The Cat Above and the Mouse Below

Last updated
The Cat Above and the Mouse Below
The Cat Above and the Mouse Below.png
Directed by Chuck Jones
Maurice Noble
Story by Michael Maltese
Chuck Jones
Produced byChuck Jones
Les Goldman
Starring Terence Monck [1]
Music byEugene Poddany
Animation by Tom Ray
Dick Thompson
Ben Washam
Ken Harris
Don Towsley
Backgrounds byPhilip DeGuard
Production
company
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • February 25, 1964 (1964-02-25)
Running time
6:27
LanguagesEnglish
Italian

The Cat Above and the Mouse Below is the second of thirty-four Tom and Jerry shorts produced by Chuck Jones, released in 1964. [2] It was directed by Jones, co-directed by Maurice Noble, and is the second short written by Michael Maltese. [3]

Contents

Plot

Tom is a famous singer announced as "Signor Thomasino Catti-Cazzaza Baritone", who will perform at a concert to sing Largo al factotum from The Barber of Seville. Tom arrives in a very long limousine, and emerges, tossing a rose into a frenzied crowd. He walks on stage to applause, which he interrupts with a simple hand gesture, and begins to sing for the audience watching. While all of this is taking place, down below the stage, Jerry is trying to sleep but is awakened by Tom's operatic tones.

Jerry tries to gesture for Tom to stop, by banging on the stage with a toothbrush but in return Tom, while singing, stomps on the floor enough to get Jerry to shake and bounce around his "room". Enraged, Jerry uses a hammer to pound a floorboard, shooting Tom out of his tuxedo into the air, from where he falls back into it, but upside down, and legs through sleeves. Tom tiptoes offstage to change back to normal.

Next, Tom sings again, this time, stomping the floor while performing, much harder than before, creating a huge rumble in Jerry's house, eventually causing Jerry's bed to collapse on top of him. Jerry thinks it's war and decides to get revenge. Tom continues the performance and Jerry holds up a sign through the vent onstage that has "PSST" written on it. Tom continues singing as he pokes his head in, and Jerry snaps his lips closed in a pucker with a doubled rubber band. In retaliation, Tom uses the rubber band to shoot a long staple into the vent, which shoots down, ricochets several times, and then whisks Jerry right out of his nightshirt, and pins him up on the wall by his neck. Jerry crosses his arms, one leg over the other, and then "taps" his foot midair, looking exceedingly annoyed.

As Tom sings in the middle of his performance, Jerry manages to get free from the staple and at the side of the stage licks a lemon so Tom gets sour by the thought of the scene, and salivating, his lips pucker and shrink. Frustrated, he goes to Jerry and while continuing to sing, juices the lemon on Jerry's head. Tom returns to the spotlight. Jerry then drills a hole in the floor In between Tom’s feet and uses a hooked wire to pull the bottom of Tom's cummerbund apart, causing it to spring up and whap him in the face. Tom grabs the wire and yanks it up and down banging Jerry's head on the board until Jerry thinks to let it go. While Tom is singing the "Figaro!" part, Jerry aims a plunger at Tom's mouth and scores a direct hit. Jerry imitates Tom mockingly, but then Tom sticks him to the floor with the plunger. Using Jerry's bow, he shoots Jerry in the plunger onto a wall offstage and resumes his singing.

Jerry frees himself and accidentally drops a huge sandbag on Tom as he is reaching the climax, causing him to get knocked through the floor with a loud crash. Everything is mostly silent up until Jerry walks onto the stage in a tuxedo. Now the mouse is above, and the cat is stuck below, with his head flattened by the sandbag hit, and Jerry sings the last section of the performance himself (albeit in a high-pitched voice). An infuriated (and obviously upstaged) Tom raps on the floor with a broom and sends Jerry flying, but this just adds to the sensational mouse's drama singing the final few notes, as he makes a graceful balletic landing before receiving loud applause. The words "The End" then appear on the close curtains.

Crew

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Cat</span> Fictional American cat

Thomas Jasper "Tom" Cat Sr. is a fictional character and one of the two titular main protagonists in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's series of Tom and Jerry theatrical animated short films. Created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, he is a grey and white anthropomorphic domestic short haired tuxedo British cat who first appeared in the 1940 MGM animated short Puss Gets the Boot. The cat was known as "Jasper" during his debut in the short; however, beginning with his next appearance in The Midnight Snack he was known as "Tom" or "Thomas".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Mouse</span> Fictional mouse

Gerald Jinx "Jerry" Mouse is a fictional character and one of the two titular characters in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's series of Tom and Jerry theatrical animated short films and other animated media, usually acting as the protagonist opposite his rival Tom Cat. Created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, Jerry is an anthropomorphic brown house mouse, who first appeared as a mouse named Jinx in the 1940 MGM animated short Puss Gets the Boot. Hanna gave the mouse's original name as "Jinx", while Barbera claimed the mouse went unnamed in his first appearance.

Tom and Jerry is an American animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series centers on the rivalry between the titular characters of a cat named Tom and a mouse named Jerry. Many shorts also feature several recurring characters.

<i>Scaredy Cat</i> 1948 film by Chuck Jones

Scaredy Cat is a 1948 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on December 18, 1948, and stars Porky Pig and Sylvester the Cat. The cartoon is notable in that it marks the first time the name "Sylvester" is used for the popular feline character. In previous shorts, the cat is unnamed, except for in the 1947 cartoon Tweetie Pie in which he is referred to as "Thomas".

<i>Gay Purr-ee</i> 1962 film by Abe Levitow

Gay Purr-ee is a 1962 American animated musical film produced by United Productions of America and released by Warner Bros. It features the voice of Judy Garland as Mewsette, a feline living in the French countryside wanting to go to Paris in her only animated-film role, as well as Robert Goulet in his first feature film as her love interest Jaune Tom. The film received positive reviews, but was a box office failure. It is also the first animated feature film to be theatrically released by Warner Bros, and the second and final animated film by UPA.

<i>The Two Mouseketeers</i> 1952 film by Joseph Barbera, William Hanna

The Two Mouseketeers is a 1952 American one-reel animated cartoon and is the 65th Tom and Jerry short, produced in Technicolor and released to theatres on March 15, 1952 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was produced by Fred Quimby and directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. The short is a spoof of Alexandre Dumas' 1844 novel The Three Musketeers and its film adaptations, featuring the mice Jerry and his best friend, Nibbles as the "Mouseketeers" trying to raid the French king's banquet table, which is protected by Tom as a guard. Three years after the cartoon's release, the term "Mousketeer" was also used to refer to the child cast members of the television show, The Mickey Mouse Club.

<i>Long-Haired Hare</i> 1949 American animated Looney Tunes comedy

Long-Haired Hare is a 1949 American animated short film directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. It was produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures as part of the Looney Tunes series, and was the 60th short to feature Bugs Bunny. In addition to including the homophones "hair" and "hare", the title is also a pun on "longhairs", a characterization of classical music lovers. Nicolai Shutorov provides the singing voice of Giovanni Jones.

<i>Beep Prepared</i> 1961 film

Beep Prepared is a 1961 Warner Brothers Merrie Melodies American theatrical cartoon short directed by Chuck Jones and designer Maurice Noble. The short was released on November 11, 1961, and stars Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. The title is a play on the Boy Scouts of America motto "Be Prepared".

<i>To Beep or Not to Beep</i> 1963 film

To Beep or Not to Beep is a Merrie Melodies animated short starring Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. Released on December 28, 1963, the cartoon was written by Chuck Jones, John Dunn, Michael Maltese, and directed by Jones, Maurice Noble and Tom Ray receive credit as co-directors. This is the penultimate Road Runner/Wile E. Coyote short that Chuck Jones directed at Warner Bros. during the original "classic" era. This is also the final Warner Bros. cartoon released in 1963.

<i>Pent-House Mouse</i> 1963 animated short film directed by Chuck Jones

Pent-House Mouse is the first Tom and Jerry short produced by Chuck Jones after being fired from Warner Bros. Cartoons, released in 1963. Production returned to Hollywood after five years. It is the only cartoon to be produced in 1963.

<i>Gift Wrapped</i> (film) 1952 American film

Gift Wrapped is a 1952 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on February 16, 1952, and stars Tweety and Sylvester.

Louvre Come Back to Me! is a 1962 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on August 18, 1962, and stars Pepé Le Pew in his last cartoon of the "classic" Warner Bros. animation age.

<i>The A-Tom-inable Snowman</i> 1966 film

The A-Tom-inable Snowman is a 1966 Tom and Jerry cartoon directed by Abe Levitow, written by Bob Ogle and produced by Chuck Jones, with the opening scene written and directed by Jones. The title is a reference to the legendary creature, the Abominable Snowman.

<i>The Brothers Carry-Mouse-Off</i> 1965 film

The Brothers Carry-Mouse-Off is a 1965 Tom and Jerry short produced by Chuck Jones, and the only one directed by Jim Pabian. Jones and Pabian wrote the story and Eugene Poddany scored music, while Maurice Noble did the layouts and Robert Gribbroek did the backgrounds. The title's a parody of Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov.

<i>Mouse Wreckers</i> 1949 film

Mouse Wreckers is a 1949 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes short directed by Chuck Jones, written by Michael Maltese and starring Hubie and Bertie in their first pairing with the redesigned Claude Cat. The cartoon was released on April 23, 1949.

<i>Tom and Jerry: The Chuck Jones Collection</i> Film

Tom and Jerry: The Chuck Jones Collection is a two-disc DVD collection of animated short cartoons starring Tom and Jerry, produced by Chuck Jones, released by Warner Home Video on June 23, 2009, in the US and September 21, 2009, in the UK. These are the same 34 cartoons that appear on European DVD collection in PAL format, Tom and Jerry: The Classic Collection - Volume 6 . All 34 of the Chuck Jones Tom and Jerry shorts are included, along with two new documentaries. All versions of this set are shown in matted 1.75:1 widescreen, as shown in theatres, unlike the Classic collection which present the shorts in filmed academy ratio of 1.37:1.

<i>The Hypo-Chondri-Cat</i> 1950 film

The Hypo-Chondri-Cat is a 1950 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies short directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. The cartoon was released on April 15, 1950 and stars Hubie and Bertie and Claude Cat. The title is a play on "hypochondriac".

The following is the filmography of American animator Chuck Jones.

<i>Tom and Jerry: The Deluxe Anniversary Collection</i> DVD set of Tom and Jerry cartoons

The Tom and Jerry Deluxe Anniversary Collection is a two-disc DVD set, released by Warner Home Video.

References

  1. ↑ Scott, Keith (2022). Cartoon Voices Of The Golden Age, 1930-70. BearManor Media. p. 145. ISBN   979-8-88771-010-5.
  2. ↑ The Best Tom And Jerry Cartoons To Stream Right Now
  3. ↑ McKinnon, Robert (2008). Stepping Into the Picture: Cartoon Designer Maurice Noble. University Press of Mississippi. p. 152. ISBN   9781934110447.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.