It was enough for “Don gato y su gang” (1961-1962) to only air 30 chapters to stay in the memory of the public, especially the Latino, who was fascinated by the figure of a cat influenced by those mafia bosses from the 1930s and 1940s in the United States.
With a story that leads us to meet the bold and always funny Don gato, viewers over 30 and 40 years old will remember how in the Peruvian television of the 80s and 90s its chapters were part of the daily entertainment. But few know that in its premiere the program did not have the success that was expected in the United States and saw its arrival in our region as its springboard to endure.
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The voices of Benito and Cucho, the hallmark of “Don gato y su gang”
The theme that Hanna-Barbera had presented in “The Flintstones” and “The Jetsons” was linked to everyday and family problems, but “Don Gato” went further and presented a lazy protagonist, who lived in the suburbs and he managed to survive with his friends. It is only enough to listen to the chapters in their original language to see that the producers aimed to give the series a different air in the middle of the 1960s, but the criticism and lack of public interest caused only 30 chapters of “Top Cat”.
Jorge Arvizu, one of the emblematic dubbing actors of the Mexican market. Photo: ABC/Composition
Things would change when it hit the Latin American market in 1966. Here, the voice actors had the opportunity to adapt the script, skip the translations, and give local idioms to the characters of “Don Gato y su gang”. While the plot and the quip of the cast members drew attention, the work done by Jorge Arvizu, better known as ‘El Tata’, with Benito and Cucho marked a generation.
“Their voice was better than how we Mexicans speak. That is why not everything that comes from the United States is well done. Before, we all recorded together, we interacted, now because of technology the dubbing actor is not together and we lose that interaction,” said the actor in an interview with Televisa in 2011.
Jorge Arvizu was accompanied in the cast of “Don gato y su gang” by July Lucena, David Reynoso Y Victor Alcocer. Unfortunately, Arvizu passed away on March 18, 2014, after working for more than 60 years in film and TV.
Known as the “sacred dubbing monster”, the actor gave his voice to “Super Mouse”, “The Oparlanchinese Magpies”, “Merrie Melodies”, “Looney Tunes”, “The Mad Adams”, “Popeye” and “Batman” . However, ‘El Tata’ is recognized in Latin America for giving life to Pedro Flintstone in “The Flintstones.”
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Who were the characters in “Don gato y su gang”?
In the version dubbed into Latin Spanish, the name of the characters was changed to:
- Top Cat (Top Cat)
- Benito B. Bodoque and B. (Benny, the ball)
- Belly (Fantasy-Fantasy)
- Demosthenes (The brain)
- Cucho (Choo-Choo)
- Spook
- Agent Dibble (Officer Dibble)
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