Fritz the Cat

I didn't see FRITZ THE CAT when it first came out in 1972. I had enjoyed Ralph Bakshi's TV cartoons but didn't yet know his name. I had NO idea who Robert Crumb was! On top of all that, I was only 13 years old! I was 17 when I finally caught FRITZ on a triple bill with its non-Bakshi sequel, THE 9 LIVES OF FRITZ THE CAT and Bakshi's far superior non-Fritz follow-up, HEAVY TRAFFIC.

When i did finally catch it, though--and by now I knew the comics character and Crumb--I was pretty impressed. It was more a Bakshi film than a Crumb film but at the same time, it remained fairly true to its source other than making the title character a little more familiar in the time honored funny animal mode...albeit dirtier