Release Date:

March 6, 1943

Main Character(s):

None

Summary:

A dim-witted gray mouse is manipulated by a Hitler-like cat to make the other mice his slaves. When the cat mentions, he would like a mouse for a meal, the mice form an army and chase him away.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The cartoon was given a Blue Ribbon reissue. “Three Blind Mice” played over the opening credits:

Supervision: I. Freleng

Story: Michael Maltese

Animation: Ken Champin

Musical Direction: Carl W. Stalling

The original title card has also been found and can be viewed here.

When the cartoon was reissued, a substitute lyric for the mice’s rendition of “Ain’t We Got Fun” at the start of the cartoon had a line removed: “Down with the Axis, we’re all glad to pay our taxes”. It was likely removed due to the line being irrelevant now that World War ll had been over for a few years by the time of the reissue. The scene with the cut line can be viewed here.

The cartoon is in the public domain.

The title is a play on words for “fifth columnist”, which refers to someone who betrays his country during World War ll.

The cartoon no longer airs on television due to being wartime-heavy.

The gray mouse bears a resemblance to the mouse duo of Hubie and Bertie, who Jones would introduce later in 1943. This is also the only time this character design would appear in a non-Jones cartoon.

Clips from this cartoon can be seen in the Netflix series, “How to Become a Tyrant”.

What I Like About This One:

The mice’s rendition of “Ain’t We Got Fun” at the start of the cartoon while sitting on a bar of soap in the sink, as well as using the blinds as a ski ramp and soap chips as snow (animated by Richard Bickenbach).

The cat wiping out the fog on the window for his head fur and nose to resemble Hitler’s hair and mustache in those places (animated by Gil Turner).

One of the mice spotting the cat and warning the gray mouse to run, but the latter is confident that the cat can’t get in the house. He is immediately proven wrong (animated by Turner).

A mouse with an air raid warden helmet shuts off the light for a blackout when the cat enters (animated by Ken Champin).

Thinking the cat is gone, the gray mouse sneaks out and believes he’s telling the other mice they can now come back out. However, the cat has disguised his mouth as the hole (animated by Turner).

The cat preventing the gray mouse from entering a hole in the floor by putting his finger over it. After reassuring the gray mouse he won’t hurt him, he offers him a piece of cheese, but won’t give it to him unless he does what he tells him to. The mouse becomes shocked at the cat imitating a Japanese and starts shaking his head in refusal only to change his mind and nod his head yes when the cat waves the cheese in front of him (animated by Gerry Chiniquy).

With the cat listening, the gray mouse gives the other mice a speech about the cat wanting to “save us, and not to enslave us” to the tune of “Blues in the Night” with other mice joining in with either questions or arguments (animated by Phil Monroe).

To the tune of “Girlfriend of the Whirling Dervish”, the mice are now seen waiting on the cat and pampering him by doing things such as fanning him, giving him food, massaging the back of his head, and attempting to place his rear end on a pillow (animated by Monroe). The mouse who’s filing his claws is very annoyed at having to wait on the cat, and starts grinding the claw to nothingness, to which the cat flicks him (animated by Chiniquy).

The cat requesting a “nice, fat, tender mouse” for a meal to which the mouse posing as a waiter starts to write this down before realizing he means them, causing all the other mice to run off (animated by Bickenbach). The gray mouse laughs at this, before the Hitler cat considers HIM for a meal (animated by Manuel Perez).

Deciding to get rid of the cat, the mice form an army to the tune of “We Did It Before and We Can Do It Again”, with them receiving helmets from a bottle-capper, and while building their “secret weapon”, one mouse is lifted up via a fishing pole past a war bond poster with a mouse replacing the soldier (animated by Champin).

The secret weapon is revealed to be a Trojan dog with a metal head and a barrel for a body. It chases the cat to the tune of Strauss’ “Perpetual Motion” while the mice “fire” by means of using a pair of dentures on extended arms to bite the cat in the tail (animated by Champin).

For the finishing touch, another mouse shaves the cat’s fur, leaving only the Morse code of V for Victory and causing the cat to retreat out the window (animated by Champin).

Triumphant, the mice celebrate their victory with a reprise of “We Did It Before and We Can Do It Again”. The gray mouse that caused all the trouble adds, “We dood it!” and gets a pastry thrown at him in response, knocking him against the wall (animated by Monroe).

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕