Release Date:

December 8, 1956

Main Character(s):

Honey Mousers

Summary:

Ralph Crumden and his wife, Alice, have been arguing ever since the people who lived in the apartment where their mouse hole is have moved out and left them with practically no food. They are informed by their friend and neighbor, Ned Morton, about new people having moved in with plenty of food. There’s also a cat, however, who Ralph and Morton attempt to try and get past.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 1431 and was released as a Looney Tune.

This is the first of three cartoons (all directed by McKimson and written by Tedd Pierce) to spoof “The Honeymooners” with the entire cast as mice. The other two are 1957’s “Cheese It, the Cat” (which is actually our post two weeks from today) and 1960’s “Mice Follies”. This is also the only one of the three where Alice plays a significant role as the other two focus entirely on Ralph and Morton.

McKimson would also make another brilliant rodent parody in 1959 called “The Mouse That Jack Built”.

Daws Butler provided the voices of Ralph and Morton while June Foray voiced Alice.

Foray is also a guest on Jerry Beck’s commentary for this cartoon on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 3 DVD set.

This is the other cartoon besides “Wideo Wabbit” (McKimson’s previous cartoon) to give film editor credit to Irvin Jay.

The opening credits for this one provide some irony as the title card shows silhouettes of Ralph and Alice looking at each other happily amidst a purple starry evening and a heart backdrop. The evening and heart backgrounds are also used for the credits and director credit. What’s ironic about it is that Ralph and Alice bicker throughout almost the whole cartoon.

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

Jackie Gleason himself was originally dismissive of the cartoon but when he actually saw it himself, he ended up liking it.

The beer bottles in the fridge are labeled “Pierce’s Beer”, referring to Tedd Pierce.

Favorite Scene:

The “Trojan dog” scene.

What Happens in This One:

At an apartment building in New York City with the sign “House for Rent”, there is a mouse-sized door near the entrance. Ralph opens the mouse hole door from the kitchen, holding a piece of cheese and calling, “Hey, Alice! Alice! Come here, baby! And see what your ever-loving husband and provider has brought ya!” Alice is not pleased with it, “Are you kidding, Ralph? A hunk of old stale cheese?” Irritated at her ungratefulness, Ralph responds, “Well, what do you expect!? That’s the last morsel of food left in the joint since the people moved out! (animated by Ted Bonnicksen) And I had to get THAT the hard way!” He reveals his tail got caught in a mousetrap that he brings into the mouse hole. After Alice frees him from the trap, Ralph starts dramatically screaming in pain from his bent tail (animated by Keith Darling).

Alice is also not pleased with his overreacting, “Oh, cut it out, Ralph! You’re gonna live! But how do you expect us to live with no food in the dump?” Ralph replies, “Ah, somebody’ll move in and uh…” before Alice finishes, “And find a couple of dead mice!” Angered by this, Ralph threatens, “I ought to belt you one!”, but Alice could not care less as she begins to respond, “Ah-!”. Morton suddenly enters with good news, “Hey, Ralph! Ralphie boy! New people are moving in!” Ralph’s mood changes with this, “Hey! No kiddin’?” Morton walks him over to the door leading out to the kitchen to prove it, “Come on! We go have a look-see in the kitchen!” (animated by George Grandpre)

Ralph and Morton watch as an icebox is being pushed in as the latter comments, “Gee! Get a load of the icebox!” As boxes of “J and W Brand” and “P S Brand” are the next stuff pushed in, Ralph calls out, “Hey, Alice! You oughta see what they’re moving in! Like having Greenblatt’s Delicatessen right next door to us!” Morton adds, “Yeah! Everything for the kitchen but a cat!”, oblivious that the new owners’ cat has had his cage put down and been let out as the cat himself sneaks up on the mouse hole before Morton shuts the door on him, “There’ll be feasting tonight, Ralphie boy! Va-va-va-voom!” Ralph tells a delighted Alice, “Alice, my queen, break out the Monogram Crumden silver! WE are gonna have a BANQUET!” (animated by Grandpre)

To the tune of “Ain’t We Got Fun”, Alice sets up the table (animated by Russ Dyson) while Morton looks out the door and tells Ralph, “All quiet on the western front, Ralph! Let’s go get the groceries!” Ralph suddenly stops him, “Wait a minute, Morton! I’LL get the grub! I am NOT in the mood for mustard ice cream and kreplachs! You wait here!”, before he leaves to get the food. Confused, Morton shrugs to the audience, “What’s wrong with mustard ice cream and kreplachs?” A slightly scratched up Ralph comes back seconds later panting in fear. Morton attempts to speak to him, “Hey, Ralph! What’s the matter?” Ralph begins shaking and stammering, “Eh! Uh! Uh! C-c-c-ca-cat! Cat! Cat!-”, as Morton begins shaking him, “What are you trying to tell me, Ralph? Tell me, Ralph! What’s the matter?” Ralph comes to and slaps Morton off of him as he angrily yells, “Morton! I’m trying to tell ya- there’s a cat in the kitchen!” Morton doesn’t believe him, “Cat? Can’t be no cat, Ralph” and goes to the door to look out himself. He turns around, “I don’t see no cat, Ralph!”, before the cat scratches Morton from behind, “But I feel his presence!” With the cat having sliced him into four pieces, Morton literally falls apart. Ralph scolds, “That’s a fine time to go to pieces, Morton! Now come on! Pull yourself together! We’ve gotta put our heads together and outsmart that cat!” Alice scoffs, “Ha! I’ve seen better heads on a glass of beer!” to which Ralph sarcastically laughs, “Hardy-har-har!” (animated by Bonnicksen)

Ralph chuckles, “I gotta admit, Morton. Every once in a while, you know, uh, you come up with an idea that makes sense!” What he was talking about is Morton putting a tin can over Ralph for armor. Morton responds, “Gee thanks. You a good kid”, and then comments, “That’s good, Ralph!” Alice makes another snarky comment, “Oh, don’t tell me there’s a market for canned slob!” From inside the can, Ralph replies sarcastically, “Very funny, Alice! VERY funny!” as he walks out. He is immediately crushed by the cat. Now scrunched down to size, Ralph staggers back into the hole and is heard threatening, “One of these days, Morton! One of these days!” (animated by Dyson)

Later, Morton has finished constructing a Trojan dog made from a barrel as Ralph asks, “Well, Alice? How do ya like it?” Alice: “What is it?” Ralph: “Uh, no doubt you’ve heard of the Trojan horse. (laughs) Well, this here is a Trojan dog”. Morton adds, “Yeah! Beware of French poodles bearing gifts, huh, Ralph? (laughs)” Ralph points up to him mildly annoyed by the joke, “Morton. You are a mental case”. As he walks up the ladder to get into the barrel with Morton, Alice attempts to make a suggestion, “Oh, for Heaven’s sake, Ralph! Why don’t you just-”, before Ralph angrily interrupts her, “Why don’t YOU just shut up!?” (animated by Darling)

Having climbed up to the top of the barrel, Ralph instructs, “Come on, Morton! Let’s get going!” Morton puts the ladder in the barrel’s interior to enable him and Ralph to get inside. Ralph operates the controls for the fake legs at the front while Morton operates the ones behind him. Ralph: “Pilot to copilot”. Morton: “Contact”. Ralph: “Full speed ahead!” Morton: “Roger. Over and out”. The Trojan dog, operated by Ralph and Morton, makes its way out of the large vent and stops at the fridge. Once there, Morton sets up a stalk of celery as a slide for the food to go into the barrel. “Alright, Morton! Get with it!” Ralph sends down a can of sardines, a box of ice cream, and “fish a la mode” (as Morton calls it). After an olive is sent down, Ralph is heard shouting, “Where’s some olives, Morton!?” At this moment, the cat passes by and sees what they’re doing so he sneaks quietly into the Trojan dog, entering the barrel through its rear and hiding in there. Morton continues, “Here’s a pimento as a momento!”, which Ralph sarcastically replies, “Great! I’ll press it in a book!” As more food is sent into the barrel, Ralph calls out, “Pickles and rice!” Morton says in a singsong voice, “Pickles and rice, all very nice! Va-va-va-voom! Hey, hey!” Ralph then decides, “Okay, Morton! We got enough chow for a week! (chuckles) Well, we’d better get going!” After they enter by sliding down the celery stalk and take that in as well, Ralph is heard calling, “Contact” which Morton confirms, “Contact”. The cat is then heard yowling which causes Morton to realize, “Hey, Ralph. We got company”. The Trojan dog then starts moving around wildly as the cat starts attacking Ralph and Morton, causing the Trojan dog to gradually come apart and groceries to end up on the floor everywhere. Eventually, the barrel completely comes apart as they both quickly run back into the hole with Morton wearing a wedge of Swiss cheese around his body. The cat’s attempt to leap at them ends with him bashing into the hole’s door headfirst, causing him to snap his fingers in annoyance (animated by Grandpre).

With both panting, Morton (no longer having the cheese with him) comments, “Jeez, what a grouch!” Alice comes up to them, “Ralph, like I’ve been trying to tell ya, why don’t you just get rid of the cat?” In a mocking-like tone, Ralph sarcastically asks, “Hey, Morton! Uh, why don’t we just get rid of the cat?” Completely blind to the sarcasm, Morton agrees, “Uh, yeah, Ralph! Why DON’T we just get rid of the cat?” Ralph starts threatening, “Oh, I oughta-!” before making a suggestion to Alice, “Well, Mrs. Crumden. If it’s so simple, why don’t YOU do it?” Without a second thought, Alice agrees, “Alright, I WILL, Ralph”, much to Ralph’s surprise (animated by Bonnicksen).

Outside the mouse hole, Alice spots the cat and walks up to him in a tough manner while the cat walks toward her on all four’s in a ready to attack manner. Once they come face to face, the cat yowls fiercely, but Alice boldly slaps him with an “Aaaaaah…. SHUT UP!” She then shoos the now frightened cat away, “Now beat it! Scram!” Ralph and Morton are both visibly shocked at how effortlessly Alice got rid of the cat as she comes back to them, “Okay, boys. Go gather your groceries”. Seemingly ungrateful, Ralph threatens, “One of these days, Alice! One of these days! POW! Right in the kisser!”, which she scoffs at. Ralph then irritably leaves, “Come on, Morton!” Morton follows him with, “Uh, yeah, sure, sure, Ralph!” Ralph then comes back seconds later and is seemingly about to continue being angry, “Alice-!” before his mood changes to pleased, “You’re the greatest!” They share a kiss, having made amends to their bickering (animated by Bonnicksen).

Where Can I Watch It?

At toontales.net!

Carrot Rating:

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