This film is part of Free

Matches

Home safety is child's play if you have the feline guardian angel of the 70s on hand

Animation & Artists Moving Image 1973 1 mins

Overview

Saving the 70s from one cat-astrophe after another, we have a lot to thank Charley for. Tailoring safety messages for children young enough to play with building blocks requires strategy. With only 30 seconds to get a lesson across, a large ginger tabby cat who plays with you, looks out for you, and speaks in a hilarious garbled mewling is just the teacher you need.

Kenny Everett famously provided the voice for Charley the cat, but also initially recorded the part of the boy. Due to a series of run-ins with his on-again, off-again employers at the BBC, at this time Kenny was pre-recording his radio shows at his home studio so they could be checked for content before broadcast. The Charley voices were recorded in the same way, but director Richard Taylor felt that Kenny's voice as the boy would have been off-putting for children and recorded his neighbour's son instead.