The Bowling Alley Cat
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| The Bowling Alley Cat
Tom and Jerry series |
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 The title card of The Bowling Alley Cat |
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| Directed by | William Hanna Joseph Barbera |
| Produced by | Fred Quimby |
| Music by | Scott Bradley (unc.) |
| Animation by | Pete Burness Irven Spence Jack Zander George Gordon (all uncredited) |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Release date(s) | July 18, 1942 |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Running time | 8 min. |
| Preceded by | Puss n' Toots |
| Followed by | Fine Feathered Friend |
| IMDb profile | |
The Bowling Alley Cat is a 1942 animated cartoon short subject, starring Tom and Jerry. It was produced in Technicolor and released to theatres on July 18, 1942 by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer.
[edit] Plot
The cartoon opens with Jerry popping out of a bowling ball. He then starts to slide on the alley and use it as an ice skating rink. Jerry skates a little too far off the lane and onto the normal floor. Tom peeks out from behind two bowling balls. Jerry then starts to go back out onto the lane and he gets a good running start. He even takes a few steps back, he takes a few more steps back and trips over Tom's tail. He moves Tom's tail out of the way and starts to run, but stops when he almost runs into Tom's mouth. Jerry then runs away. Tom chases Jerry onto the bowling lane but he slips when he hits the alley. Tom manages to make it to his feet but Jerry comes up to him and blows a puff of air causing Tom to fall again. Jerry then grabs Tom's tail and whips him into an ashtray. Jerry then waves at Tom from where the pins are set up. Tom then grabs a bowling ball and tries to throw it at the pins, but Tom ends up with the ball on his back because he can't throw it properly. Tom then throws the ball like a hammer in the Olympics. Jerry braces himself against the headpin and the ball bounces back toward Tom. Tom throws another ball but Jerry moves out of the way. Three more balls come toward Jerry and they all miss him. Except for the last ball which actually breaks the pin that Jerry is hanging onto. Jerry then hides behind one pin as Tom converts a split with the last ball.
Tom then prepares himself like a bowler for the next ball, by using a towel and powder. He throws the ball at Jerry. Jerry then picks up the pin and swings it like a baseball bat. He hits the bowling ball and the pin splits in half. The ball then comes back toward Tom and he tries to catch it like an outfielder. But the ball hits him and he falls through the floor. After Tom recovers, he tries to throw another ball at Jerry, but his thumb gets stuck in the ball and he ends up going down the lane with the ball. Then the pinsetter machine grabs Tom and shapes Tom into a bowling pin. This gives Jerry a chance to run away. Tom then pushes a line of bowling balls toward Jerry and they resemble a train. Jerry outruns the balls but they change direction and starting heading back to where they came. Tom sees Jerry and starts to lick his lips ready to eat Jerry. But Jerry moves out of the way at the last second and one of the bowling balls gets stuck in Tom's mouth while the others run over him. Jerry then pops out of the last ball and runs away again as the balls come back. This time the balls push Tom through a rack and he gets his head smacked between two bowling balls knocking him silly. Tom quickly recovers and tries to stick his fingers into the holes of the bowling balls but Jerry ends up biting him. Tom then blows into the holes of the bowling balls and Jerry pops out of it. When Tom stops blowing Jerry falls back inside the ball. This sequence happens multiple times and when Tom catches Jerry in the air, he ends up dropping the ball on his foot. Tom chases after Jerry but Jerry stops him just enough to stomp on his injured foot.
Jerry jumps into another bowling ball and Tom covers it with a cloth thinking that he has caught Jerry. But Jerry pops out of another ball behind Tom, grabs Tom's tail and threads it through the holes of the ball. He then ties Tom's tail in a knot and then stands in front of Tom who is tying the cloth around the ball he thinks Jerry is in. Tom is having trouble tying the cloth so Jerry helps him by placing his finger on it. Tom then realizes his stupidity and looks in the ball. Jerry runs away and Tom can't catch up with him because of the ball tied to his tail. Tom tries to run around a corner to catch Jerry, but the momentum of the heavy ball pulls him away. Jerry runs under a bench and Tom can't follow him because the ball is to wide and can't fit under the bench. The weight of the ball causing a strain on Tom's tail and finally the ball snaps through the bench sending Tom down the lane, through the pins, through a wall and into a trash can. Jerry then stands over his scorecard and writes that his last frame was a strike allowing him to have bowled a perfect game.
[edit] Trivia
- The gags of Tom's thumb being stuck in the ball and dragged down the alley with it, as well as Tom being knocked out by the two bowling balls is reused in the first episode of The Flintstones.
