Release Date:

November 16, 1957

Main Character(s):

Sylvester, Hippety Hopper, Sylvester Jr.

Summary:

Hippety Hopper escapes from his new habitat at the zoo and takes refuge in the pouch of a large stuffed kangaroo on display at the nearby County Museum. At this same museum, Sylvester has a job there as a mouse-catcher and has taken Sylvester Jr. with him to show him how he does it. Coming across Hippety, they assume he is a giant mouse and pursue him all around the museum.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 1446 and was released as a Merrie Melodie.

The title is a pun for “mistaken identity”.

Carl Stalling scored this one.

This is the penultimate time all three (Sylvester, Hippety, and Jr.) appear in the same cartoon. They would all appear together one final time in 1964’s “Freudy Cat” (which was also the final appearance of Hippety and Jr.).

Unfortunately, the animator draft for the cartoon doesn’t exist anywhere online.

I love the rendition of “Three Blind Mice” over the opening credits.

Favorite Scene:

Jr. attempting to save Sylvester after he gets stuck in a mounted lion head that falls to the ground.

What Happens in This One:

At the zoo the area intended for Hippety labeled “Baby Kangaroo Habitat- Australia” has had its metal fence freshly painted. A delivery truck backs up to the area and a plank comes out of the back for Hippety to bounce down it into his new residence. The driver puts Hippety onto the plank, “Alright now, little fella. Hop on over there into your new home”. Seconds after the truck leaves, Hippety jumps out of his area, out of the zoo, and jumps past the museum near the zoo. Having spotted something in one of the windows, Hippety hops back to it and looks inside. What he spotted is a stuffed mother kangaroo on display in the “Australian Group” exhibit. Hippety enters through the window and jumps into the stuffed kangaroo’s pouch, looking up at it affectionately as if it’s a real kangaroo (animated by Warren Batchelder).

Meanwhile, Sylvester enters the museum and punches into the time clock, with Jr. having come along to see him at work, talking all the way as they ascend the stairs going out of the employees room, “Oh, Father, I’m so excited about going along with you on your mouse-catching job. Why, I’ve never even SEEN a mouse before, because you’ve never taken me mouse-catching before. You’re being a real pal to your little son, Father! And a father who is a pal to his son like you’re being to-” This only annoys Sylvester, who exclaims, “Aw, knock it off, will ya, son!?” Jr. begins to reply, “But, Father, I just-”, before Sylvester notices something and shushes him, “Quiet. A mouse” (animated by George Grandpre).

The mouse Sylvester spotted walks out of its hole at the bottom of a dresser. Sylvester instructs, “Now, watch closely, son, and you’ll see a real expert at work”. Jr. states, “Oh, Father, I’m ever so excited!” Sylvester begins chasing the mouse around the museum with his attempt to leap at him ending with him crashing into some knight armor. He staggers around with a knight helmet on his head. The mouse runs near Jr., who picks it up by the tail in curiosity and asks, “Father, why are you chasing this little thing for, Father?” Sylvester enters and lifts up the helmet’s visor, “‘Why’!? Because THAT little thing’s a MOUSE, that’s why!” Jr. is rather shocked at this, “A mouse!? Why, Father, you always told me a mouse was a great big ferocious-”, only for Sylvester to put his hand over Jr.’s mouth, which allows the mouse to get away, “Never mind what I told ya!” (animated by Ted Bonnicksen)

Sylvester gives an explanation after he clears his throat, “Well, ya see, son, mice come in assorted sizes. Little runties like the ones around here to great big king-sized giant mice like the ones I used to hunt”. Jr. points to something he noticed, “Really? Like that one over there? (animated by Bonnicksen) Is that a giant mouse like you used to hunt, Father?” Sylvester turns around and is shocked to see that what Jr. was talking about (animated by Batchelder) is the stuffed kangaroo, “Huh!? Oh, oh, uh, uh, y-y-why, yes, yes! Yes, it is! A stuffed giant mouse!” He then scoffs, “Wouldn’t be surprised if I knocked that one off myself” (animated by Bonnicksen).

Sylvester boasts, “Ah, you should’ve seen your old man in action. First, I’d stalk the monster til I cornered it. Then, I’d rush it!” He proceeds to do exactly that, running up to the kangaroo to tackle it, only for Hippety, who’s been in the pouch this whole time, to kick Sylvester backwards into the wall. Slightly dazed, Sylvester believes, “Sufferin’ succotash! It’s alive!” Jr. walks up to him and laments, “Oh, Father! Letting a mouse kick you!” Sylvester retorts, “Oh, yeah? Well, I sure cut him down to size, you’ll notice!” With his arms folded and sporting a smug expression, Jr. watches Hippety hop past as Sylvester gets out of the wall and continues, “Now just watch me cut him down another notch or two!” (animated by Batchelder)

Giving chase, Sylvester pursues Hippety into a cave in a prehistoric exhibit (animated by Batchelder). From inside the cave, he is heard demanding Hippety put up his dukes before Hippety begins thrashing him. Jr. runs up to the cave and calls to him, “Are you cutting him down another notch or two, Father?” His question is answered when Sylvester is sent flying out of the cave by Hippety. Jr. then laments, “Oh, the shame of it!” as Sylvester hits the platform a dinosaur skeleton was standing on headfirst. Once Sylvester comes to his senses, he sees Jr. walk into view with a sack on his head. “Now what’s the idea of THAT!?” Jr. answers shamefully, “After seeing my pussycat father thrown out by a mouse, I’m ashamed to show my face in public!” Sylvester yanks the sack off while yelling, “Now cut that out!” He then explains, “There’s just not enough fighting room in there! I gotta get him out here in the open where there’s room to throw my 1-2 punch!” In the midst of Sylvester saying this, Jr. gives a “whatever” shrug to the audience (animated by Grandpre).

Sylvester starts swinging his fists while moving around before he gets an idea, “I know! I’ll SMOKE him out!” He walks back to the exhibit and takes the fire-making tools the stuffed caveman on display is using. When he attempts to make a fire this way in order to smoke Hippety out, Sylvester only succeeds in burning off most of his fur and charring himself (animated by Grandpre).

Jr. asks Sylvester about what he’s wearing, “Father, what on Earth are you doing with that giant turtle shell?” Sylvester chuckles, “Heh, heh, son, the Armored Pussycat Division is about to move in on target!” He gets on all four’s and goes into the cave like a tank. Sylvester shortly exits the cave with his back legs replaced with Hippety’s feet and tail. Jr. questions, “Where is it, Father? Where’s the corpus delecti?” Sylvester’s answer is, “Shucks, son. I didn’t even see him! He must’ve sneaked out!” Upon taking notice of what’s sticking out of the back of the shell, Jr. then asks, “Father, what’s happened to your legs?” Sylvester looks at them himself and lets out a “YIPE!” before jumping out of the shell, with Hippety still remaining in there. He looks into the shell and realizes, “I’ve got a stowaway!” Hippety pulls Sylvester into the shell and beats him up from the inside of said shell before kicking him out (animated by Bonnicksen).

Sent flying from the kick, Sylvester lands in the mouth of a mounted lion head on the wall which falls down with his rear end sticking out of the mouth. Mistaking this for a real lion, Jr. is shocked, “Father!” He runs off to get a club, “Don’t worry, Father! I’ll save you! No lion’s going to eat up MY own father!” (animated by Bonnicksen) Jr. repeatedly hitting the lion’s snout only succeeds in its teeth biting down on Sylvester, who not only screams in pain each time, but also tries to get Jr.’s attention, “Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Son? Ouch! Sonny boy? OWWWWWWWWWCH! SON!” Jr. assures, “Courage, Father! I’ll subdue the infuriated beast!”, unaware that Sylvester is already attempting to get himself out through the other side of the head. Jr. returns with a musket and prepares to shoot the lion, “Hang on, Father! Don’t let him swallow you!” He shoots, but ends up shooting Sylvester in the rear. Jr. runs up to Sylvester, who has has the fur on his behind and most of his tail missing with the tip on his tail being on fire. “Oh, Father. I saved you from that ferocious lion!” Slightly irritated, Sylvester gets back up and puts out the flame on his tail, “Oh, yes. Yes, indeed. You saved me”, before patting Jr. on the head and requesting, “But let’s just not ever save me again, hmm?” Jr. gives a look of confusion to the audience (animated by Batchelder).

Spotting Hippety in the distance, Jr. points to him, “There he goes, Father! There goes the mouse!” and cheers Sylvester on when he starts going after him, “Get him, Father! Get him!” Sylvester pursues Hippety around the entrance to an American Indian exhibit, first with Hippety wearing a raccoon-skin cap and being chased by Sylvester dressed like an Indian and whooping like one, before the roles are reversed. When Sylvester walks back out, Jr. asks rapidly, “Did you get him, Father? Father? Did you get him? Huh? Huh? Did you get him? Huh, Father? Did you get him?” Sylvester reveals that he got scalped, “Does this answer your question, son?” (animated by Grandpre)

Sylvester chases Hippety all the way to a wall, seemingly having him cornered. He prepares to fire himself as an arrow from a crossbow, while wearing a metal glove on his left fist and chuckling, “Gotcha cornered, Mister Smarty Mouse!” Hippety dodges Sylvester flying towards him, sending the latter plowing into the wall and crashing into the next room, which is an Egyptian exhibit. Jr. enters the exhibit and looks around for Sylvester, whose tail is sticking out of a sarcophagus, “Father! Father! Where are you, Father?” He then hears Sylvester mumbling unintelligibly except for an audible “Over here” at one point. Jr. opens the sarcophagus to find Sylvester wrapped up like a mummy except for his tail. Unraveling him, Jr. exclaims, “Father! Oh, Father, now you can be my daddy and my mummy too!” Sylvester groans in disgust at this as Hippety jumps up into his arms and gives him a hug of affection (animated by Bonnicksen).

Where Can I Watch It?

At toontales.net!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕