Little School Mouse

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Little School Mouse Tom and Jerry series
The title card of Little School Mouse
Directed by	William Hanna Joseph Barbera
Produced by	Fred Quimby
Story by	William Hanna Joseph Barbera
Music by	Scott Bradley
Animation by	Irven Spence Ed Barge
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s)	May 29, 1954
Color process	Technicolor
Running time	7 minutes 50 seconds
Preceded by	Hic-cup Pup
Followed by	Baby Butch
IMDb profile

Little School Mouse is a 1952 Tom and Jerry cartoon, released in 1954, directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera and produced by Fred Quimby. The cartoon's animation was done by Irven Spence and Ed Barge, with backgrounds by Robert Gentle and music by Scott Bradley. The cartoon could be considered a sequel to the 1948 short Professor Tom in which Tom is educating a young cat in catching mice. Here, Jerry is the teacher, teaching Tuffy how to evade capture.

[edit] Plot

The story opens with Tuffy, the single attendee at Jerry's school. However, Jerry is late and Tuffy looks at the watch on the wall wondering where he is. He is startled by the sound of Jerry being chased around the room outside the hole by Tom. Finally, Jerry reaches the hole, slamming the door shut behind him. He heaves a sigh of relief and straightens both his framed diploma on the wall and a necktie he's wearing.

Jerry begins teaching little Tuffy the basics of outwitting a cat by way of a couple of cartoon strips on the chalkboard. The first one demonstrates how the cat chases the mouse and, if he catches the mouse, will eat him. Tuffy wails at the idea. Jerry directs his attention to the other picture sequence, which shows the mouse reaching his hole and the cat saying 'bad words'. Tuffy laughs.

For the next lesson, Jerry shows Tuffy an imitation cat's paw in front of a mousehole facade. He demonstrates the procedure and Tuffy goes into the hole, where he makes a show of looking for danger, looks around briefly, walks straight out of the hole and ends up walking on the spot with his tail getting caught in the cat's paw. Jerry is not pleased, so he has Tuffy work the cat's paw while he gives another demonstration. Unfortunately, Tuffy winds the crank with such enthusiasm that Jerry can't get away and ends up ironed out on the floor like a carpet before the little mouse realises what he's doing. He immediately retreats to the stool in the corner and dons the dunce's cap.

Following a lesson book, the mice are hidden behind a sofa, as Jerry attempts to show Tuffy how to pluck a whisker from the cat without waking him up. Using the furniture and the rug as cover, he succeeds in obtaining one of Tom's whiskers (amazingly, without waking him up) and makes it back to the sofa to show Tuffy. To Jerry's annoyance, Tuffy approaches Tom directly, instead of stealthily. However, his annoyance quickly turns to horror when his young charge returns not only with a whisker, but with a very bemused Tom still attached! Jerry grabs Tuffy and flees back to the hole. Tuffy reaches the hole first and slams the door in Jerry's face. Jerry frantically knocks for him to let him in. Tuffy finally thinks to open the door again, but by then, Tom has beaten up Jerry, who tumbles in with a black eye and wearing the lesson book round his neck!

Later on, Jerry demonstrates the next lesson in the (now-intact) book; how to obtain cheese without waking the cat. Using the blinds as an elavator, a cup and spoon as a rowboat, and a broom as a slide, he succeeds in climbing onto the countertop and reaching a plate with some cheese on it, but narrowly avoids waking Tom when he drops his piece of cheese on his head. Acting quickly, he pulls Tom's eyes shut and soothes him back to sleep. Once back at the hole, Jerry shows his prize to Tuffy before eating it. The little mouse goes out himself and looks up at the plate of cheese on the countertop and then wakes Tom, who looks at him sleepily and helpfully gives him the cheese. Jerry is dumbfounded. Tuffy returns with the whole cheese, shows it off and swallows the whole lot at once, causing his stomach to assume a large wedge shape.

In a last effort, Jerry tries to teach Tuffy how to bell the cat. By now, Tom is waiting for him, but fakes being asleep. Playing along with Jerry as he ties on the bell, he even conveniently lifts his head up and put a finger on the knot as Jerry ties it. Jerry signals his thanks before realising his folly and fleeing. Tom catches him easily, proceeds to beat him up again and Jerry later makes it back to the hole with the string and bell wound several times round his neck. Tuffy looks out nervously and gulps. He cautiously approaches Tom, who is now fully awake and grumpy, and offers him a parcel. Tom opens it and finds it to be a bell on a string. Delighted at this present, he puts it on himself and Jerry, having ultimately failed, storms off in digust and throws out his diploma.

At the end of the cartoon, Tom and Jerry (now wearing the dunce cap) are Tuffy's pupils. Tuffy shows them how "cats and mice should be friends". Jerry disagrees, but Tom feels otherwise, kissing Jerry on the head and giving his bell another ring.

[edit] Trivia

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