Heavenly Puss
Encyclopedia
Heavenly Puss is a 1949
one-reel animated cartoon
and is the 42nd Tom and Jerry
short, created in 1948, and released on 9 July 1949. It was directed by William Hanna
and Joseph Barbera
, and produced by Fred Quimby
. The cartoon's music was composed by Scott Bradley
and the animation was credited to Ray Patterson
, Irven Spence
, Kenneth Muse
and Ed Barge
.
), Frankie, struck with flat iron while singing on a backyard fence, Aloysius, ran over by a steamroller and three kittens named Fluff, Muff and Puff, thrown into a river and drowned ("What some people won't do..."), which the gatekeeper allows them through. Tom tries to sneak past the gatekeeper to board the train, but is caught and has to stand in line while he looks up his record. Unfortunately, the gatekeeper refuses to let him enter because he has persecuted Jerry all his life. But since the Heavenly Express doesn't leave for an hour, he is given a certificate of forgiveness for Jerry to sign. He will be allowed through if Jerry signs it, but if he doesn't, Tom will be banished to Hell, where Spike, personified as the devil, awaits.
Tom comes back to life and pleads with Jerry to sign. First he brings cake, but Jerry eats the cake and spills ink on Tom's face. Then Tom tries to forge Jerry's signature, but the gatekeeper sees this and stops him. Tom brings cheese but during his protests, Jerry thinks it's a scam and angrily rips the certificate, causing an angry Tom to attempt to smash Jerry. Spike pops in and reminds Tom of the consequence of doing so, tempting him to finish the job ("Attaboy, Tom! Hit him and let's go! Come on!"). Tom reattaches all the ripped pieces of the certificate, but Tom misses the deadline. Jerry then signs, and Tom frantically tries to climb the stairs but they fade away and Tom falls into a hole that leads directly to Hell with a SPLASH! where he will be tortured by Spike for all eternity.
Tom awakens when an ember from the fireplace lands on top of him. He sees that he is alive and that it was just a bad dream. Having learned his lesson, he runs over to Jerry and hugs him profusely. An utterly perplexed Jerry shrugs.
1949 in film
The year 1949 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello...
one-reel animated cartoon
Animated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
and is the 42nd Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry are the cat and mouse cartoon characters that were evolved starting in 1939.Tom and Jerry also may refer to:Cartoon works featuring the cat and mouse so named:* The Tom and Jerry Show...
short, created in 1948, and released on 9 July 1949. It was directed by William Hanna
William Hanna
William Denby Hanna was an American animator, director, producer, and cartoon artist, whose film and television cartoon characters entertained millions of people for much of the 20th century. When he was a young child, Hanna's family moved frequently, but they settled in Compton, California, by...
and Joseph Barbera
Joseph Barbera
Joseph Roland Barbera was an influential American animator, director, producer, storyboard artist, and cartoon artist, whose film and television cartoon characters entertained millions of fans worldwide for much of the twentieth century....
, and produced by Fred Quimby
Fred Quimby
Frederick C. "Fred" Quimby was an American cartoon producer, best known as a producer of Tom and Jerry cartoons, for which he won seven Academy Awards...
. The cartoon's music was composed by Scott Bradley
Scott Bradley
Scott Bradley was an American composer, pianist and conductor.Bradley is best remembered for scoring the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer theatrical cartoons, including those starring Tom and Jerry , Droopy , Barney Bear , and the many one-shot cartoons.Bradley was a...
and the animation was credited to Ray Patterson
Ray Patterson (animator)
Raymond "Ray" Patterson was an American animator, producer, and director. Patterson was born in Hollywood, California, and was the brother of animator Don Patterson.-Early career:...
, Irven Spence
Irven Spence
Irven Spence was an American animator. He is best known for his work on MGM's Tom and Jerry animated shorts. Spence has been credited variously as Irven Spence, Irvin Spence, and Irv Spence....
, Kenneth Muse
Kenneth Muse
Kenneth Lee Muse was an American animator. He is best known for his work on the Tom and Jerry series at MGM.-Biography:...
and Ed Barge
Ed Barge
Edward John "Ed" Barge was an American animator.Barge was born to Alfred Edward and Margaret G. Barge in San Jose, California. In 1916, the family moved to Bakersfield, where his father was employed by the Santa Fe Railroad and Pacific Western Oil Co. before retiring in 1954...
.
Plot
A typical chase begins between Tom and Jerry. Tom loosens the carpet and pulls it down, along with it a large upright piano. With no time to react, Tom is squished to death by the piano. Tom's spirit rises and climbs the golden escalator of Heaven to the golden gates of the "Heavenly Express", a train that sends dead cats to heaven. At the gatekeeper's desk, cats are waiting to enter. The first one, Butch, had lost a fight with a bulldog (possibly SpikeSpike and Tyke (characters)
Spike and Tyke are fictional characters from the Tom and Jerry series, created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Spike is a stern but occasionally dumb British bulldog who is particularly disapproving of cats, but a softie when it comes to mice, and later, his son Tyke...
), Frankie, struck with flat iron while singing on a backyard fence, Aloysius, ran over by a steamroller and three kittens named Fluff, Muff and Puff, thrown into a river and drowned ("What some people won't do..."), which the gatekeeper allows them through. Tom tries to sneak past the gatekeeper to board the train, but is caught and has to stand in line while he looks up his record. Unfortunately, the gatekeeper refuses to let him enter because he has persecuted Jerry all his life. But since the Heavenly Express doesn't leave for an hour, he is given a certificate of forgiveness for Jerry to sign. He will be allowed through if Jerry signs it, but if he doesn't, Tom will be banished to Hell, where Spike, personified as the devil, awaits.
Tom comes back to life and pleads with Jerry to sign. First he brings cake, but Jerry eats the cake and spills ink on Tom's face. Then Tom tries to forge Jerry's signature, but the gatekeeper sees this and stops him. Tom brings cheese but during his protests, Jerry thinks it's a scam and angrily rips the certificate, causing an angry Tom to attempt to smash Jerry. Spike pops in and reminds Tom of the consequence of doing so, tempting him to finish the job ("Attaboy, Tom! Hit him and let's go! Come on!"). Tom reattaches all the ripped pieces of the certificate, but Tom misses the deadline. Jerry then signs, and Tom frantically tries to climb the stairs but they fade away and Tom falls into a hole that leads directly to Hell with a SPLASH! where he will be tortured by Spike for all eternity.
Tom awakens when an ember from the fireplace lands on top of him. He sees that he is alive and that it was just a bad dream. Having learned his lesson, he runs over to Jerry and hugs him profusely. An utterly perplexed Jerry shrugs.