Charley says meeeoweeeowmeeeeeowwwwwww. Absolute classic! And they complain about the teletubbies talking rubbish. The guy who did the voice of Charley must either be very talented, or a certifiable nut.
If you have no idea what I’m going on about, let me explain. Think back to your childhood, and I’m sure you can remember the public information films that were produced to warn children about playing with matches, not going off with strangers, that sort of thing. Despite the amount of money the government must have put into making these films, when I was a child it didn’t mean squat to me and I still went off places without telling mummy (or perhaps that was just me).
There were lots around in the 70s and 80s, and very few have actually stuck in my mind apart from one or two. I say that they stuck in my mind, but I never really knew what they were trying to tell me at the time. Anyway, one of these was about a small child and his cat called Charley. The purpose was as with all the public information videos to educate you into not doing something because it was bad and would cause your parents to freak.
Why did this one in particular stick in my mind? I don’t know would be the honest answer. When I was a kid, I didn’t have the appreciation for surrealism as I do now.
I can tell you one thing though, if this wasn’t an animation, the RSPCA would be throwing a mental. Poor Charley the cat, in an attempt to educate little brats, was constantly drowned, scalded, burnt, and generally hurt in as many ways possible. That probably explains why he talked the way he did.
The Charley Says series of films were probably the best. Most people can remember them, and still love them.
They may not have stopped me disappearing around a friends house without telling mummy, but it certainly adds some entertainment these days as you just wait for your day to be complete when someone says “But, but, but, Charley says…”, and you follow it up with “meeeoweeeowmeeeeeowwwwwww”. It’s not usually the good time to crack the joke, as in any conversation that includes “so and so says..” it means that someone is about to blow their top because their not getting their own way, but it makes me chuckle.
Incidently, rumour has it that Kenny Everett did the voice for Charley.
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