The Lonesome Mouse

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (May 2008)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

The Lonesome Mouse Tom and Jerry series
Title card of The Lonesome Mouse.
Directed by	William Hanna Joseph Barbera
Produced by	Fred Quimby
Story by	William Hanna (unc.) Joseph Barbera (unc.)
Voices by	Lillian Randolph (as Mammy Two Shoes, uncredited) William Hanna (as Tom and Jerry, uncredited)
Music by	Scott Bradley(unc.)
Animation by	George Gordon (unc.) Irven Spence (unc.) Jack Zander (unc.) Kenneth Muse (unc.) Pete Burness (unc.)
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s)	May 22, 1943
Color process	Technicolor
Running time	8 minutes 7 seconds
Preceded by	Sufferin' Cats!
Followed by	The Yankee Doodle Mouse
IMDb profile

''The Lonesome Mouse'' is one reel Tom and Jerry cartoon and the 10th in the series. This is notable for being the first speaking role of the cat and mouse duo. It was created and released in 1943, and 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. This cartoon is animated by Kenneth Muse, George Gordon, Jack Zander, Irven Spence, and Pete Burness.

[edit] Plot

Jerry paints a Hitler mustache on Tom's portrait, and promptly spits at it in contempt.

The cartoon opens with Tom taking a nap by the fireplace. Above him is Jerry who drops a vase on top of his head. This crashing vase brings out Mammy Two Shoes who says, "Thomas! You no good cat, that's sabotage. Out you go!" Mammy throws Tom out of the house and out into the yard as punishment. Jerry teases Tom from inside, puts a "For Rent" sign outside his mouse hole, dances in Tom's milk bowl, makes Tom's picture on his bed look like Adolf Hitler, and rips a piece of Tom's bed sheets. Jerry is having a lot of fun with Tom not in the house. But Jerry soon becomes bored without Tom around. Then a voice is heard asking, "You never thought you'd miss that cat, did ya?" Jerry shakes his head. "Feelin' kind of lonesome?" Jerry nods his head. "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 you?" Jerry thinks about it for a second and then smiles.

Tom is sitting outside the house feeling sorry for himself and he even slaps himself. Jerry whistles at him and waves a white handkerchief. This causes a small chase, but Jerry whispers into Tom's ear, "Hey, you want to get back in the house, don't ya?" Tom answers, "Er, yeah". Jerry then whispers a plan into Tom's ear and Tom agrees.

Jerry calls for a truce with Tom to get him back into the house.

Mammy is shown doing her dishes in the kitchen and singing a song. Jerry tries to get her attention by tugging at her socks. But she doesn't pay attention to Jerry. She continues working. Jerry pulls on her sock and this scares Mammy. Jerry makes face at her and she climbs on a stool. Jerry tries to shake her off the stool. Jerry ends up shaking off hairpins, a ring, a razor, a pair of dice, a set of false teeth, buttons, and Mammy's dress. Jerry then grabs the razor and cuts the leg of the stool to break and Mammy falls down with a big crash. Mammy then yells at Tom, "Thomas, get in here and save me!" Jerry runs away and hides behind a curtain with Tom behind. Fighting sounds are heard but it is then revealed that Tom and Jerry are playing pattycake. Jerry emerges from the fake fight and runs back into the kitchen. Mammy is sitting on the stove and Jerry turns on the burner, causing Mammy to jump to the ceiling. Jerry runs past the refrigerator and as Tom runs by he rips off a drumstick off of a chicken. He chases Jerry behind a wall, and together they take turns eating it. The fake chase continues with Jerry running into the cupboard and he chokes Tom. Then a lot of banging sounds come out but it's just Tom and Jerry using the pots and pans as a drum set. They come out of the cupboard and stage a sword fight with a knife and a fork as weapons. Mammy is hiding under the counter and she gets stuck by both of them. They run into another cupboard and Tom pours ketchup on Jerry's head. 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 during a stop in the chase he asks Tom, "We're still kiddin', ain't we?" Tom replies, "Sure," and the chase continues. Tom chases Jerry around Mammy who is standing on a chair holding a broom. Mammy ends up hitting Tom instead of Jerry three times before Tom takes the broom and breaks it over his knee. Jerry then runs under the carpet and Mammy tries to hit him from above. Jerry escapes and Tom puts a tomato under the carpet, he whistles at Mammy and pretends that he has cornered Jerry. Mammy says, "Hold him Thomas! Don't let him get away." She then hits the tomato, thinking it's Jerry. She asks Tom if she got him and he looks under the carpet. He then reacts as if it is the worst thing he's ever seen. He lays down flowers and starts to cry. But it is all phony. Tom even blows his nose in Mammy's apron.

Tom is then shown with a napkin around his neck ready to receive his reward for taking care of Jerry: A lemon meringue pie. Mammy says, "Yes sir, Thomas. You is a hero. Here is a reward for taking care of that mouse. Boy you sure is a mouse catcher!" Jerry shows up with a napkin around his neck as well. Jerry takes a small bite of the pie and is just 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. Tom is just about to enjoy his pie, but Jerry kicks him and Tom lands face first in his pie. Jerry then walks away saying, "Why that dirty, double crossing, good for nothing, two timing..."