Sleepy-Time Tom
Encyclopedia
Sleepy-Time Tom is a 1951
one-reel animated cartoon
and is the 58th Tom and Jerry
cartoon that was created by directors William Hanna
and Joseph Barbera
, produced by Fred Quimby
, scored by Scott Bradley
and animated by Ed Barge, Kenneth Muse, Irven Spence and Ray Patterson. The short was released in theaters on May 26, 1951.
(portrayed by Lillian Randolph
) chastises Tom. Tom goes to the kitchen and nearly falls asleep, until Mammy warns him that he will be kicked out of the house if she catches him sleeping. Jerry hears Mammy's warnings and decides to make things difficult for Tom, encouraging the cat to fall asleep in order to get him thrown out.
Tom ends up drinking loads of coffee to keep himself alert. Even after drinking from the whole pot, Tom still falls asleep until Mammy asks him Was you sleeping?. Tom shakes his head, Tom continues to try everything to stay awake. Tom cunningly paints yellow circles on his eyelids to give the illusion that he is awake though his eyes are closed and he is sleeping. Mammy is led to believe that Tom is awake, but Jerry sees through Tom's ploy, Jerry decides to rips off part of Tom's fur. The cat is immediately woken and chases after Jerry, but Jerry has made signs (which resemble the popular Burma-Shave
road signs), Tom stops to read them: Are you sleepy? Want a bed? Solid comfort - straight ahead.
Jerry's signs lead Tom to Mammy's bedroom, where Tom falls asleep. Jerry watches as an unsuspecting Mammy sees Tom on her bed, and violently throws Tom out of the house. Tom crashes into a fence, but soon falls asleep once again. Around the corner come Tom's friends, upon spotting the sleeping Tom they pick him up and drag him along with them through the alleyway. Once again singing in the moonlight.
1951 in film
The year 1951 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Sweden - May Britt is scouted by Italian film-makers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:...
one-reel animated cartoon
Animated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
and is the 58th Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry are the cat and mouse cartoon characters that were evolved starting in 1939.Tom and Jerry also may refer to:Cartoon works featuring the cat and mouse so named:* The Tom and Jerry Show...
cartoon that was created by directors William Hanna
William Hanna
William Denby Hanna was an American animator, director, producer, and cartoon artist, whose film and television cartoon characters entertained millions of people for much of the 20th century. When he was a young child, Hanna's family moved frequently, but they settled in Compton, California, by...
and Joseph Barbera
Joseph Barbera
Joseph Roland Barbera was an influential American animator, director, producer, storyboard artist, and cartoon artist, whose film and television cartoon characters entertained millions of fans worldwide for much of the twentieth century....
, produced by Fred Quimby
Fred Quimby
Frederick C. "Fred" Quimby was an American cartoon producer, best known as a producer of Tom and Jerry cartoons, for which he won seven Academy Awards...
, scored by Scott Bradley
Scott Bradley
Scott Bradley was an American composer, pianist and conductor.Bradley is best remembered for scoring the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer theatrical cartoons, including those starring Tom and Jerry , Droopy , Barney Bear , and the many one-shot cartoons.Bradley was a...
and animated by Ed Barge, Kenneth Muse, Irven Spence and Ray Patterson. The short was released in theaters on May 26, 1951.
Plot
Tom and his cat friends—Butch, Lightning, and Meathead—are singing loudly in the middle of the night. The cats drop Tom off at home; he is now very tired. He climbs up onto the window ledge. Mammy Two-ShoesMammy Two-Shoes
Mammy Two Shoes is a recurring character in MGM's Tom and Jerry cartoons. She is a heavy-set middle-aged black woman who often has to deal with the mayhem generated by the lead characters....
(portrayed by Lillian Randolph
Lillian Randolph
Lillian Randolph was an American actress and singer, a veteran of radio, film, and television. An African American, she worked in entertainment from the 1930s well into the 1970s, appearing in hundreds of radio shows, motion pictures, short subjects, and television shows.-Early years:Born...
) chastises Tom. Tom goes to the kitchen and nearly falls asleep, until Mammy warns him that he will be kicked out of the house if she catches him sleeping. Jerry hears Mammy's warnings and decides to make things difficult for Tom, encouraging the cat to fall asleep in order to get him thrown out.
Tom ends up drinking loads of coffee to keep himself alert. Even after drinking from the whole pot, Tom still falls asleep until Mammy asks him Was you sleeping?. Tom shakes his head, Tom continues to try everything to stay awake. Tom cunningly paints yellow circles on his eyelids to give the illusion that he is awake though his eyes are closed and he is sleeping. Mammy is led to believe that Tom is awake, but Jerry sees through Tom's ploy, Jerry decides to rips off part of Tom's fur. The cat is immediately woken and chases after Jerry, but Jerry has made signs (which resemble the popular Burma-Shave
Burma-Shave
Burma-Shave was an American brand of brushless shaving cream, famous for its advertising gimmick of posting humorous rhyming poems on small, sequential, highway-billboard signs.-History:...
road signs), Tom stops to read them: Are you sleepy? Want a bed? Solid comfort - straight ahead.
Jerry's signs lead Tom to Mammy's bedroom, where Tom falls asleep. Jerry watches as an unsuspecting Mammy sees Tom on her bed, and violently throws Tom out of the house. Tom crashes into a fence, but soon falls asleep once again. Around the corner come Tom's friends, upon spotting the sleeping Tom they pick him up and drag him along with them through the alleyway. Once again singing in the moonlight.
Voice cast
- Lillian RandolphLillian RandolphLillian Randolph was an American actress and singer, a veteran of radio, film, and television. An African American, she worked in entertainment from the 1930s well into the 1970s, appearing in hundreds of radio shows, motion pictures, short subjects, and television shows.-Early years:Born...
as Mammy Two Shoes (original) (uncredited) - Thea VidaleThea VidaleThea Vidale , is an American stand-up comedian and actress.She began her career doing stand-up comedy in comic clubs in Washington, D.C., New York City, and Los Angeles...
as Mammy Two Shoes (dubbed version) (uncredited)