's Babes and Bullets" (What?)

           This special came out in 1989 on  guess what network?  Yeah CBS. (The Charlie Brown Specials network , but we also have Garfield too)  On May 23rd to be exact.  Voice casting is as expected  with Lorenzo Music as the voice of Garfield, there's also Law Rawls singing.  Directed by Phil Roman like most of the specials.  It won an Primetime Emmy for Oustanding Animated program (One Hour or Less) in 1989.   Let's begin.

            Garfield is bored. So  of course he finds a trench coach and fedora  and ends up in a noir movie. (Just like real life)  The special turns black and white (saves on the coloring budget)  and Garfield plays  a private investigator  named Sam Spayed (Really? Double Checks. Oh oh my) who like classic noir movies,  narrates.  Of course since this a private detective  special a woman has to appear asking for for our hero's help. (They did another spayed joke too)  The woman says her husband was murdered and needs Sam's help.  (We are going with Garfield's character name here) The woman's name is Tanya O'Tabby.

Hey! She's not a tabby. /Copyright Garfield 

      Even the intro of the special is in black and white and Low Rawls sings the theme because of course.  Sam decides to take the case and look for who murdered Tanya's 23 year old college professor husband.  So Sam decides to go the morgue to look at Mr. O'Tabby's body.  I love the morgue guy ,Burt Fleebish, he's kind of  off but seems to enjoy his job.    Sam drives to the scene of the crime and runs into Tanya  who says that she's trying to figure out a clue of why her husband was there in the first place. They have coffee together and I think Sam has a thing for her.

Burt Feebish a Man of the town. 

     A big guy beats up Sam because you can't have a private detective thing without them being beaten up right ,Richard Diamond?   Sam goes to the college to ask another professor some questions.  This special mentions the world coffee alot.

Coffee so hot it seems from the side. 

        Sam starts to put together the clues  and we get an Odie appearance (first time this special) and he figures out who the murderer is , I won't reveal it so not spoil it , in case you want to see the special yourself.    Tanya shows up at the agency and they talk but their love will never be. (Saddest part of the special) Garfield tells his secretary , Kitty, how he figured out the case .  Also I think Kitty has a thing for Garfield. (So Happy  ending after all)

       My Review: First oh the jokes, they kept going in this special I didn't write them because that's would be a lot  and again watch the special to see the fun.  Yes Sam Spayed. They did about 3 of those jokes based off his name. It is funny the used the Sam Spade character name with their own twist.  The special did a good job of using the standard things you see in old detective movies having some twists on them and really being as fun as they could be with them.  I really had fun watching it.  The music fits very well , where they went with retro styled music then the background music really fit the mood.    You can also try and piece the clues together yourself and figure out who did the murder.    I can see why it won an Emmy in 1989 beating another Garfield special.   If you like noir films , noir parodys, or both this is your special, and if you like Garfield it's a bonus.  Well timed, well paced, funny, affectionate to what's parodying , has some good twists with it's parody, great animation, and wonderful music and acting give it try.

   That's our look back , tune in next time (as we put on our fedora and trench coat) after we solve this case.