Release Date:

February 15, 1941

Main Character(s):

None

Summary:

While wandering in a ghost town, a cat is tormented by the ghost of a deceased mouse.

That’s Not All, Folks:

This is the first Looney Tune to be a one-shot (all one-shots released before this one were Merrie Melodies), the first black and white cartoon to be a one-shot since “Rhythm in the Bow”, the first black and white cartoon since “The Phantom Ship” to not feature Porky Pig, and Avery’s first black and white cartoon since “Porky’s Garden”.

This is also the first cartoon written by Michael Maltese, whose writing would later shine when he became Chuck Jones’ storyman in the late 1940’s.

For unknown reasons, all cartoons released as Looney Tunes would still feature Porky in the intro, even if he didn’t appear (when both Porky and Daffy later appeared in the opening rings, this also happened, whether only one of them appeared or if neither appeared). This misleading trend would continue for every cartoon released as a Looney Tune up until “Angel Puss” (1944; incidentally, this was the only Looney Tune in the Censored Eleven as the other ten were Merrie Melodies, and was also the only one of the eleven to be directed by Chuck Jones).

Child actor Walter Tetley (who also voiced Andy Panda in a few cartoons for Walter Lantz) voices the ghost mouse.

This is the last cartoon to use the 1939-1941 Looney Tunes opening theme.

The restored print uses the incorrect opening theme.

From this point onwards, all black and white cartoons are in the public domain.

What I Like About This One:

When the cat sees a sign for “Ma’s Place Home Cooking” in 3 miles, he runs off to it like he’s in a race (complete with the noise of a gun firing).

The population of the unnamed ghost town is “100 Ghosts”.

The “M” in a banner labeled “Boom Town” being crossed out so the banner now says “Boo Town”.

The ghost mouse giving the cat a bowl of milk but both milk and bowl are transparent so he isn’t actually licking anything up.

When the cat tells the ghost mouse his stomach is empty, the ghost mouse looks inside and sees that it is indeed empty.

The cat realizing the character he’s talking to is a mouse and chasing him into his hole. After the cat hits the wall, the ghost mouse addresses him, “Hello, jerk.”

The cat shouting at the ghost mouse to come out and not noticing the ghost mouse joining him in shouting.

The cat then leaps upon the ghost mouse, who then appears in front of him and asks, “Did ya get me, punchy?” When the cat says he thinks he did, he takes a look and finds nothing before seeing the ghost mouse fade away in front of him.

After the ghost mouse ties the cat’s tail in a knot, the cat stops his screaming in pain at one point to comment, “This hurts” in a calm voice.

The ghost mouse drawing a stick figure of a dopey-looking cat on the wall and writing underneath it, “The cat is a jerk”. He then tickles the cat.

The cat sneaking up on the ghost mouse’s hole to which the ghost mouse greets him with, “Guess who?” and gives him a wacky kiss.

The ghost mouse thinking he’s gotten rid of the cat after giving him a hotfoot and causing him to crash outside, only for him to be greeted by the cat’s ghost, who is very angry. The ghost mouse shouts in horror, “A GHOST!” and runs off, stopping only to change the population sign from 100 ghosts to 99.

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕