Woody Harrelson reads a letter about a very grumpy cat
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- čas přidán 10. 07. 2024
- One afternoon in 1960, a balding cat was thrust upon novelist John Cheever by his old friend Josie Herbst, who explained that she could no longer keep him. Cheever reluctantly homed the cat, but they didn’t get on; so much so that Cheever’s friendship with Herbst soon deteriorated. The rift finally healed in 1963, when Cheever sent Herbst the letter you're about to hear.
At Letters Live at London's Royal Albert Hall in November 2023, Woody Harrelson joined us to give this hilarious reading of Cheever's letter.
© Benjamin Cheever 1988, used by permission of The Wylie Agency (UK) - Zábava
4000 years ago cats were treated as Gods.
Cats have never forgotten this.
And they resent that we Do seem to have forgotten.
Hahaha!! My princess reminds me but she is also a benevalent ruler.
🤣
Fwiw, a few years ago, in a frenzy of optimism, I adopted two senior cats who were deemed 'caution cats', as in they scratched, etc.
They'd both been dumped by separate breeders after being crated for years. Guess it was no wonder they hated people.
Darn nearly about to cry just remembering how scared they were when they got here.
The older one passed last year and the other has transformed.
(It took 9 months for her not to flinch when my hand got close.)
Last Christmas, when my oldest dog died, she cried for hours and let me hold her as we felt his loss together. She has meant so much in our lives.
Please give old animals a chance. Thanks for 'listening'. 😂❤
I hope you won't mind but I am sharing your comment with some of my cat loving friends. Very touching and thank you for taking a chance on senior cats! They need love too.
Good lord. Thank you so much for sharing that.
We lost our dog, Riley, several years ago and we still mourn her. Before she got sick we got her a "friend" because she was alone all day while everyone was at work or school. That "friend" is now The Queen. A beautiful strawberry blonde (less than orange tabby) lady.
After we lost Riley we decided that Ruby needed a friend. Enter Bruno, a gorgeous gray tabby that is afraid of his own shadow.
And this year we decided to take a beautiful little void off the streets and give her a home. Introducing Pip, or as she is known now ... Princess Pip.
We are now 100% cat people. And they are wonderful.
Thank you!!! All mine are rescues. Breeding is a psychopathic industry. I can't believe how horrible humans are to animals. I'm so glad you were able to give at least two the life they deserved.
I will. Planning to adopt 3 abandoned older cats. I don't understand why people would just move house and not take their pets.
as an old animal, i approve your comment
"He has his role, and we all respect it."
The way a crow shook down on me
The dust of snow from a hemlock tree
Has given my heart a change of mood
And nearly got your eyeball unscrewed.
Delmore
👌
Brilliant!
Bravo!
👏👏👏
I begin a slow clap as I rise from my chair ...
If only we could have heard Delmore's review of John!
(Always did enjoy Cheever)
OMG YES! We need to hear Delmar’s side! They seriously changed his name? What the hell?
That sounds like a great assignment for a English/writing class!!
Changing the cat's name was their fist mistake lol
Indeed. It's only a good idea if the cat came from a bad home. For instance; THIS ONE -> 1:50
Stopped listening at that moment. Done here.
@@arcanondrum6543Seriously. Gross.
Cats don't need names. They already know who they are.
I've changed a cat's name but it's worked out well.
I believe his last name was Leonard.
My cat is happy, affectionate and forgiving. Which makes me suspect I do not have a cat, but a funny looking dog.
Cats reciprocate the love they are given. Dogs unfortunately will love even the most abusive, horrible owners.
@@worldadventuretravel Note, cats that are not exposed to human touch, from a young age, are not wonderful pets. They make great barn cats.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
When I was debating what pet to get I found it interesting that when people describe a wonderful cat they say the cat is just like a dog. So I got a dog.
Don't get too confident, the cat is just louring you into it's trap 😂
Delmore had opinions, some cats do, I know this because I lived with one that had many, along with expectations and boundaries. He could have taught a self assertion class, except that he held most humans in such contempt (Especially vets) that he certainly wouldn't have bothered. His feelings about dogs were demonstrated when a terrier invaded our garden and left very quickly, wearing this cat like a crash helmet and howling like an air raid siren. He took a huge dislike to my husbands novelty slippers (he used to growl at them) and speeded their departure from the house by leaving his "Calling card" in one of them. His pastimes included sleeping under the bird feeder and tormenting other cats by sneaking up on them and giving the back of their heads a "Wake up" slap. His favourite hobby was to stare through the fence at the doberman next door and send it into a frenzy of frustrated barking. he woke me at 6am sharp for breakfast every morning and bellowed at me if he felt I was being a little slow, he always felt that. He had a love of sausages and would refuse to leave the kitchen when they were being cooked. Sadly sausages did not love him and the aftermath was a smell that could empty a room, he was banned from eating them. His origins were never known to us, he just turned up one day and decided we were likely looking suckers, we called him Wellington and became his subordinates for several years. I still miss his glaring ,swaggering presence.
Wellington sounds amazing.
The love you had for Wellington is obvious in every word. He chose well ❤
I enjoy that a large number of people tend to just have their cats show up one day. Like if you ask people about getting their dog, you'll typically hear a story about wanting one and going to a breeder or an adoption center. You sometimes get adoption center with cats, but more often than not the answer is something like "He just turned up one day" or "I found her as a kitten in the dumpster by my apartment building" or whatever!
So well written
@@thatcasualdragon2975 yes, it's called "the cat distribution system" 😂
My daughter Kelsey had a cantankerous relationship with our old cat named, "Leo." Every time she made him mad, he would sneak in her room and pee in her shoes. We'd know they'd had a fight when I'd hear her scream, "DAMMIT, LEO!! MOOOOOOM!!!" from upstairs. He never peed in the same pair twice.
“My usual salutation to Delmore is ‘Up yours.’ “
Woody is so darned likable. Great narration!
I’ve never been that keen on Mr Harelson
@@Happyheretic2308 That’s okay. Free to be, you and me. :)
@@Happyheretic2308 He's getting douchey.
We have a couple of cats that I'm in the same boat with.
(And several more with more cordial relations.)
@@Marshall_Stacks Well, then you shouldn’t have dinner with him if asked - especially not on a Summer’s Eve.
Woody's uncontrollable chuckles make this!
Unscrewed her eyeball 😂😂😂
This is why I love cats. If they feel aggravated, they'll let you know. And how!
It's hard to take John's side when he DROP-KICKED the cat. Great reading by Woody. He has such a fantastic voice.
Then you’ve never been mad!😂
@@jharris3267incredibly, I've never been mad enough to abuse an animal (or a human). I think you'll find many people actually don't channel their anger into abuse. Please get mental help!
@@jharris3267 You kick children too when mad? Just curious..
@@balthasardenner5216 Tell us you've lived an easy life without having to tell us ...
@@3nertiaEasy life?? I grew up surrounded by abuse to all living things & it’s the reason I am so loving & protective of all beings. My dog was shot after my brother put her in a dog fight & she lost. I’ve seen plenty of people use their own hardship as an excuse to abuse others & it’s the most pathetic thing not to have the will to choose the opposite path. If you fail at this, it isn’t life’s fault, but your lack of character.
I'm with Delmore. He sounds like a cat in need of a good home
Cats will tell you where to go and how to get there
I love this man. One of the most wholesome people in Hollywood.
Its Saturday morning and i was looking for something funny to make my day . I discovered this . 😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅
I love Delmore!
Even a letter can be a pageant of great prose.
I like the little shout out to Carl Sandburg's "Fog".
My goodest boi, a black, 2003-2020. I had him and his sister from 2010. When my husband packed up and left, in my absence, in 2014, my sweet boi witnessed it. The following day when I returned home, I found my dear sweet boi had desecrated his ex father’s side of the marital bed. Pee, poop, barf.
My boi was a real Forrest Gump, but he knew how to show solidarity.
"... and the ceiling"
Like. 👍
I could listen to this man read anything; a take-away menu, an instruction manual, I don't care! 🤩 Poor Delaware 😍
We have had 4 cats in 40 years. We recently find ourselves catless. We can now see the abuse that was imposed on us.
Delmore is a BOSS 😂
Thank you 🙏 that was beautiful!!
That sounded like my cat Jesse and the relationship he had with people who were not me !! My old friend and roommate was so impressed by Jesse's dislike of people who put him on my clothesline in a sack one day that while serving time in jail told the inmates and lifers tales of retribution that made their days seem mundane .
Needless to say that Many a cat was adopted by former inmates hoping to find that one Cat that would dispence justice upon those that did them wrong .
Great reading.
Sorry, but I disagree. The reader should take himself out of the reading, he shouldn't laugh or chuckle or otherwise respond to the text.
@@chopsjazz1 different actors, different styles. It’s a reading, not a strict interpretation of how the author of the letter sounded. Imo, the amusement in his voice is infectious and makes the letter even funnier. A lot of dad jokes are like that: the entertaining part is the dad being amused at his own silly jokes rather than the jokes themselves.
Really enjoyed this, he's great
I'm on the side of the cats in this.
I didn't know I needed Woody Harrelson reading a letter about a grumpy cat
I look at everything my cat does as a death threat.
They would never threaten. That would ruin the surprise!
Then why have one? :/
Woody rocks!!! ❤
Watching him enjoy himself ??? gold .... if only more people looked to literature, at every level, for the joy it can bring.
@@tomglenn485 you are so right! Letters like this one are really cool. For some, it can be the start of something more.
wonderful account and reading.
The reference to "Fog" by Carl Sandburg
I'm on Team Delmore!
Barry Humphreys already read this letter live two years ago
So did Sanjeev Bhaskar and IMO they did a better reading.
Yes, and although I like Woody's reading, Barry was much funnier. I miss him (and Dame Edna and Sir Les).
I was trying to remember who'd read it. Thank you!
That was hilarious. 😂😂
Note to all cat owners: Hide the Kleenex 😂 😂 😂
I have never heard of a cat doing this until now.
@@doktormcnasty Yeah, I wonder if they bothered to take him to the vet?
Mine went into my purse. She was mad I was away from home two nights, my husband wasn’t enough to entertain her, I guess, and she needed to claim me back as hers. She also peed on my jeans on similar situation (just one night), I only regret wearing them at the time.
@@janemiettinen5176 😂Did you check your jeans from then on? 😝
@@tamaramartin4015 If I dare to spend my night somewhere else, I’ll check everything. I wasn’t too mad about the jeans, but the handbag nearly nudged me off the edge. Anyone who has cleaned cat poop off an umbrella, wallet and keys knows what Im talking about.. especially the keys, oh dear lord, it was stuck in there good!
Alas, I attempted to drink tea during this...
I think my nostrils will forgive me one day.
Unlike Delmore.
Thanks man, this was so nice. I played it twice.
One of my favourite actors superbly reading a letter - though I believe I have heard someone else read this letter…
We had a cat that would poop in the shower when they were POed at us. Cats let you know.
In a way, the aura of reading this letter in this way makes it sound like this was also being read for an eulogy.
Our now 20 yr old cat, who literally walked into our home from a feral litter, owns my husband. Anything she finds objectionable results in poop in hubby’s shoes. We are very careful to keep her life as pleasant and worry free as possible. Do not want Sammie and Delmore to meet!
Sounds like a relative of my cat Bucket..
Pronounced Bouquet...?
You might like Caterwaul Music on CZcams with their feline songs
@@Heyiya-if 😂😂😂😂😂
Love Woody ❤
P.S. loved the cabin
Don't you know..cats are freaking aliens 😮
(❤ Woody)
This has been read before on the same stage. Woody is great, but the 1st reading was better.
I agree! I came to say exactly this
Lovely
Woody tells this so well 😂
Cats are almost always the peacemaker they just wanna chill not have drama
Christ almighty one minute in and I'm already dying this is killing me😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Didn't they already do this letter?
Love Woody, regardless! And Delmore!
I'm glad I'm not going mad. I was thinking exactly the same thing.
CLASSIC!
Please, do yourselves a favour and search for Sanjeef Bhaskar's version
Agreed.
I pray those head movements aren't an early sign of a neural problem. ❤
you cant tell me woody didnt smoke a big fat one before that.
My cat barffed up in, and on, my comfy slippers. (I wasn't wearing them at the time.)
The slippers now reside in the rubbish bin and the cat still sleeps on the end of my bed.
Apparently, I have to overlook the fact She had deliberately selected my slippers for the deposit and that I should be grateful for the honour.
Wind from the northeast? This must be New York
I clicked on this so fast!
How I miss, Stewart McLean.
legend
Forgiveness? From a cat? Yeah...
I mean, Aunt Jan! THAT little house on 17th or whatever would have been reasonably easy to convert into a two-unit place with two bedrooms each and that would be so great for the boys! they could be close to each other to help each other but each have their own stuff! Why didn't you think of that then?!?!
❤
I would introduce Delmore to Mr, Johnny Rebeck.
bare foot middle aged man... thats me
😂❤😂
"here`s your Cleanex! Whaaaat? It`s not good anymore? Oh well, sucks to be you I guess"
Haven't you done this letter enough?
This channel has a video of Bary Humphries reading the same letter about 1 year ago. Why the repeat?
Wild that the cat wouldn't "forgive" (a.k.a. overcome his fear of) someone who dropkicked him. It amazes me how easily people abuse cats and how funny people think it is.
It's totally possible there be more than one baby and she be HIDING that from me! She loves surprises and jokes, and she did have that other health problem that might have actually made possible the scattering of multiple eggs! AND her paternal grandmother was a twin and I think maybe the baby's dad is one, too. ?
This men should be Prized under the base of General Principles...
[Man's Life was More Pulp than Tarantino Style ]
Heh, a Carl Sandberg reference
Didn't Barry Humphries (Dame Edna) do this one too?
AND if possible, I would like my old first house back, with the blue clematis, and if not then maybe one or both of those other two or four would do......but two of those probably don't count....but I want to live in a real town.
What no mention of Rampart?
My daughter and I usually get along ok as long as that is HER space and I have MY space and I can lock a door if I want to.... see... hahaha..... She's a good kid just too much like I was not to be annoying. Whatever happened to Sycamore? I probably shouldn't ask.... I think it was a stunt, a stage-place... why would they need that unless ? unless?
Barry Humphries has also read this letter in a previous Letters Live.
Thank you, I knew I'd heard this before.
@@sheryltaylor7181 I think Humphries does it a tad better but not criticizing WH.
@@sanseijedi agreed.
If cats were twice the size there would be no cat owners.
a few days ago i got too friendly with a crabby cat i catsit,. He face slapped me 3 times in a millisecond..whamwhamwham. I have 5 claw marks & 1 deep one close to my eye. If I ever need an eyeball removed, I know where to go. Until then I shall respect his boundaries!
AND OBVIOUSLY my new job is a real job because REALLY how many places on earth LOOK like THAT?!?! and don't panic over the towels or anything else and why in the world would anyone go to the trouble of setting that place up with all the window decals and couches and washing machines? Why? Obviously, it's a real job!
Ok someone lied to Woody...that cat's name was Kelsey and my sister used to own him. Kelesy had to have been the feline version of Jack The Ripper. Comes outta nowhere and claws up your legs and any other bits he can get his teeth/claws at. Hannibal Lechter would fear Kelsey. (Kelsey died in 2006). I was both sad and elated.
That's confirmed my reluctance to home a cat :-)
A serial killer can win the heart of a dog. It takes a special person to earn the love of a cat. There's nothing like being chosen by a cat.
@@jeanaprewitt9658 This! Also, I'm not sure people should take adapting a cat being a bad thing from someone who "drop kicked" one out of the door. I don't know if that was meant to be funny, but, frankly, animal cruelty isn't a bloody joking matter!
I’ve got 5. All of whom chose me.
Ok, well my mother was a “cat woman” & I’ve been around cats since birth.
In my nearly 73 years on this earth I have never had a cat problem like any of these listed here.
I started to have my own cat’s when I was 18 and going to college on the other coast of Canada & was a lonely art student.
So far I have loved & cared for 4 cats in my life each living to at least 13 years. The only one a bit grumpy like this (but never left offensive “presents”) was one I deliberately chose from a litter of barn cats…a calico. Apparently calicos can be a bit temperamental. For the first few years she had a habit of attacking ankles but if I remember correctly, she may have done that until she was fed. She was also the most aggressive cat I had but not with people…usually other cats & a raccoon on our porch that she wanted to shred.
I have a theory…she was the only cat that I forcibly removed to come live with us. All of my other “little girls” have “chosen” me & have been absolute dolls.
The little 13 year old Snowshoe Siamese (I’ve had 3 that have been part Siamese) named Ruby that we have now has ice-blue eyes, the sweetest, most loving demeanour with EVERYONE. She used to greet delivery people at the door & lick their hands as they petted her.
She no longer does this because she is now stone deaf.
She was my last gift from my son…I should explain…he gave me the money to go to the Humane Society to find another cat after my tabby had to be put down a couple of days after Christmas 2014. At the Humane Society we were out in a room & young cats were brought in to us. Ruby was the third one to be brought in & she came immediately over to where I was sitting, got up on the side table and sat there purring & kneading her little paws up & down as she looked at me with such loving eyes! No kidding!
My heart was aching but how could I possibly refuse to take such a living little critter!
She was tiny…it turned out that she was 1.5 years old & had been previously adopted out but brought back. She did not get along with the other cats those people had.
Wonder why? She had originally been rescued from a hoarder who had 130 cats! No wonder the poor we girl wanted to be an only child!
Notice how we did NOT change her name from “Ruby”. It suits her & I wouldn’t do that. Apt name as her eyes glow red when the light catches them (she has almond shaped blue eyes).
My son was a professor of chemistry in the USA. He only had time to come up & spend Christmas with us.
The next year, 2015, he came up without his snobby, cold-hearted wife& we all had such a wonderful time because he could relax & not have to fuss over her. He also got to meet Ruby & gave her his seal of approval.
Three weeks later he died in a freak accident.
Ruby became my grief counsellor, my comforter. The third day after hearing about my son , as I lay in bed not sleeping, she laid across my heart and purred & purred until I stopped crying & finally fell asleep.
She means so much to my daughter & I & we do our very best to love & care for her. She now has a thyroid condition & I must buy special food from the vet which comes to about $200.00 a month. I am almost 73 & living on a small pension.
If I had to, I’d live mostly on ramen noodles because I owe this loving little soul that has given me so much joy that much.
And, yes, she has been the best grief counsellor because the bozos that I’ve gone to in this town have been completely useless…except for one Egyptian social worker I was only allowed 5 visits with (our social welfare system).
So, sorry, I personally have never experienced grumpy cats like these…I have heard of these things happening to other people but not a lot.
Seems like a lot of you people are commenting on this site!
@@jeanaprewitt9658Yes! I just posted my experiences with cats! The very best ones chose me but they were all precious!
Why are there microphones when Woody is wearing a boom mic?
Serious warning here folks. Do not watch this if you are eating salt and vinegar chips because the burn in your sinuses is unreal😂😂😂😂
Ted Danson wrote that! My first clue was the cadence. Second was the quality of writing. Such words are Dansonesque. Then he said Mary which is the name of his wife. Also Delmore definitely sounds like a name Ted would like enjoying pronouncing! So yep. "John" is TED! For the record I do not believe for one second he drop kicked the cat! Tossed maybe. But kicked? Nah. Ted wouldn't do that. Exaggeration for entertainment.
They had someone else read this letter a year ago didn’t they?
But can we talk about Rampage?
Why are they re-reading letters that were previously read?
Really? That is odd.
Surely there are others worth narrating.
Probably because these are live performances that are held at various venues. Each performance is a mixture of letters; some might have been read at other performances.
AND... Aunt Janet, do you remember the time you and FRED said I could buy that haunted place on 17th or whatever with all that junk and a floor plan that just didn't work for me and then took THAT away too? Yeah... there was a young buck that would come on winter mornings and sit in my yard. He was lovely. I want you to fix that situation, if possible and give that house to my boys!
You shouldn't be able to be a meanie pants and get away with it. It's ok if you come and say, "I know how stupid you are in those ways and I was TRYING TO HELP!"
What kinds of person purchases TWO playpens/changing tables? What I'm saying is she is HUGE for only 22 weeks.... I know, but she's really huge and has two playpens. I want twins. I want a boy and a girl baby grandbaby.
Good grief, everyone's acting like he *literally* dropkicked the cat. I suppose they think Delmore also literally unscrewed a lady's eyeball. Has no one heard of hyperbole?
🤣😂🤣
✌🏻🇦🇺🌏🤘🏻
Is he impersonating Christopher Walken in the Pulp Fiction “watch scene”? 👍🤣
Can you imagine Matthew Perry reading one of these? What a missed opportunity 🥺