Haunted Mouse

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Haunted Mouse

Tom and Jerry series


Title card of Haunted Mouse
Directed by Chuck Jones
Maurice Noble (co-director)
Produced by Chuck Jones
Les Goldman (executive producer)
Story by Jim Pabian
Chuck Jones
Voices by Mel Blanc
Music by Eugene Poddany
Animation by Ben Washam
Ken Harris
Don Towsley
Tom Ray
Dick Thompson
Studio Sib-Tower 12 Productions
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s) 1965
Color process Metrocolor
Running time 7 minutes
Preceded by The Brothers Carry-Mouse-Off
Followed by I'm Just Wild About Jerry
IMDb profile


Haunted Mouse is a 1965 Tom and Jerry cartoon directed and produced by Chuck Jones. The cartoon's title is a play on words of haunted house.

[edit] Plot

A mouse who looks identical to Jerry, but wears a black top hat, bow tie, and cloak and carries a walking stick, visits Jerry. The stick is revealed to actually be a wand when he lifts a fence panel with a spell.

Tom is outside, perched at Jerry's home, waiting for the mouse to come out, when the old mouse lifts him with a spell in order to get into the house. He rings the doorbell and Jerry welcomes him with a hug. The old mouse then snaps his fingers and lifts the spell on Tom. Tom twists his face in puzzlement.

The visitor's hat falls off his head and a rabbit comes out. He instructs it to retreat into the hat, and it hops along the floor and hangs itself up. His gloves and robe hang themselves up on command as well.

Jerry prepares for a meal and sets out to the refrigerator for something for the two of them to eat. Jerry speeds to the elevator in the refrigerator. He presses a button and ascends to the third level. Jerry packs a radish into his "cart" and then Tom pokes his head into the refrigerator. Oblivious, Jerry picks up an olive and Tom's nose, believing it is a mushroom. Tom notices that his nose is missing and uses his hand to creep up on Jerry. He pokes Jerry and points to his missing nose. Jerry gives him the radish and Tom screws it on. It takes only a few seconds for Tom to realize something is wrong. He creeps up behind Jerry again and this time Jerry gives him his nose and flees into the elevator. As Tom rejoices in the return of his nose, Jerry trips him up with his enormous speed. Tom extends his arm into Jerry's hole, but grabs the visitor instead. Tom maniacally laughs, and gradually slows down over time. The wizard-mouse casts a spell to open Tom's mouth and keep it open, and he goes inside the cat and frees all the mice, birds, and fish Tom has ever eaten. He climbs back into Tom's palm and releases the spell. Tom releases the mouse and falls backward in fright; then he hits the wall and a board falls on him.

Jerry sets out for more food, but Tom has squeezed into the tiny elevator door. Tom pops out and chases Jerry for a minute, but then runs away briefly, thinking that it is the "haunted mouse". Tom takes a look at him and deduces that he is not the haunted mouse. Tom towers over Jerry and chases him back into his hole. Tom extends his arm into the hole, but all he gets is the visitor's hat. Then, a rabbit pops out and squeezes Tom's nose. Tom grabs it and drops it behind him, and a second rabbit comes out and kisses the cat's nose. The third rabbit pulls Tom's ear, and the fourth thing he pulls out is a sledge hammer. Tom hands it off to the rabbits as he shakes the hat to attempt to get more out of it. Then he turns around and the third rabbit, standing on top of the other two, knocks him on the head. Tom falls through the floor and is knocked out.

The "haunted mouse" shakes hands with Jerry and snaps his fingers; "The End" is displayed in Spanish, German, Chinese, Italian, and English.

[edit] Notes

  • Like Much Ado About Mousing, this cartoon has a plot reminiscent of one of the earlier Tom and Jerry cartoons directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. In this case, the plot is reminiscent of 1957's Timid Tabby, where Jerry is confused by alternating encounters with Tom and his visiting cousin George.