Tall in the Trap is a 1962 Tom and Jerry cartoon.
Plot
In the Old West town of Dry Gulp, Jerry - wanted for "cheese rustlin'" - steals a wedge of cheese from the general store. When the furious shopkeeper demands action, the sheriff hires the "Fastest Trap in the West". This turns out to be Tom, who arrives in town riding his spurs as if they were roller skates. He crashes into the sheriff's office and gets a finger caught in his own mousetrap while displaying his quick-draw skills, but gets the job anyway.
Tom and Jerry meet for a showdown, but when Tom draws his traps, his belt and pants fall down, giving Jerry time to escape to a mouse-sized saloon. Tom reaches in to grab him, but Jerry puts a bag of flour - too big to fit through the hole - into his hand. As Tom tries to yank it out, Jerry opens up a trick entrance behind the saloon's sign and hits Tom over the head with a mallet. He then runs to a full-sized saloon, with Tom getting his head caught in its batwing doors before chasing him into the basement. Tom tries to shoot Jerry with a rifle, but Jerry tricks him into turning off the light switch at the top of the stairs so that he tumbles to the bottom. Jerry hits the lights and shoots Tom instead.
Another chase ensues, and after Jerry dives into a hole, Tom baits a trap and slides it in after him. Jerry catches Tom's tail in the trap, sending him screaming back to town. Finally, Tom brings out a barrel of gunpowder, intending to blow up Jerry's hole. As he lights the fuse with a cigar and rolls the barrel away, Jerry bores a hole in the bottom and lights the powder trail that trickles out. In a panic, Tom dumps the barrel into a watering hole near the sheriff's office, dousing the powder trail - but the still-lit fuse sets off the powder and destroys the office. The singed sheriff starts shooting at Tom and runs him out of town, while Jerry steals the last wedge of cheese from the general store.
Trivia
- The MGM's Lion logo does not appear at the opening titles; this one instead opens cold with a cartoon lion on a card.
- The cartoon's concept was originally written by Warner screenwriter Tedd Pierce to be for a Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies short featuring Speedy Gonzales and Sylvester the Cat and was pitched to director Robert McKimson. However, McKimson disapproved of the storyline, and decided not to use it. Instead, Pierce sold it to Danch and Deitch, who were desperately looking for suitable storylines for Tom and Jerry.
Goofs
At one point, the sign on "The Six Shooter Saloon" is incorrectly read as "The Six Schooter Saloon".
External Links
Tall in the Trap at SuperCartoons.net
Tall in the Trap at B99.TV