Remembering Garfield the Cat

From left are Garfield the Cat, his owner Jon, and Jon's dog Odie.

Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0166218/

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He may have renewed my love for lasagne. However, I tended to eat it, while he rolled around in it as much as he ate it.

An orange, chubby, striped cat, Garfield was one of a kind.

Growing up in the 1980s, he started out in the comics then migrated to TV, where someone with an interesting past provided the voice.

Recently, I heard Chris Pratt is going to be the latest actor to provide the voice of Garfield the cat.

Hearing that brought back some interesting memories.

That darn cat
My good friend David Perlich first introduced me to Garfield, this cat who was lazy, chubby, self-absorbed and loved lasagne. His owner is Jon Arbuckle, who also has a dog Odie, dumb as dirt, who Garfield fights with.

The library at St. Joseph’s School in Coaldale always had a good selection of books with comics such as “Tin Tin”, “Asterix” – and "Garfield". He was drawn by Jim Davis and also appeared in newspapers as well, if memory serves.

That voice
In Grade 8, making it October of 1982, I must have read in “TV Guide” that Garfield was coming to TV in a special called “Here Comes Garfield”. I envisioned it being like Charlie Brown and “Peanuts”, with cool characters essentially just coming to life in a cartoon.

The really interesting thing was who was providing the voice for Garfield – Lorenzo Music. He was best known at the time as “Carlton your Door man” in the sitcom “Rhoda”. No one ever saw Carlton, but just heard his nasally, slow drawl over the intercom, beginning everything with, “This is Carlton your door man.”

Since there was no actual visual image of Carlton the door man, there was no preconceived notion of what he looked like to interfere with him voicing Garfield.

In fact, the nasally, slow drawl fit a fat, lazy, self-absorbed cat perfectly.

Wikipedia reveals Lorenzo Music did the voice of Garfield the Cat for 12 specials spanning 1982 to 1991. They all received Emmy award nominations for Outstanding Program, and won four times for “Garfield on the Town”; “Garfield in the Rough”; “Garfield’s Halloween Adventure”; and “Garfield’s Babes and Bullets”.

Summer fun
Starting in the summer of 1981, I would spend a week or two in Brooks at my cousins. My Aunt Monica is my Godmother, an incredible person who was always such a great host to me. She would take us to the drive-in movies, Dairy Queen, the Cassils Mall to shop, out for Chinese food, out to see my other cousins, and so much more.

She was so kind, and was generous in the things she would give me. One of the first items came I think in the summer of 1982. It was a Garfield key chain. I can still picture it – a clear plastic square with Garfield dancing imprinted in the plastic.

Aunt Monica heard I was interested in Garfield and thought I would like it.

I sure did. More than that, it's a reminder of how much I love my aunt and how she always treated me so well.

Parting thoughts
It is interesting to see that, after more than 40 years, Garfield still endures.

What I will always remember is the fat, lazy cat who loved lasagne, the voice he had on television, and how his image represents a special time in my life.

I live with three cats of my own now, and I can see a little bit of Garfield in every one of them, especially if I look real close.