Angling Anglers is the first part of the fifth episode of the series Heathcliff and Dingbat. This is based on Heathcliff, rather than Dingbat. It is followed by second part of the episode Cake Flakes.
Synopsis[]
Mr. Schultz temporarily closes the fish market to go fishing and replenish his stock from the ocean. For this very reason, Heathcliff decides to pay him a visit by the seaside.
Plot[]
The episode begins at the Fish Mart, where Mr. Schultz is on the phone trying to arrange a fish delivery. Frustrated, he learns that the delivery won't be possible. He explains that the stock runs out quickly due to a certain cat—Heathcliff—who eats faster than they can supply. After hanging up in irritation, Mr. Schultz decides to close the shop and go fishing to restock his inventory.
Meanwhile, Heathcliff rummages through the garbage for a disguise to sneak into the fish market. He dons a top hat, glasses, a blue coat, and a beard, confidently declaring that even his mother wouldn't recognize him. With this outrageous outfit, he strolls down the street and greets Officer Casey, who instantly sees through Heathcliff's disguise. The orange feline figures it must be a lucky guess. He heads to the fish market, hoping to snag some "Red Snappers," only to find the shop closed, with a note explaining that Mr. Schultz has gone fishing. Angered by the situation, Heathcliff removes his disguise and realizes that if Mr. Schultz is out fishing, that's precisely where he needs to go.
Out at sea, Mr. Schultz lounges in his boat, enjoying the breeze and the peacefulness of being away from Heathcliff. However, his tranquility is short-lived when Heathcliff appears on a raft, jokingly declaring, "John Paul Jones, eat your heart out!" As Mr. Schultz reels in what he thinks is a swordfish, he is shocked to discover it’s Heathcliff, who has "eaten" the large fish.
In the next scene, Mr. Schultz successfully catches a school of fish, but his progress is interrupted by Heathcliff, now disguised as a fish and game warden. He pretends to inspect Mr. Schultz's haul, tossing out any fish he deems too small into his own raft. Eventually, Schultz begins to notice that all the discarded fish seem too small, leading to a comical exchange where Heathcliff claims they're "too small for him but just right for me." Frustrated, Mr. Schultz devises a plan. He finds a fake fish in a portrait inside his boat and loads it up with pepper, hot sauce, horseradish, and chili peppers. He then places it in the water for Heathcliff.
When Heathcliff receives and admires his new fish, he quickly becomes suspicious of its strong smell. Spotting a nearby shark, he tosses the fish to it, causing the shark to scream in pain as it bursts into flames and leaps into the air, accidentally crashing into Mr. Schultz's boat and creating a leak. As Mr. Schultz frantically tries to patch the hole, the shark bites him, sending him splashing into the water next to Heathcliff’s raft. Heathcliff takes this opportunity to give Mr. Schultz a playful three and two, igniting Schultz's anger, prompting Heathcliff to change rafts.
Mr. Schultz then takes to fishing from a hot air balloon, which seems to be working well for him. Heathcliff, using a balloon of his own, floats up with a fan and scissors in hand, eager to undermine Schultz’s success. Mr. Schultz believes he has outsmarted the clever cat, but Heathcliff snips the fishing line, devouring the fish as it falls. In an attempt to rid himself of Heathcliff, Mr. Schultz starts dropping heavy objects from his balloon—an anvil, an anchor, a safe, and some gym weights—while Heathcliff dodges them all, poking fun at the absurdity. Eventually, Mr. Schultz realizes he has thrown over all the weights that keep his balloon balanced. Without the added weight, the balloon lifts off uncontrollably, sending Mr. Schultz screaming for help, to which Heathcliff quips that he hopes he finds fish on the moon.
Later, feeling a bit glum, Heathcliff walks along the sidewalk, lamenting that the neighborhood just won't be the same without Mr. Schultz. He misses the fish, the fun of outsmarting him, the clever disguises, and the banter they shared. Deciding to visit the fish market, he is surprised to find it under new management. To his delight, Mr. Schultz is back, operating a dog food business and handing out dog biscuits. Heathcliff, disgusted at first, ends up tasting a biscuit and surprisingly enjoys it, leaving Mr. Schultz shocked that a cat would appreciate dog food. With a cheeky wink at the audience, Heathcliff concludes the episode on a lighthearted note.
Characters[]
Main Characters[]
Minor Characters[]
- Officer Casey (cameo)
- Fish
- Shark
Trivia[]
- This is Mr. Schultz first apperance in a episode of Heathcliff and Dingbat.
- Heathcliff mentions John Paul Jones.
- The scream from the shark in the episode was reused from the burgler's screams in The Watchcat.
- One of the few episodes where Heathcliff doens't laugh at the end.