Double Chaser

Directed by Friz Freleng

The mouse about to unwittingly cause his own demise.

Release Date:

June 27, 1942

Main Character(s):

None

Summary:

A cat chases a mouse and is in turn chased by a bulldog.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The cartoon was given a Blue Ribbon reissue. A combination of “Three Blind Mice”, “Me-Ow”, and “Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone” played under the opening credits:

Supervision: I. Freleng

Story: Michael Maltese

Animation: Gerry Chiniquy

Musical Direction: Carl W. Stalling

In addition, a cel of the original title card was found in May 2021.

The cartoon has no dialogue.

This cartoon also foreshadows the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote cartoons in that this is a dialogue-less chase cartoon and Maltese contributed to the creation of that series (even though this cartoon was not directed by Jones).

What I Like About This One:

The mouse being attracted by the scent of a piece of cheese which lures him in the shape of a female to the tune of “Girlfriend of the Whirling Dervish” (animated by Richard Bickenbach).

Running out to the bulldog’s house, the mouse opens up the sleeping bulldog’s eyes to make it look like he’s awake. Although the bulldog is still clearly snoring, the cat is surprisingly fooled by this.

The cat next tries to lure the mouse by attaching cheese to a string, but the mouse takes the bulldog with him. The mouse boldly eats the cheese, but once the bulldog wakes up and walks away, the cat starts after him. The mouse silently taunts the cat before realizing there’s no bulldog next to him (animated by Gerry Chiniquy).

The mouse hiding in a hole to which the cat attempts to dig him out of. The bulldog pops out instead of the mouse so the cat quickly buries him back under.

Passing by a fence missing a few boards, the cat first sees the mouse sneaking by, then the bulldog, and then himself! (animated by Gil Turner)

The mouse hides under a chicken and the cat turns out the lights to examine each egg in front of a candle to find which one the mouse is hiding in. Just as the cat finds the mouse, the bulldog enters forcing the cat to disguise as a chicken.

Seeing the mouse imitate a chick, the cat picks up the mouse and an actual chick to make a comparison, but then the bulldog picks up the cat and an actual chicken to compare them.

With the chase continuing outside, the mouse whistles out all of the cat’s hiding places to the bulldog, until he accidentally causes the bulldog to crash into a pile of junk. It turns out the bulldog also swallowed the cuckoo, which flies out of his mouth and angrily cuckoos at him.

Angry at the mouse for misleading him, the bulldog turns against him and joins the cat in chasing the mouse.

In order to scare both cat and bulldog off, the mouse dunks an apple in a can of black paint to resemble a bomb. This backfires as it explodes in the mouse’s hand and turns him into an ascending angel!

Where Can I Watch It?

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕