The Lonesome Mouse is a 1943 American one-reel animated cartoon and is the 10th Tom and Jerry short. This is notable for being the first speaking role of the cat and mouse duo. It was created and released in 1943, and re-released to theatres in 1950. It was directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera and produced by Fred Quimby. The animators of the cartoon were not credited (typically for early MGM shorts), and this was the last instance in a Tom and Jerry cartoon that this happened. All future Tom and Jerry theatrical shorts credited the animators.
Plot
Tom is taking a nap by the fireplace. Above Jerry drops a vase on his head. The crashing causes Mammy Two Shoes to throw Tom out of the house for a forty-year sentence. He then crashes into a mop and washcrate, giving him the Great Sphinx of Giza look, with some pyramids. Jerry teases Tom from inside and puts a "For Rent" sign outside his mouse hole. Jerry is having a lot of fun for some time without Tom, but soon becomes lonely. A voice asks Jerry, "You never thought you'd miss that cat, did you?" Jerry shakes his head. "Feelin' kind of lonesome?" Jerry nods. "Look at him. You can't live with him, but there's no fun without him. You know, you could get that guy back in here though, if you really wanted to. Couldn't ya?" Jerry thinks about it and then smiles.
Tom is sitting outside the house, feeling sorry for himself. Jerry whistles at him and waves a hanky of truce. Jerry makes a deal with Tom to get him back in the house.
Mammy is doing her dishes in the kitchen and singing. She continues working until Jerry pulls and snaps her sock. Jerry makes faces at her and she jumps on a stool, scared. Jerry continues by trying to shake her off the stool, but shakes off all sorts of accessories, an axe, and then Mammy's dress, which she promptly pulls back up.
Jerry then grabs the axe and cuts the leg off the stool. Mammy screams and falls with a big crash, and she calls to Tom. Tom grabs a curtain, using it as a cape, and chases Jerry behind another curtain. Fighting sounds are heard, but Tom and Jerry are playing patty-cake and both yelping in "pain" to make it sound convincing. Jerry emerges from the fake fight and runs back into the kitchen, passing the stove he spies Mammy cowering on top of the cooker. The mouse turns on the burner underneath Mammy, causing her to jump to the ceiling, shrieking. Jerry runs past the fridge and as Tom runs by, he rips a drumstick off of a chicken. He chases Jerry behind a wall with the drumstick in his hands (making Mammy believe he is trying to smash Jerry with it), and together they take turns eating it. The fake chase continues with Jerry running into the cupboard and choking the cat. A lot of banging sounds are heard, but Tom and Jerry are using the pots and pans as a drum set. Tom and Jerry quickly close the cupboard again. They come out of the cupboard and stage a sword fight with a knife and a fork as weapons. Tom then grabs a meat cleaver and starts to chop at Jerry. Tom ends up chopping the leg of a table, the bottom of a curtain, slicing a table in half, and cutting an apple on top of Jerry's head in half. Jerry notices that the last cut was pretty close to his head, and ensures the fight is not for real. The chase returns to staged mode. Tom chases Jerry around Mammy, who is standing on a chair holding a broom and clumsily hitting the cat three times before an irate Tom takes the broom and snaps it over his knee. Tom then hands the broken broom back to the humiliated housemaid. Jerry then runs under the carpet and Mammy tries to swat the mouse. Jerry escapes and Tom puts a tomato under the carpet, traps it and pretends to Mammy that this is Jerry. Mammy hits the tomato and Tom looks under the carpet. He then reacts as if it's the worst thing he's ever seen, laying down flowers and crying. Tom even blows his nose on the hem of Mammy's frilly apron. He then take the flowers oan and holds it down like a hat.
Soon Tom has a napkin around his neck ready to receive his reward for taking care of Jerry: A lemon meringue flan. Jerry shows up with a napkin around his neck as well. Jerry takes a small bite of the pie and is about to dive in and enjoy it, but Tom pulls the pie away for himself. He pushes Jerry away and snaps his fingers at him. Before Tom can enjoy the entire flan, Jerry kicks him and Tom lands face first into it. Jerry, angry at his lack of gratitude, walks away saying "Why that dirty double-crossin', good-for-nothin', two-timin'...,"
Voice Actors
William Hanna as Tom Cat and Jerry Mouse
Frank Graham as a voice heard offscreen
Lillian Randolph as Mammy Two Shoes (1943 original version)
Thea Vidale as Mammy Two Shoes (1990 dubbed version)
Notes
- In the short's original nitrate release, the original opening theme used "Runnin' Wild". It was replaced by the proper Tom & Jerry theme on re-issue. It was the last of the only 2 Tom & Jerry cartoons (the first being "Sufferin' Cats") to use the "Runnin' Wild" theme in the original opening titles.
- This was the last to use the original Tom & Jerry title card (used since The Midnight Snack).
External Links
The Lonesome Mouse at CartoonsOn
Gallery
Videos
Tom and Jerry, 10 Episode - The Lonesome Mouse (1943)