Mehcanical Felix is a 1960 episode of the Trans-Lux/Joe Oriolo version of Pat Sullivan and Otto Messmer's "Felix the Cat".
Part one. One bright, and sunny, morning, the Professor's waking up, noting to us that he can't stop thinking about the magic bag of tricks, that, in fact, everywhere he looks he sees the bag,even going to sleep, counting sheep, in the familiar trope, in an attempt to go to sleep, and sheep jump, over a fence, only to turn into clones of the magic bag!
Waking up, the Professor decides to get to work, to invent a lookalike of Felix that can lure the bag to hs, and hopefully, even work the bag. The Professor builds a machine, that starts to work,on a robot, and comes up with a Mechanical Felix-clearly indentical to Felix in everyway, even voice (since Jack Mercer played everyone, that was a no-brainer), only in a robotic way (which is,to say, even slower than the dialogue was normally done). It thenwlaks out, and the magic bag, sure enough, is trailing Felix, only to for him to walk by a cave with the Professor in tow, and who nwoseals the cat in!
Part two. The magic bag, now outside, "senses" the mechanical "Felix", whom the bag now follows, and following the Professor to his lab, while Felix is in the cave, scared and trying to get out. He hears"a bear". "And it seems that I'm NOT ALONE. HELLLP.." only for a flashlight to appear, turning out to be on the hat of a busy mole who's been working the case, and lets Felix out. Meanwhile, back atthe Professor's, lab, by now the mechanical czt has transformed the bag into a rocket for the Professor, who then zooms into the air (not into space, though), with it. The rocket ship then crashes in the laboratory, al;so crashing the Felix robot.By this time, Felix has returned, and turns the bag into a seal, which tumbles the Professor into a wall, then into a another rocket, which sends the Professor off into the wild blue yonder.
Now reclaiming his bag, Felix does his usual laugh.
Tropes:
- Bears Are Bad News: subverted. From the end of part one, to the start of part two, Felix hears what he assumes to bea bear growling, only to find a helpful mole with a lighted worker's hat, (since, legendarily, moles cannot see, but are good diggers)
- Counting Sheep: At the start, the Professor counts sheep, only for them to turn into the magic bag.
- Didn't Think This Through:The Professor assumes that he'll be without Felix in his hair, only for the cat to escape, and the bag to stop responding to Felix.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: For once, it seems like the Professer's finally got his act together with the robot clone of Felix, which not only lures the bag buit gets it to work for the Professor..if only Felix hadn't escaped to the lab (and he does win, anyhow).
- Offscreen Teleportation: After waking up and seeing the aforementioned "bags "(a la sheep)"jumping over a (sleepy) fence", the Professor "sees the bag" everywhere (compare to "Snooperscope! A Magic Bag of Tricks" where he's got "magic bags under the eyes")
