Birds Anonymous is a 1957 Warner Bros. animated short, directed by Friz Freleng and written by Warren Foster, starring Tweety and Sylvester. Voices were performed by Mel Blanc. Jump to: navigation, search 1957 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Warner Bros. ... Isadore Friz Freleng (August 21, 1905–May 26, 1995) was an animator, cartoonist, director, and producer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros. ... Toy made in Tweetys image Tweety aka Tweety Pie or Tweety Bird is a fictional character in the Warner Brothers Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated cartoons. ... Sylvester as a single name can refer to: Pope Sylvester I Pope Sylvester II Antipope Sylvester III Sylvester the cat Sylvester James, disco performer Sylvester Stallone, actor James Joseph Sylvester, English mathematician and lawyer. ... Melvin Jerome Blanc, better known as Mel Blanc (born Melvin Jerome Blank May 30, 1908 in San Francisco, California; died July 10, 1989 in Los Angeles, California), was a famous American voice actor for many animation studios, primarily the Warner Brothers and Hanna-Barbera studios. ...

The film is a lighthearted satire of Alcoholics Anonymous, as well as the many melodramas regarding substance abuse of the day, I'll Cry Tomorrow being a notable example. Birds Anonymous won the Academy Award for best Animated Short Subject in 1957. Satire is a literary technique of writing or art which exposes the follies of its subject (for example, individuals, organizations, or states) to ridicule, often as an intended means of provoking or preventing change. ... Alcoholics Anonymous (known commonly as A.A. or AA) is a world-wide fellowship of alcoholics whose primary purpose is to stay sober and carry the message of recovery from alcoholism through the Twelve Steps. ... Jump to: navigation, search Poster for The Perils of Pauline (1914). ... Substance abuse has a range of definitions related to the overindulgence in and dependence on stimulants, depressants, or other chemical substances which leads to effects that are detrimental to the individuals physical or mental health, or the welfare of others. ... Ill Cry Tomorrow is a 1955 biographical film which tells the story of Lillian Roth, a Broadway star who rebels against the pressure of her domineering mother and reacts to the death of her fiance by becoming an alcoholic. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1957 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Summary

The short opens with Sylvester once again attempting to catch Tweety, this time succeeding and closing the blinds to hide the evidence. Before he can eat Tweety, however, he is interrupted by an erudite, milquetoast cat (named "Clarence" or "Sam" in some sources but unnamed in the short itself), who tells him that his constant cravings for Tweety are a sign of profound personal weakness, and that the only way for him to overcome this weakness is to kick the habit for good. Realizing that he does need help, Sylvester proudly joins "Birds Anonymous", a group of cats who have banded together to overcome their addictions to birds. Caspar Milquetoast was a comic strip character created by Harold Webster in 1924 for his comic strip The Timid Soul, published in the New York World. ...

However, Sylvester's resolve breaks down after a short time, for the fact that he still lives in the same house as Tweety makes the temptation almost too much to bear. Sylvester valiantly makes many attempts to control his baser urges, even physically chaining himself to the wall at one point, but eventually gives in and makes a grab for Tweety, only to be stopped by his cat friend again. Ashamed of his weakness, Sylvester collapses into sobs, but the cat consoles him, telling him severe withdrawal is all part of the process, and that if he stays with Birds Anonymous' program, he will eventually succeed and come to love birds, as he does. When an addictive behavior is stopped or an addictive substance is withdrawn from use, withdrawal symptoms almost always follow. ...

However, when the cat kisses Tweety to prove his point, years of denial take their toll and the B.A. cat begins laughing maniacally and attempts to devour Tweety himself, this time with Sylvester restraining him and telling him to control himself!

Tweety sums up the whole affair with a shrug: "Once a bad ol' puddy tat, always a bad ol' puddy tat!"