The Cat Above and the Mouse Below
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| The Cat Above and the Mouse Below
Tom and Jerry series |
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 The title card of The Cat Above and the Mouse Below |
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| Directed by | Chuck Jones |
| Produced by | Chuck Jones |
| Voices by | Terence Monck (baritone) |
| Music by | Eugene Poddany |
| Animation by | Tom Ray Dick Thompson Ben Washam Ken Harris Don Towsley |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Release date(s) | 1964 |
| Color process | Metrocolor |
| Running time | 6 minutes 27 seconds |
| Preceded by | Pent-House Mouse |
| Followed by | Is There a Doctor in the Mouse? |
| IMDb profile | |
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The Cat Above and The Mouse Below is second of thirty-four Tom and Jerry shorts directed by Chuck Jones, released in 1964.
[edit] Plot
Tom is the famous baritone Signor Thomasino Catti-Cazzaza, giving a concert audience a performance of the aria Largo al Factotum from Rossini's The Barber of Seville. While all this is taking place, down below the stage, Jerry is trying to sleep, but is awakened by Tom's operatic tones. Jerry attempts to halt Tom's singing by bumping the floor with a toothbrush, but Tom stomps on the floor, sending Jerry bouncing around. Jerry hits a floorboard with a hammer, causing Tom to be launched into the air and to excuse himself. Tom returns, stomping on the floor again and bouncing Jerry around harder than before. Tom continues the performance and Jerry holds up a sign through the vent that says "PSST!" Tom sings as he peeks through and Jerry ties his mouth shut. Tom in retaliation shoots a staple into the vent, which scoops up Jerry and pins him to a wall of the basement. Jerry makes an annoyed expression.
Jerry perches near a plant, licking a lemon, while Tom is singing. Tom spots him, and while singing, twists the lemon over Jerry. Tom returns to the spotlight and Jerry drills a hole in the floor and pulls Tom's front garments off with a string. Tom pulls the string up and down and wrenches it from Jerry's grip. While Tom is singing the "Figaro!" part, Jerry aims a plunger at Tom's mouth and scores a direct hit. Jerry imitates Tom and is stuck with the plunger. Tom uses the same bow Jerry used and shoots him into the wall.
Jerry frees himself and drops a huge weight on Tom as he is reaching the climax, sending him through the floor. Everything is silent until Jerry walks out in a tuxedo and sings the rest of the performance himself (albeit sped up). An annoyed Tom raps on the floor with a broom and sends Jerry flying, but this just adds to Jerry's drama singing the final few notes. Jerry gets all the applause and the curtains fall.
