Release Date:

March 1, 1941

Main Character(s):

None

Summary:

Fed up with always being chased, a mouse convinces the cat who’s been chasing him to convince the bulldog to stop chasing the cat. Of course, this doesn’t work and the mouse soon finds himself being chased again.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The cartoon was given a Blue Ribbon reissue. “Me-Ow” played under the opening credits. In June 2021, a cel of the original title card was found.

This is the first cartoon that Michael Maltese wrote for Freleng.

The cartoon has a special rendition of the Merrie Melodies end theme. It is unknown if the cartoon also had a special rendition of the opening theme.

What I Like About This One:

The mouse’s complaint about how he’s always chased. “What am I, a man or a mouse!?” He decides he’s a man and goes out to confront the cat (animated by Richard Bickenbach).

The mouse telling the cat to sit down when he confronts him. When the cat doesn’t immediately comply, the mouse yells, “I SAID SIT DOWN!” (animated by Bickenbach).

As the mouse goes back to his hole, he complains about how the country is overrun with cats (animated by Bickenbach).

The cat’s answer to the mouse’s question as to why he always chased him is “cats have always chased mice”. The mouse makes fun of his answer and labels it as stupid, to which the cat adds that “dogs have always chased cats”. The mouse gets so annoyed with that answer that he acts like he’s about to hit the cat before reconsidering. “YOU…YOU…YOU…fool” (animated by Herman Cohen).

When the cat hesitates to tell the bulldog to stop chasing him, the mouse asks him if he’s yellow. The cat starts to say yes, before realizing what he was asked and correcting himself. “No! Who’s yellow? Why I’m not- Course I ain’t yellow!” (animated by Cohen).

The signs leading up to the bulldog’s house read: “A Vicious Dog” “Is Just Ahead” “Don’t Go Too Near” “Or You’ll Be Dead” “Period” (the last one has a large red dot underneath the word). Carl Stalling’s music accompanying this is also funny.

The bulldog going out after the cat knocks on his doghouse only to find no one out there. It turns out that the cat has hastily climbed up to the top of the gate.

The cat failing to get the bulldog’s attention: “Y’know, Spike, I think it would be a good idea if everybody would quit chasing everybody else!”. When the bulldog lifts his paw up to scratch his head, the cat immediately runs back up to the gate (animated by Gil Turner).

When the cat literally puts his foot down on the fact that he will no longer put up with the bulldog’s chasing of him, he accidentally steps in the bulldog’s water dish, causing it to fly into the air and land on the bulldog’s head. The cat attempts to apologize and wipe the bulldog’s face, but then continues with the no more chasing speech and as he does, the wind blows the gate shut, unbeknownst to him. The cat then says, “You’re not so tough? You think I’m brave because you’re chained up, huh? Why, this chain is-” He holds up the chain only to find it attached to nothing. “He ain’t chained.”, the cat remarks before realizing the trouble he’s now in. “HE AIN’T CHAINED!?” (animated by Turner).

The cat realizing the gate is now shut when he finds himself in mid-air (animated by Turner).

Sometime later, the bandaged cat angrily confronts the mouse and tells him that the bulldog “just couldn’t see it your way.” “Then he’s going to keep on chasing you?” “Mm-hmm” “So that means that you-” “Yes, that means-” The cat then stops the mouse from leaving. “Oh, going someplace?” He then gets out of his bandages and chases the mouse again (animated by Cal Dalton).

Realizing he’s been chased yet again, the mouse again asks, “Am I a man or a mouse?” He then looks in embarrassment towards the audience and admits, “I’m a mouse” (animated by Bickenbach).

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕