Polka-Dot Puss
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Polka-Dot Puss | |
| Tom and Jerry series | |
 The title card of Polka-Dot Puss |
|
| Directed by | William Hanna Joseph Barbera |
|---|---|
| Story by | William Hanna (unc.) Joseph Barbera (unc.) |
| Animation by | Kenneth Muse Ed Barge Ray Patterson Irven Spence |
| Voices by | Lillian Randolph |
| Music by | Scott Bradley |
| Produced by | Fred Quimby |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Release date | February 26, 1949 |
| Format | Technicolor, 7 min 38 secs |
| Language | English |
| Preceded by | Mouse Cleaning |
| Followed by | The Little Orphan |
| IMDb page | |
Polka-Dot Puss is a Tom and Jerry cartoon produced in 1948 and released on February 26th 1949. The short was directed by Tom and Jerry's creators, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, produced by Fred Quimby, animated by Kenneth Muse, Ed Barge, Ray Patterson and Irven Spence, and scored by Scott Bradley. The short is arguably among one of Tom and Jerry's most-remembered, though it was not chosen to represent MGM as an Academy Award nomination. Instead, the following cartoon to be released, The Little Orphan was nominated, and won.
[edit] Synopsis
The cartoon begins with Tom using Jerry as a yo-yo. Tom then hears Mammy Two Shoes (voiced by Lillian Randolph, whose voice is often dubbed on reissue prints) telling him that it is time to put the cat out for the night. Noticing that the weather outside is rather unpleasant, Tom craftily fakes a cold, pretending to sneeze violently.
"Why, Thomas, is you catchin' a cold?" Mammy enquires. Tom nods and sneezes again. Mammy has a change of heart and allows Tom to sleep inside for the night, but gives the cat a stern warning; "If I thought out you weren't telling the truth, I'd wash your mouth out with soap!" Tom grabs an onlooking Jerry, who appropriately shoves a bar of soap in Tom's mouth. Tom spits out a multitude of soap bubbles and chases Jerry into his mousehole, but ends up with a mousetrap on his nose.
In the next scene, Tom prepares to sleep on the living room floor, nose bandaged up. While Tom is asleep, Jerry enters the room with a small pot of red paint, painting several polka dots on his face. When Tom wakes up, Jerry convinces him that he has measles, showing evidence of a measles epidemic in the newspaper, and producing a mirror, allowing Tom to see his own spotty reflection.
Jerry consults Dr. Quack's medicine book and applies a number of unorthodox treatments to the now hypochondriacal cat, such as placing a stethoscope next to a ticking alarm clock to intensify Tom's apparent heartbeat, then setting off the alarm. Later, Jerry tests Tom's reflexes, almost bludgeoning the cat with a hammer. As Tom screams in pain, Jerry places a thermometer in Tom's mouth. Out of Tom's view, Jerry holds a cigarette lighter underneath the thermometer, causing the temperature to rise, expanding the thermometer, such that it explodes.
The next chapter of the medical book urges Jerry to apply chills to Tom's high fever, and in the next scene, we see Tom in the freezer, teeth chattering. Jerry unloads a spoonful of ice-cubes into Tom's mouth and then closes the freezer door for a few seconds. As he opens the door, a frozen-solid Tom slides out of the freezer. Jerry panics and shoves Tom into the oven, turning it onto a low temperature. Opening the oven door, Tom is now conscious, but still very cold, and baking in his own juices. Jerry pours some juice over Tom and then closes the door, adjusting the oven's temperature. When he opens the door again, Tom is bright red and burning. Jerry quickly touches the hot cat and burns himself. Thinking quickly, he places Tom onto a baking tray and heads for the bathroom, giving the cat a cold shower.
Tom later emerges from the shower, covered in towels and using hot-water bottles as sandles. He observes himself in the mirror, and notices that most of his spots have gone. As he wipes his forehead, another spot is removed. Just then, Tom sees a small jar of paint hiding in the corner, and realisation dawns on him. Seeing himself as a jackass, Tom reacts furiously and grabs a sword, ready to exact his revenge on Jerry. Unfortunately for both Tom and Jerry, Jerry appears to have genuinely contracted measles. Tom quickly rushes to the nearest medicine cabinet and swallows as many tablets and medicines as he can find, but by the cartoon's end, both cat and mouse are covered in spots from head to toe and are being quarantined. Jerry holds up a mirror, and sticks out his tongue, which, too, is covered in spots.
