Little School Mouse
Encyclopedia
Little School Mouse is the 83rd one-reel
animated
Tom and Jerry
short
, created in 1952
directed by William Hanna
and Joseph Barbera
and produced by Fred Quimby
with music by Scott Bradley. The cartoon was animated by Irven Spence and Ed Barge, with backgrounds by Robert Gentle, and released on May 29, 1954 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
.
Little School Mouse is essentially Professor Tom
with the roles reversed, with Jerry trying (and failing) to instruct Tuffy
in cat evasion with Tuffy befriending Tom, just as how Tom tried (and failed) to instruct Topsy in how to catch mice in Professor Tom with Jerry befriending Topsy.
Jerry begins teaching Tuffy the basics of outwitting a cat by way of a couple of cartoon strips on the chalkboard. The first one demonstrates how the cat chases the mouse and, if he catches the mouse, will eat him. Tuffy begins to cry. Jerry directs his attention to the other picture sequence, which shows the mouse reaching his hole and the cat saying "bad words
." Tuffy laughs.
For the next lesson, Jerry shows Tuffy an imitation cat's paw in front of a mousehole facade. He demonstrates the procedure and Tuffy goes into the hole, where he makes a show of looking for danger, walks straight out of the hole and ends up walking on the spot with his tail getting caught in the cat's paw. Jerry isn't pleased, so he has Tuffy work the cat's paw while he gives another demonstration. Tuffy winds the crank with such enthusiasm that Jerry can't get away and ends up flat on the floor like a carpet before the little mouse realises what he's doing. He looks under the paw and twinges with embarrassment, then rushes into the classroom and puts up a CLASS DISMISSED sign. However, as he is leaving the mousehole, he is caught by Jerry by the diaper. Tuffy immediately retreats to the stool in the corner and dons the dunce cap
.
Following a lesson book, the mice are hidden behind a sofa, as Jerry attempts to show Tuffy how to pluck a whisker from the cat without waking him up. Using the furniture and the rug as cover, he succeeds in obtaining one of Tom's whiskers (without awakening him) and makes it back to the sofa to show Tuffy. To Jerry's annoyance, Tuffy approaches Tom directly, instead of stealthily. His annoyance quickly turns to horror when his young charge returns not only with a whisker, but with a very bemused Tom still attached. Jerry grabs Tuffy and flees back to the hole. Tuffy reaches the hole first and slams the door in Jerry's face. Jerry frantically bangs for him to let him in. Tuffy finally opens the door again, but by then, Tom has beaten up Jerry, who tumbles in with a black eye and wearing the lesson book around his neck.
Later on, Jerry demonstrates the next lesson in the (now-intact) book: how to obtain cheese without waking the cat. Using the blinds as an elevator, a cup and spoon as a rowboat, and a broom as a slide, he succeeds in climbing onto the countertop and reaching a plate with some cheese on it, but narrowly avoids waking Tom when he drops his piece of cheese on his head. Acting quickly, he pulls Tom's eyes shut and soothes him back to sleep. Once back at the hole, Jerry shows his prize to Tuffy before eating it. The little mouse goes out himself and looks up at the plate of cheese on the countertop and then wakes Tom, who looks at him sleepily and helpfully gives him the cheese, too tired to begin a chase. Jerry is dumbfounded as Tuffy returns with the whole cheese, shows it off, and swallows the whole lot at once, causing his stomach to assume a large wedge shape.
In a last effort, Jerry tries to teach Tuffy how to bell the cat. By now, Tom is waiting for him, but fakes being asleep. Playing along with Jerry as he ties on the bell, he even conveniently lifts his head up and puts a finger on the knot as Jerry ties it. Jerry signals his thanks before realising his folly and flees. Tom catches him easily, proceeds to beat him up again and Jerry later makes it back to the hole with the string and bell wound many times around his neck. Tuffy is holding a package wrapped as a present. Tuffy looks out nervously and gulps. He cautiously approaches Tom, who is now fully awake and grumpy and offers him the present. Tom opens it and finds it to be a bell on a string. Delighted at the gift, he gestures to Tuffy, asking if it is really for him. Tuffy smiles and nods repeatedly. Tom puts the bell on himself and thanks Tuffy by gently patting him on the head. Jerry, having ultimately failed, storms off in disgust and throws his diploma in the trash.
At the end of the cartoon, Tuffy is teaching the class. He points to the board, which reads, "Cats And Mice Should Be Friends." Jerry, who is now the pupil and wearing the dunce cap, angrily shakes his head. Tom is ringing his bell and sitting next to Jerry. By contrast, Tom nods his head enthusiastically at the idea. He removes Jerry's dunce cap and kisses his head much to Jerry's chagrin.
Reel
A reel is an object around which lengths of another material are wound for storage. Generally a reel has a cylindrical core and walls on the sides to retain the material wound around the core...
animated
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...
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
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
, created in 1952
1952 in film
The year 1952 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 10 - Cecil B. DeMille's circus epic, The Greatest Show on Earth, premieres at Radio City Music Hall in New York City....
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...
with music by Scott Bradley. The cartoon was animated by Irven Spence and Ed Barge, with backgrounds by Robert Gentle, and released on May 29, 1954 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
.
Little School Mouse is essentially Professor Tom
Professor Tom
Professor Tom is a 1948 one-reel animated cartoon and is the 37th Tom and Jerry short, directed by the duo's creators William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, produced by Fred Quimby, and animated by Ray Patterson, Irven Spence, Kenneth Muse and Ed Barge....
with the roles reversed, with Jerry trying (and failing) to instruct Tuffy
Tuffy
Tuffy is a fictional character from the Tom and Jerry cartoon series. He is the little grey, diaper-wearing orphan mouse whose cartoon debut came in the 1946 short The Milky Waif. Tuffy was later featured in the 1949 Academy Award-winning short The Little Orphan...
in cat evasion with Tuffy befriending Tom, just as how Tom tried (and failed) to instruct Topsy in how to catch mice in Professor Tom with Jerry befriending Topsy.
Plot
The story opens with Jerry's diploma that qualifies Jerry to teach mice how to outwit cats. Tuffy is the only student at Jerry's school. However, Jerry is late. He is startled by the sound of Jerry being chased around the room outside the hole by Tom. Finally, Jerry reaches the hole, slamming the door shut behind him. He heaves a sigh of relief and straightens both his framed diploma on the wall and his necktie.Jerry begins teaching Tuffy the basics of outwitting a cat by way of a couple of cartoon strips on the chalkboard. The first one demonstrates how the cat chases the mouse and, if he catches the mouse, will eat him. Tuffy begins to cry. Jerry directs his attention to the other picture sequence, which shows the mouse reaching his hole and the cat saying "bad words
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
." Tuffy laughs.
For the next lesson, Jerry shows Tuffy an imitation cat's paw in front of a mousehole facade. He demonstrates the procedure and Tuffy goes into the hole, where he makes a show of looking for danger, walks straight out of the hole and ends up walking on the spot with his tail getting caught in the cat's paw. Jerry isn't pleased, so he has Tuffy work the cat's paw while he gives another demonstration. Tuffy winds the crank with such enthusiasm that Jerry can't get away and ends up flat on the floor like a carpet before the little mouse realises what he's doing. He looks under the paw and twinges with embarrassment, then rushes into the classroom and puts up a CLASS DISMISSED sign. However, as he is leaving the mousehole, he is caught by Jerry by the diaper. Tuffy immediately retreats to the stool in the corner and dons the dunce cap
Dunce cap
A dunce cap, also variously known as a dunce hat, dunce's cap, or dunce's hat, is a pointed hat. In popular culture, it is typically made of paper and often marked with a D or the word "dunce", and given to schoolchildren to wear as punishment by public humiliation for misbehavior and, as the name...
.
Following a lesson book, the mice are hidden behind a sofa, as Jerry attempts to show Tuffy how to pluck a whisker from the cat without waking him up. Using the furniture and the rug as cover, he succeeds in obtaining one of Tom's whiskers (without awakening him) and makes it back to the sofa to show Tuffy. To Jerry's annoyance, Tuffy approaches Tom directly, instead of stealthily. His annoyance quickly turns to horror when his young charge returns not only with a whisker, but with a very bemused Tom still attached. Jerry grabs Tuffy and flees back to the hole. Tuffy reaches the hole first and slams the door in Jerry's face. Jerry frantically bangs for him to let him in. Tuffy finally opens the door again, but by then, Tom has beaten up Jerry, who tumbles in with a black eye and wearing the lesson book around his neck.
Later on, Jerry demonstrates the next lesson in the (now-intact) book: how to obtain cheese without waking the cat. Using the blinds as an elevator, a cup and spoon as a rowboat, and a broom as a slide, he succeeds in climbing onto the countertop and reaching a plate with some cheese on it, but narrowly avoids waking Tom when he drops his piece of cheese on his head. Acting quickly, he pulls Tom's eyes shut and soothes him back to sleep. Once back at the hole, Jerry shows his prize to Tuffy before eating it. The little mouse goes out himself and looks up at the plate of cheese on the countertop and then wakes Tom, who looks at him sleepily and helpfully gives him the cheese, too tired to begin a chase. Jerry is dumbfounded as Tuffy returns with the whole cheese, shows it off, and swallows the whole lot at once, causing his stomach to assume a large wedge shape.
In a last effort, Jerry tries to teach Tuffy how to bell the cat. By now, Tom is waiting for him, but fakes being asleep. Playing along with Jerry as he ties on the bell, he even conveniently lifts his head up and puts a finger on the knot as Jerry ties it. Jerry signals his thanks before realising his folly and flees. Tom catches him easily, proceeds to beat him up again and Jerry later makes it back to the hole with the string and bell wound many times around his neck. Tuffy is holding a package wrapped as a present. Tuffy looks out nervously and gulps. He cautiously approaches Tom, who is now fully awake and grumpy and offers him the present. Tom opens it and finds it to be a bell on a string. Delighted at the gift, he gestures to Tuffy, asking if it is really for him. Tuffy smiles and nods repeatedly. Tom puts the bell on himself and thanks Tuffy by gently patting him on the head. Jerry, having ultimately failed, storms off in disgust and throws his diploma in the trash.
At the end of the cartoon, Tuffy is teaching the class. He points to the board, which reads, "Cats And Mice Should Be Friends." Jerry, who is now the pupil and wearing the dunce cap, angrily shakes his head. Tom is ringing his bell and sitting next to Jerry. By contrast, Tom nods his head enthusiastically at the idea. He removes Jerry's dunce cap and kisses his head much to Jerry's chagrin.