Mouse for Sale
Encyclopedia
Mouse for Sale is the 92nd one reel
animated
Tom and Jerry
short
, created in 1953
directed by William Hanna
and Joseph Barbera
and produced by Fred Quimby
with music by Scott Bradley. It was released on May 21, 1955 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
. The cartoon was animated by Kenneth Muse, Ed Barge, Irven Spence and Ray Patterson, the backgrounds designed by Robert Gentle, and the voice of Joan was supplied by June Foray
. It is one of the rare episodes in which Tom triumphs over Jerry. The name is a reference to "House for sale".
Tom is reading the paper but quickly discards it and pretends to be asleep when he sees his owner Joan walk past him. He then sees an ad in the paper that says: BIG MONEY PAID FOR WHITE MICE. There is a mouse in the house, but it's not white. A little paint will fix that, though. Tom paints a steel nut yellow to look like cheese and feeds it to Jerry, then attracts him with a magnet. He paints Jerry white and sells him to the local pet store, receiving $50. He hides his earnings under the rug. Unfortunately, Joan finds and takes the money and buys (regardless of the fact that the money was most likely not hers to spend) a white mouse, the very same one Tom sold. Jerry dances to music on the radio. Tom hits his head with a coal spade, trying to hit Jerry, but misses. After a few more attempts, he catches the mouse, but Joan is angry and hits him on the head and throws him out of the house.
Tom is furious and creeps up to the window. Then, the curtain is drawn and Jerry holds out a sign reading "Jerry, the Dancing Mouse". Jerry dances the way he did earlier, taunting Tom. Tom reaches for the garden hose while watching the presentation and then opens the window and blasts Jerry with the hose. Tom chases Jerry and traps him under a teapot. Joan hears the noise and enters the kitchen as Jerry rolls in a tub of flour and turns himself white. She asks Tom if he's got the white mouse under the teapot and Tom lifts it up revealing a white Jerry. Joan slaps Tom with a broom, scolding him. Tom runs away and finds a fireplace bellows
. He surprises Jerry and blows off the flour on his lower torso. Tom gives chase and Jerry tears shreds off a broom when Joan spots Jerry, who dances like a cabaret girl and hides his brown parts. Tom sneaks up behind Jerry and blows off all the flour after she leaves. Jerry hides in a closet and Tom tries to force entry until he is whacked by Joan. Tom turns the tables on Joan by snatching the broom from her grasp and breaking it in two, leaving her speechless and she watches as he triumphantly opens the cupboard door, to point at Jerry, who jumps out - but he's white again! Tom's eyes pop out and Tom has to punish himself by hitting himself with the top half of the broom until he's out of sight. He sees Jerry kiss a bottle of shoe polish and is distraught until he sees a can of white paint in the garage. Tom paints himself white and comes back. He rings the doorbell and holds out a sign that says "Tom the Dancing Cat" to a startled Joan. Tom dances just like Jerry and charms Joan. Under the impression that the cat was simply jealous of her white mouse, Joan lets Tom in, but makes him promise to be friends with Jerry. She leaves, and Tom dances while repeatedly stomping on Jerry.
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 1953
1953 in film
The year 1953 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*September 16 — The Robe debuts as the first anamorphic, widescreen CinemaScope film.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:A...
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. It was released on May 21, 1955 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...
. The cartoon was animated by Kenneth Muse, Ed Barge, Irven Spence and Ray Patterson, the backgrounds designed by Robert Gentle, and the voice of Joan was supplied by June Foray
June Foray
June Foray is an American voice actress, best known as the voice of many animated characters...
. It is one of the rare episodes in which Tom triumphs over Jerry. The name is a reference to "House for sale".
Plot
Bellows
A bellows is a device for delivering pressurized air in a controlled quantity to a controlled location.Basically, a bellows is a deformable container which has an outlet nozzle. When the volume of the bellows is decreased, the air escapes through the outlet...
. He surprises Jerry and blows off the flour on his lower torso. Tom gives chase and Jerry tears shreds off a broom when Joan spots Jerry, who dances like a cabaret girl and hides his brown parts. Tom sneaks up behind Jerry and blows off all the flour after she leaves. Jerry hides in a closet and Tom tries to force entry until he is whacked by Joan. Tom turns the tables on Joan by snatching the broom from her grasp and breaking it in two, leaving her speechless and she watches as he triumphantly opens the cupboard door, to point at Jerry, who jumps out - but he's white again! Tom's eyes pop out and Tom has to punish himself by hitting himself with the top half of the broom until he's out of sight. He sees Jerry kiss a bottle of shoe polish and is distraught until he sees a can of white paint in the garage. Tom paints himself white and comes back. He rings the doorbell and holds out a sign that says "Tom the Dancing Cat" to a startled Joan. Tom dances just like Jerry and charms Joan. Under the impression that the cat was simply jealous of her white mouse, Joan lets Tom in, but makes him promise to be friends with Jerry. She leaves, and Tom dances while repeatedly stomping on Jerry.