Dog Trouble

Dog Trouble
Tom and Jerry series
Dog Trouble reissue title card
Directed by	William Hanna Joseph Barbera
Produced by	Fred Quimby (unc. on original issue)
Voices by	Lillian Randolph (original version) (unc.) Thea Vidale (redubbed version) (unc.) William Hanna (unc.) Billy Bletcher (unc.)
Music by	Scott Bradley (unc.)
Animation by	George Gordon (unc.) Irven Spence (unc.) Jack Zander (unc.) Bill Littlejohn (unc.) Cecil Surry (unc.)
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s)	April 18, 1942 (1952 re-release)
Color process	Technicolor
Running time	7:57
Language	English
Preceded by	Fraidy Cat
Followed by	Puss n' Toots

Dog Trouble is a 1942 one-reel animated cartoon and is the fifth Tom and Jerry short film. It was produced in Technicolor, released to theaters on April 18, 1942 by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer and reissued for re-release in 1952. It was animated by George Gordon, Irven Spence, Jack Zander, Cecil Surry and Bill Littlejohn.

Plot

Jerry is running across a tablecloth, not going anywhere. As Jerry runs, Tom is pulling the cloth like a treadmill. Tom reaches the end of the cloth and Jerry runs across to the other side of the table as Tom gives chase. Jerry tries to stop at the end of the table, but Tom's open mouth is waiting! Although he cannot stop, Jerry uses one of the cat's whiskers to swing himself back out, then escapes into his mousehole. Tom then knocks on the wall to get Jerry to come out, and patiently waits as Jerry tiptoes through an electrical outlet on the other side of the wall. He sees a piece of cheese on a mousetrap and holds it out for Tom's tail to fall into. When the cat's jumping tail repeatedly misses, Jerry simply does the job himself, and then runs for his life as Tom yelps in agony at his throbbing tail.

Jerry tries to run out the door, but he runs directly into a large sleeping bulldog (Spike) and almost hits him. Tom's chase runs him into the dog, causing them both to kiss. Spike wakes up in rancor at this disturbance and the cat runs away, finding shelter by climbing up a lamp. Jerry gets his due as well when the dog hears him laughing at Tom's misfortune and starts to give chase to the mouse instead. Jerry escapes by climbing up the cuckoo clock, but accidentally activates it, causing the bird to pop out with Jerry hanging onto it, giving the dog several failed chances to chomp on him.

In delight, Tom comes down from the lamp, but the alert Spike forces him to climb back up. The same thing happens to Jerry, and this time when the cuckoo bird pops out with Jerry on board, Spike succeeds in destroying the cuckoo but he misses the mouse. Still, Jerry has to scramble in thin air to hold on for dear life. Tom again tries to sneak away quietly, and succeeds until the floor creaks causing Spike to go after him again. Off-screen, sounds of a horrific brawl are heard, and the mortified mouse resolves to assist his rival in fighting the greater danger. The cat jumps onto a desk as the dog attempts to bite him, and Jerry whistles for Tom to join him on top of the clock where it's safe. To avoid the next chomp, Tom leaps all the way to the clock, but his grip is unstable and Tom's whiskers start snapping under the tension. As he starts to fall, the cat gropes in thin air to safety, and Tom extends his hand to Jerry in gratitude. When Jerry loses balance trying to shake the cat's hand, Tom returns the favor and saves him by lowering his tail to pull him out of Spike's mouth, and with this alliance fully sealed, they shake hands.

Jerry also finds himself on the receiving end of Spike's fury and wrath.

The new allies connive a plan together; Jerry sneaks across the ceiling sides, down a curtain, and into a sewing basket. He ties a piece of the long thread of yarn to his body and starts to sneak through the house. As a cover for Jerry's plan, Tom taunts the dog and holds out his tail, continually pulling it up every time Spike tries to bite it. Meanwhile, the mouse has woven the entirety of the yarn through the house as a trap for Spike. As the dog pants angrily, Jerry pulls up behind and kicks him in the rear, causing the dog to scream in pain. When the dog lands, he sticks out his tongue and throws the dog's lips over his own face, provoking Spike to chase him around the corner. The mouse then hides and leaves Spike to fall into the yarn trap, completely wrecking the room. This causes Mammy Two Shoes to promptly enter and survey the scene and Spike is then dragged across the floor by Mammy and thrown out of the house, as he is not her dog at all.

Tom and Jerry wave to Spike as they watch him get thrown out, and Tom breathes a sigh of relief until a snap is heard behind the curtain they are hiding. Tom's tail has gotten caught in another mousetrap, and despite Jerry's mournful denial, the chase resumes.

Voice cast

• Lillian Randolph as Mammy Two Shoes (original) (uncredited)
• Thea Vidale as Mammy Two Shoes (redubbed) (uncredited)
• William Hanna as Tom and Jerry (uncredited)
• Billy Bletcher as Bulldog (Spike) (uncredited)

Censorship

Mammy's appearance at the end was ironically censored out on TBS and TNT. In the original version during the ending titles, a World War II note appeared and it said "America needs your money buy war bonds and stamps every pay day". This is the first cartoon to have the World War II note during the original ending titles. Also is the first MGM cartoon to feature the 1942 red background in the original version , the original red background still appearing in other cartoons like the little gravel voice and Bats in the Belfry

Availability

• DVD - Tom and Jerry Golden Collection, Disc 1
• DVD - Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection, Volume 2, Disc 1
• VHS - Tom & Jerry's 50th Birthday Classics ^[1]

References

External links

• Dog Trouble at the Big Cartoon DataBase
• Dog Trouble at the Internet Movie Database