Talk:Dick Whittington and His Cat

London productions
Details of some later London productions, if wanted:

The Times, 27 December 1894, p. 3 Theatre Royal Drury Lane Libretto by Cecil Raleigh and Henry Hamilton Presented by Augustus Harris Cast included Ada Blanche as Dick, Dan Leno as Jack the idle apprentice, Herbert Campbell as Eliza the cook, Marie Montrose as Alice The Times, 28 December 1908, p. 6; Theatre Royal Drury Lane Libretto by J Hickory Wood and Arthur Collins Music composed, selected and arranged by Arthur Collins Cast included Queenie Leighton as Dick, Wilkie Bard as Jack Idle, Marie Wilson as Alice and George Ali as Mouser, the cat The Times, 27 December 1910, p. 7 King's Theatre Hammersmith Book by Leslie Morton Kathleen Gray as Dick, Adela Crispin as Alice, Jack Hurst as the cat, Percy Cahill as Jack, Robb Wilton as Alderman Fitzwarren, Wee Georgie Wood as Alice's brother. The Times, 27 December 1923, p. 5 London Palladium Clarice Mayne as Dick, Hilda Glyder as Alice, Fred Whittaker as the cat, Nellie Wallace and Harry Weldon as the villains The Times, 28 December 1931, p. 6 Garrick Theatre Dorothy Dickson as Dick, Jean Adrienne as Alice, Roy Barbour as Alderman Fitzwarren, Hal Bryan as Idle Jack, Harry Gilmore as the cat, Jack Morrison as Susan the cook. The Times, 27 December 1932, p. 6 The Hippodrome Fay Compton as Dick, Audrey Pointing as Alice, Fred Wynne as Alderman Fitzwarren, Johnny Fuller as the cat, Leslie Henson as Idle Jack Tim riley (talk) 09:23, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

Folklore; legend

 * Presumably the euphemism "folkloric story", with a piped link to Folklore, is assuaging some reservations concerning legend; I don't comprehend what they would be.--Wetman (talk) 09:38, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

Not at all. If you are sure that there is a more accurate description (or better yet, if you have references characterizing it), please make a change that improves the article. It's some kind of legend. Is it a fairy tale? folklore? Unfortunately, those articles are rather a mess, and I wasn't sure what the best word(s) were to describe the intersection of history and myth with respect to this story. -- Ssilvers (talk) 16:12, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

Why is the article described as 'folkloric' ? the adjective for a story of this kind is a 'folk' story...I'm editing the article to simplify the language used. ahpook (talk) 16:42, 20 December 2008 (UTC)

Come to that, why should this page's title (and the boldfaced name in the introductory summary too) be italicized? It's a folktale, not an artistic work, even if some published renderings of it have indeed been entitled "Dick Whittington and his Cat." Mucketymuck (talk) 05:13, 5 April 2020 (UTC)

Correction to footnote 17 of main article
This is the correct link to John Culme's Review of Dick Whittington and His Cat, 1877, Footlight Notes no. 587, 13 December 2008 - http://footlightnotes.tripod.com/20081220home.html. Apologies for not being able to add this in the appropriate place, but I cannot work out Wikipedia's system for footnotes; they disappear in editing mode. And anyway, life's too short! —Preceding unsigned comment added by JCulme (talk • contribs) 05:14, 24 December 2008 (UTC)

Conflation with Puss in Boots
As I knew this story the puss was known as Puss in Boots, but it appears they are two different stories. O am not the only one to have experienced this conflation... Worth a mention in the main article?

—Bogger (talk) 07:42, 12 August 2014 (UTC)


 * Yes, I was taught this also. And am very surprised to see no mention here under Dick Whittington and His Cat, nor under Puss in Boots. It may have just been mixed in for pantomimes? But I do have a old memory of seeing it in story books. --Stripy42 (talk) 10:11, 12 January 2016 (UTC)


 * I too thought the stories were connected. This needs more research as there is clearly a mix up that has been going on for years — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.43.175.185 (talk) 21:23, 3 October 2016 (UTC)


 * No, there is no prima facie case that this article "needs more research" on this.


 * Only blog sources were given. Book-type sources dont turn up upon cursory search. The two storylines are not really all that close either.


 * Maybe someone will be more interested in further inquiries, just as a favor for the people above. But this is not necessary inquiry for the Wikipedia article.


 * P.S., I would note that Puss in Boots was originally a literary fairy tale invented by Straparola, perhaps he embellished earlier Italian gain-fortune-by-cat tales (mentioned in the Whittington article). Maybe look for comments along that line, I guess. That's a topic for Puss 'N Boots though. --Kiyoweap (talk) 21:59, 9 December 2017 (UTC)
 * With respect, that can’t be right, Dick Whittington was approx a hundred years before Straporola was even born! As far as I understand it, Whittington went to London with Puss in boots, where this Italian-origin angle comes from I just don’t know. Update: Here is a sample from the original fairy tale text: ''The castle cat, for which he had a particular fondness, had been following him and as he was bedding down on his first night away, the cat finally caught up with him. Dick knew the cat would continue to follow him and he should really take it back to the castle, but he was so glad of the familiar company that he decided to travel onwards with his feline friend. The fat castle cat was not used to walking such distances and, after a few days, became lame with sore paws. Dick Whittington cut four squares from his leather tunic and made little booties to protect its soft paws. Hence the legend of ‘Cat-in-Jerkin-Socks’ was born…aka Puss in Boots”. Update 2: I have approached the British Library and British Museum for sources confirming that the lore origin is in fact Whittington, I will update you all accordingly as soon as I have some more information. Roland Of Yew (talk) 14:03, 22 August 2020 (UTC)

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Allusions
There is not currently a section in the article on allusions in other literature, and I am loath to add one for a single entry. Thus, I point here to the inclusion of Dick Whittington's Cat in T.S. Elliot's "Gus: The Theatre Cat" poem, which is part of the Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. The poem is the lyrics portion of the same titled song in Andrew Lloyd Weber's Cats. The relevant lines from the poem are "In the Pantomime season I never fell flat//And I once understudied Dick Whittington's Cat."

Quine (talk) 20:58, 10 September 2019 (UTC)

Imperial Dictionary of Universal Biography, 1876 Ed., Volume 1, page 224
ARLOTTO MAINARDI, commonly called, born in Florence, 25th December, 1395, was originally a wool-carder, and afterwards a priest. Though so well known for his facetiæ and bon mots, his personal history affords only the few gleanings to be found in the memoir prefixed to his works, and the characteristic glimpses in the various jokes and stories attributed to him. His wit made him famous, not only in Italy, but in France and England. Though beloved by cardinals, popes, and kings, he had no ambition beyond that of a simple priest, nor any desire for money beyond what was necesary to enable him to be charitable. Like other facetious writers, Arlotto has been charged with more jokes than he ever uttered. But, on the other hand, he could appropriate, in such way as genius does, the ideas of others. The story of Whittington and his Cat, found in his "Facezie," was probably the result of one of his journies to England. Like most other inveterate jokers, he retained his peculiarity to the end; a life of drollery having been appropriately wound up by the inscription on his tomb, written shortly before he died; "The priest Arlotto has constructed this tomb for himself, and for such others as may desire to lie here along with him." The "Facezie" have often been reprinted. The best edition is that of Florence, 1500. Unsigned contribution https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:Imperial_Dictionary_of_Universal_Biography_Volume_1.pdf/252 Hopefully to be wikisource-transcluded in not-too-distant future. Klarm768 (talk) 11:18, 19 January 2020 (UTC)
 * http://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n80051461/ Klarm768 (talk) 11:38, 19 January 2020 (UTC)