Ah, Sweet Mouse-Story of Life
| Ah, Sweet Mouse-Story of Life | |
|---|---|
| Tom and Jerry series | |
 Title Card | |
| Directed by |
Chuck Jones Co-director: Maurice Noble |
| Produced by |
Chuck Jones Les Goldman |
| Story by |
Michael Maltese Chuck Jones |
| Voices by |
June Foray Mel Blanc |
| Music by | Eugene Poddany |
| Animation by |
Ben Washam Ken Harris Don Towsley Dick Thompson Tom Ray |
| Studio | Sib Tower 12 Productions (uncredited) |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Release date(s) |
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| Color process | Metrocolor |
| Running time | 6:00 |
| Language | English |
| Preceded by | The Unshrinkable Jerry Mouse |
| Followed by | Tom-ic Energy |
Ah, Sweet Mouse-Story of Life is a 1965 cartoon directed and produced by Chuck Jones. The cartoon's title is a play-on-words of the song "Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life" from Naughty Marietta, though the storyline bears no resemblance.
Plot
Tom's pursuit of Jerry circles around a room and back to Jerry's mouse hole. Tom is moving so fast, he runs into the wall and turns into a four-legged stool. Tom attempts to cut off a 4×4 area of the wall with Jerry's mouse hole in it in order to reach the mouse, but instead, the rest of the wall falls—on him.
Then Jerry is being chased by Tom in another direction, and suddenly a second Jerry zooms past. Tom is puzzled as six more Jerry's zoom past, and faces the direction they are coming from, even one passed onto him as he faces it. Angry, a ninth Jerry comes from the other direction, and pulls back Tom's eyelids. Tom then chases Jerry outside into the air. Jerry breaks off before falling into space, but Tom fails. He sees the streets (approximately) 50 stories below and grabs onto the drapes again, which brings him back inside but wraps him up with the drapes. Tom and Jerry then both run into free-fall. Jerry grabs a question mark and catches a pipe. Tom grabs onto an exclamation point and then twists it into a hook shape when he sees Jerry safe, but too late—he slams into the ground shortly thereafter. As he fixes himself like a jack using his tail, Tom climbs a rain gutter, but falls and lands in a manhole and screams.
Jerry discovers an air horn, which Jerry sounds behind Tom on a ledge. Tom is left chattering on a nearby pole. Next, Jerry retreats into a second rain gutter, but Tom lassos him using a fish hook and with a chuckle, gives Jerry a taste of his own medicine. To get revenge, as Tom is laughing, Jerry dreams up some knives and throws them at Tom. Tom runs to the end of the sidewalk and narrowly avoids all knives, giving Jerry a good laugh. Tom then becomes stuck in the down pipe of the second rain gutter, with his head and front legs at the bottom and his tail and hind legs at the top, while trying to chase Jerry through it. Jerry suggests using the air horn to "scare" Tom's hind legs and tail down the pipe so Tom can be free. After this, the two shake hands, and Tom kisses Jerry. After kissing him a few times, he becomes hungry, and the chase then recommences. As Tom chases Jerry around a corner, Tom's midsection is now several meters long and he makes a train noises as a cartoon closes.
Crew
- Story: Michael Maltese, Chuck Jones, Carole Beers
- Animation: Dick Thompson, Ben Washam, Ken Harris, Don Towsley, Tom Ray, Bob Bransford, Harvey Toombs
- Layout: Ray Jacobs
- Backgrounds: Robert Gribbroek, Ervin L. Kaplan
- Vocal Effects: June Foray, Mel Blanc
- In Charge of Production: Les Goldman
- Checking: Jane Philippi
- Camera: Jack Eckes
- Film Editors: Lovell Norman, Roger Donley
- Sound: Ryder Sound Service
- Story Consultant: Jack Kinney
- Ink and Paint: Vera McKinney
- Co-Director: Maurice Noble
- Music: Eugene Poddany
- Produced and Directed by: Chuck Jones