Release Date:

November 19, 1938

Main Character(s):

None

Summary:

The regular night watchman, Thomas Cat, is too sick to guard the kitchen so he has his son, Tommy, substitute. When the tough, bullying mice learn about this, they raid the kitchen and stage a floorshow. Tommy toughens up after his conscience reminds of his “poor old daddy who trusted you” and fights the mice away.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The cartoon was given a Blue Ribbon reissue. When it was restored for the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 4 DVD set in 2006, the original titles were put back in.

This is the first cartoon to be directed by Chuck Jones, who would go on to become the studio’s greatest director. Ironically, when he first started out, his cartoons were heavily influenced by Disney’s Silly Symphonies (cartoons that had beautiful animation and were charming, but didn’t have a lot of humor). He wouldn’t officially become funny until 1942.

When the mouse leader pulls off the suspender on Tommy’s overalls, this is a reference to the 1936 Mickey Mouse cartoon, “Mickey’s Rival” where Mortimer, a larger mouse who was a cocky showoff, did the same thing to Mickey.

This is one of the few cartoons where mice are portrayed as villains instead of cats.

You can find out who animated what scene here.

What I Like About This One:

When Tommy’s father tells him to be careful, he nods in agreement only to walk into the open door. He then runs out and crashes into some bottles offscreen. He then smashes off a bottle stuck to his foot (animated by Phil Monroe).

When the leader mouse turns on the light, he tells Tommy to “c’mere”. Tommy ignores him, but then the leader yells for him to “C’MERE!” Upon learning that he isn’t the regular night watchman, the leader tauntingly announces this to his cronies who all tauntingly tsk in unison, “Now ain’t that just TOO bad?” (animated by Robert McKimson).

The shots of the mice eating food: a group of mice become fat from eating through a watermelon (animated by AC Gamer), another tries to take out a banana (animated by Keith Darling), but the banana flings into another mouse’s mouth, turning him into the shape of one (animated by Ken Harris), another mouse becomes twisted after eating a pretzel and another one gets stuck and overweight in a jar of olives (both animated by Gamer).

When a cook mouse is preparing a steak, he makes Tommy give him the salt and the pepper. When Tommy says he’s supposed to be the night watchman, the cook orders him to “get going!” (animated by Monroe).

The floorshow being a mouse trio singing “In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree” (animated by Harris). There are also a few crosscuts of Tommy trying to get them to be quiet (animated by Gamer).

The mouse drummer going so crazy that he staggers off the counter and lands on the light, turning it on (animated by Harris) down on Tommy, who yells “QUIET!” before realizing his mistake as all the mice angrily turn their heads at him (animated by Gamer).

After the leader punches him away (“So, a heckler, huh?”), Tommy walks away crying before his conscience appears and scolds him for letting them push him around. He gives Tommy the confidence to beat all the mice away (animated by McKimson).

Tommy giving the mice the beatings they deserve (to the tune of “Yankee Doodle”): he twists the leader, makes another mouse’s head bob up and down, tricks another mouse into protecting his groin while Tommy actually punches him in the stomach, punches another hiding behind the flour bin, before punching a bunch of them in time to the music (animated by Harris).

The mice becoming so scared of Tommy that they step back every time he comes towards them, before Tommy frightens them all away with a simple “Boo” (animated by Rod Scribner).

Tommy plunging the leader out of the mouse hole and removing his suspender, revealing his flower underwear. The leader tries to cover this up in embarrassment as the cartoon irises out (animated by McKimson).

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕