The Bowling Alley-Cat
| The Bowling Alley-Cat | |
|---|---|
| Tom and Jerry series | |
 Re-release title card | |
| Directed by |
William Hanna Joseph Barbera |
| Produced by | Fred Quimby (uncredited on original issue) |
| Voices by | William Hanna (uncredited) |
| Music by | Scott Bradley (uncredited) |
| Animation by |
Irven Spence Pete Burness George Gordon Jack Zander Bill Littlejohn Ray Abrams Ed Barge (all uncredited) |
| Studio | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Distributed by | Loew's Inc. |
| Release date(s) |
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| Color process | Technicolor |
| Running time | 8:00 |
| Preceded by | Puss n' Toots |
| Followed by | Fine Feathered Friend |
The Bowling Alley-Cat is a 1942 American one-reel animated cartoon and is the 7th Tom and Jerry Episode. It was produced in Technicolor and released to theatres on July 18, 1942 by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer, and on June 12, 1948 for re-release. The title is a play on words of a bowling alley and an alley cat.
Plot
At a bowling alley, a cheerful Jerry pops out of a bowling ball and slides and skates down an alley, but Tom peeks out from behind two bowling balls and appears behind Jerry. After tripping over Tom's tail, Jerry moves his tail and goes to run down the alley again, but almost runs into Tom's mouth. Tom chases Jerry onto the bowling lane, but slips on the alley. Jerry teases Tom, blowing on Tom's legs to make him fall again before grabbing Tom's tail and hurling him into an ashtray.
Jerry then waves at Tom from the pins, and Tom grabs a bowling ball to throw, but Tom lets go in the air, and the ball lands on his back. Jerry laughs, but Tom then throws the ball successfully, making Jerry, hiding behind a pin, jiggle. Tom then bowls the pins down as Jerry clings onto the first pin, jumping out of the way. After Tom's fifth ball breaks the pin, Jerry hides behind another as Tom converts a split.
Tom then uses a towel and powder before throwing another ball at Jerry, but Jerry picks up a pin and hits the ball back at Tom. The ball flies toward Tom, who backs up to catch it, only for the ball to hit him and make the cat crash through the floor. With the pins reloaded, Jerry waves at the cat. Tom throws the ball at Jerry, but his thumb gets stuck and he slides down the lane with the ball, bowling down all the pins. Jerry hangs onto the pin setter, which turns Tom into a bowling pin.
Jerry flees, but Tom pushes a line of bowling balls towards Jerry. Jerry outruns the balls and hides under the ball-eject lane, but the balls return in reverse. Tom opens his mouth, but a ball runs into his mouth instead. Jerry then pops out of it as the balls hit Tom. Tom slides down the ball rack, is squeezed through the arch, and is knocked out by two balls. Tom sticks his finger into the ball Jerry is hiding in, but Jerry bites him. Tom then blows into the ball to make Jerry pop out, but the ball drops on Tom's left foot. Jerry then stomps on Tom's foot to slow him down.
Jerry jumps into another ball, and Tom covers it with a cloth, thinking he has caught Jerry. However, Jerry pops out of another ball, threads Tom's tail through it and ties it in a knot. Tom eventually spots him and chases him, but the ball Jerry tied to the cat's tail bangs into him twice and pulls him backwards when he goes to catch Jerry. Jerry runs under a bench, and Tom follows, but the ball gets stuck underneath. The ball then slams into Tom, sending Tom sliding down the lane, knocking down all the pins, and crashing through a wall before falling into a trash can outside. Jerry stands over his scorecard and records a strike before throwing the pencil he is using away.
Production
- Directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera
- Animation: Pete Burness, Bill Littlejohn, George Gordon, Irven Spence, Jack Zander
- Music: Scott Bradley
- Produced by Fred Quimby
Availability
DVD
- Tom and Jerry's Greatest Chases, Vol. 3
- Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection Volume Two, Disc One
- Tom and Jerry Golden Collection Volume One, Disc One