The Zoot Cat
Encyclopedia
The Zoot Cat is a 1944
one-reel animated cartoon
and is the 13th Tom and Jerry
short
. It was produced in Technicolor
and released to theatres on February 26, 1944 by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer. The cartoon features a great deal of 1940's slang, a parody of the popular (but controversial
) zoot suit
, and some outdated features of 1930's popular culture.
The cartoon opens with a Valentine note that reads:
There is a pink ribbon tied to the card and the ribbon is tied to Jerry who is in a gift box. Meanwhile Tom is getting ready for a date with his whiskers in curlers and putting lard on the top of his head. He puts a little cologne on and even puts some on Jerry and then closes the box on him. He then proudly marches over to his female friend's house.
Tom knocks on the door, rings the doorbell, and yells out, "Yoo hoo! Hey Toots!" Tom then drops the box and hides behind a pillar on the porch. The female cat opens the door and is pleasantly surprised at the box which she opens. Jerry says to her, "Uh, what's cooking, Toots?" Tom then whistles to get her attention and he comes out of his hiding place. He produces a ukelele and plays a small song. Tom twists a yo-yo string into the words, "Hi Babe", does a little dance and brings out a bouquet of flowers. On the last step of the dance a loose floorboard hits Tom in the face and sends him plummeting to the walkway.
The female cat responds by saying (while Jerry nods to all of her words in agreement),
She then throws the box back at Tom. Jerry then grabs an ear of corn, puts in it the gift box to think that Tom is such corny, means cornish, and runs away, starting a chase scene. The chase ends as Jerry runs through an opening in a gate and Tom crashes into it. Tom then hears a voice saying, "Boy are you corny. How many times have you been told that?" Tom then looks in the window and sees the female cat listening to the radio and painting her claws. The radio continues with,
This gives Tom a great idea: to make his own zoot suit
and mystify his intended. So he steals a pair of scissors
and a lampshade
and fashions his own zoot suit from an orange and green hammock
.
He knocks on the door again and the girl cat is shocked to see Tom in the impressive outfit. She exclaims, "Jackson!". Tom responds with, "What's jumpin' chick?" Jerry reappears and his eyes turn into Tom's suit.
Tom then lights a cigar which causes the girl cat to exclaim, "You're really a sharp character! A mellow little fellow. Now you collar my jive. You're on the right side, you alligator, you. Slip me some skin, my friend." As she is complimenting him, Tom is showing off his suit. A coat hanger is stuck in the back of his jacket to hold the shoulders to full width (the girl cat doesn't seem to notice this), and the chain around his neck is a bathtub plug. She invites Tom into the house. Tom replies, "Well, all reet, well, all root, well, all right." She then asks, "Let's dig a little righteous jive. Do you hear me? We're off." They start to jive dance around the house, and Jerry asks for a turn with the girl cat, which Tom gives him.
Tom then sees Jerry slipping away and grabs for the mouse. Jerry runs over to an ashtray and takes out a cigarette. Jerry then takes a puff of it, blows smoke in Tom's face and puts the cigarette out with Tom's nose. This causes Tom to scream. The female cat is still dancing and Tom returns to her. Jerry then peels a banana and throws the peel on the floor causing Tom to slip. Tom lands on the piano keys and somehow manages to set himself right on the bench to start playing a piano piece for her. He then becomes a suave romantic saying, I love you. When I'm with you, I'm what you call a hep cat. I am hep to the jive. I'm in the groove, darling. The girl cat replies, Now you're really sending me, Jackson.
Tom then winks to the camera at an evil way and says to her, Now you set my soul on fire. in a Charles Boyer
-esque voice. Then, Jerry placing matches in Tom's feet. Tom continues by saying, It is not just a little spark. It is a flame; a big roaring flame. Jerry lights the matches. Tom says, I can feel it now—it is burning, burning, BURNING. All he says while wooing his girl came true. He pauses, sniffs the air and says in a Groucho Marx
voice: Say, something is burning around here. He realizes that Jerry just gave him a hotfoot and screams.
Jerry runs away and opens a floor vent. Tom runs around the corner and falls into the basement. Jerry then starts to dance with the girl cat and Tom has returned with a fireplace shovel. He tries to hit Jerry but misses. Jerry pulls Tom's hat over his head, trapping the cat, and whacks him on the brow. Jerry then runs and hides behind a table leg and trips Tom as he passes by. Jerry then runs under the couch, and Tom dives after him, popping out between the couch and window. Jerry clips the windowshade to the hanger
in Tom's jacket, and then steps on Tom's nose and kicks the cat in the eyes. Tom angrily pursues the mouse, but is stopped by the hook. Tom grabs the coffee table, but Jerry hits his hands with the shovel
, and the shade pulls Tom back and he ends up in the fishbowl. Tom is pulled up and down by the shade, then left hanging on the shade, and his wet zoot suit slowly shrinks and falls off. The zoot lands near Jerry and it is a perfect fit for him. Jerry then walks away with his brand new zoot suit.
1944 in film
The year 1944 in film involved some significant events, including the wholesome, award-winning Going My Way plus popular murder mysteries such as Double Indemnity, Gaslight and Laura.-Events:*July 20 - Since You Went Away is released....
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 13th 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...
short
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
. It was produced in Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
and released to theatres on February 26, 1944 by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer. The cartoon features a great deal of 1940's slang, a parody of the popular (but controversial
Zoot Suit Riots
The Zoot Suit Riots were a series of riots in 1943 during World War II that erupted in Los Angeles, California between white sailors and Marines stationed throughout thehi c mlc city and Latino youths, who were recognizable by the zoot suits they favored...
) zoot suit
Zoot suit
A zoot suit is a suit with high-waisted, wide-legged, tight-cuffed, pegged trousers, and a long coat with wide lapels and wide padded shoulders. This style of clothing was popularized by African Americans, Mexican-Americans, and Italian Americans during the late 1930s and the 1940s...
, and some outdated features of 1930's popular culture.
Plot
Dear Toots~
Roses are red
Violets are Blue
Mice are Nice
But, OH You Kid
Sheikie
There is a pink ribbon tied to the card and the ribbon is tied to Jerry who is in a gift box. Meanwhile Tom is getting ready for a date with his whiskers in curlers and putting lard on the top of his head. He puts a little cologne on and even puts some on Jerry and then closes the box on him. He then proudly marches over to his female friend's house.
Tom knocks on the door, rings the doorbell, and yells out, "Yoo hoo! Hey Toots!" Tom then drops the box and hides behind a pillar on the porch. The female cat opens the door and is pleasantly surprised at the box which she opens. Jerry says to her, "Uh, what's cooking, Toots?" Tom then whistles to get her attention and he comes out of his hiding place. He produces a ukelele and plays a small song. Tom twists a yo-yo string into the words, "Hi Babe", does a little dance and brings out a bouquet of flowers. On the last step of the dance a loose floorboard hits Tom in the face and sends him plummeting to the walkway.
The female cat responds by saying (while Jerry nods to all of her words in agreement),
"Boy, are you corny!
You act like a square at the fair, a goon from SaskatoonSaskatoonSaskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....
.
You come on like a broken arm.
You're a sad apple, a long hair, a cornhusker.
In other words, you don't send me.
So bail out, brother.
Get lost.
And here's your rat, cat."
She then throws the box back at Tom. Jerry then grabs an ear of corn, puts in it the gift box to think that Tom is such corny, means cornish, and runs away, starting a chase scene. The chase ends as Jerry runs through an opening in a gate and Tom crashes into it. Tom then hears a voice saying, "Boy are you corny. How many times have you been told that?" Tom then looks in the window and sees the female cat listening to the radio and painting her claws. The radio continues with,
"How many girls have said,
'No, Horace, I can only be a sister to you?'
Get your boots laced, buddy.
Get hepHipster (1940s subculture)Hipster, as used in the 1940s, referred to aficionados of jazz, in particular bebop, which became popular in the early 1940s. The hipster adopted the lifestyle of the jazz musician, including some or all of the following: dress, slang, use of cannabis and other drugs, relaxed attitude, sarcastic...
to the jive.
Step in and see Smiling Sam, the zoot suitZoot suitA zoot suit is a suit with high-waisted, wide-legged, tight-cuffed, pegged trousers, and a long coat with wide lapels and wide padded shoulders. This style of clothing was popularized by African Americans, Mexican-Americans, and Italian Americans during the late 1930s and the 1940s...
man.
Step out with a zoot suit, with a drape shape and a reet pleat.
Wear an ankle length jacket with 3 foot shoulders, pants that begin at the chin, zoom to a 54 inch knee, then fade softly to a 3 inch victory cuff.
Get hip. Get one. Get lost in a new zoot suit. "
This gives Tom a great idea: to make his own zoot suit
Zoot suit
A zoot suit is a suit with high-waisted, wide-legged, tight-cuffed, pegged trousers, and a long coat with wide lapels and wide padded shoulders. This style of clothing was popularized by African Americans, Mexican-Americans, and Italian Americans during the late 1930s and the 1940s...
and mystify his intended. So he steals a pair of scissors
Scissors
Scissors are hand-operated cutting instruments. They consist of a pair of metal blades pivoted so that the sharpened edges slide against each other when the handles opposite to the pivot are closed. Scissors are used for cutting various thin materials, such as paper, cardboard, metal foil, thin...
and a lampshade
Lampshade
A lampshade is a fixture that covers the lightbulb on a lamp to diffuse the light it emits. Conical, cylindrical and other forms on floor-, desk- or table top-mounted as well as suspended lamp models are the most common and are made in a wide range of materials. The term can also apply to the...
and fashions his own zoot suit from an orange and green hammock
Hammock
A hammock is a sling made of fabric, rope, or netting, suspended between two points, used for swinging, sleeping, or resting. It normally consists of one or more cloth panels, or a woven network of twine or thin rope stretched with ropes between two firm anchor points such as trees or posts....
.
He knocks on the door again and the girl cat is shocked to see Tom in the impressive outfit. She exclaims, "Jackson!". Tom responds with, "What's jumpin' chick?" Jerry reappears and his eyes turn into Tom's suit.
Tom then lights a cigar which causes the girl cat to exclaim, "You're really a sharp character! A mellow little fellow. Now you collar my jive. You're on the right side, you alligator, you. Slip me some skin, my friend." As she is complimenting him, Tom is showing off his suit. A coat hanger is stuck in the back of his jacket to hold the shoulders to full width (the girl cat doesn't seem to notice this), and the chain around his neck is a bathtub plug. She invites Tom into the house. Tom replies, "Well, all reet, well, all root, well, all right." She then asks, "Let's dig a little righteous jive. Do you hear me? We're off." They start to jive dance around the house, and Jerry asks for a turn with the girl cat, which Tom gives him.
Tom then winks to the camera at an evil way and says to her, Now you set my soul on fire. in a Charles Boyer
Charles Boyer
Charles Boyer was a French actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer started on the stage, but he found success in movies during the 1930s. His memorable performances were among the era's most highly praised romantic dramas,...
-esque voice. Then, Jerry placing matches in Tom's feet. Tom continues by saying, It is not just a little spark. It is a flame; a big roaring flame. Jerry lights the matches. Tom says, I can feel it now—it is burning, burning, BURNING. All he says while wooing his girl came true. He pauses, sniffs the air and says in a Groucho Marx
Groucho Marx
Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born...
voice: Say, something is burning around here. He realizes that Jerry just gave him a hotfoot and screams.
Jerry runs away and opens a floor vent. Tom runs around the corner and falls into the basement. Jerry then starts to dance with the girl cat and Tom has returned with a fireplace shovel. He tries to hit Jerry but misses. Jerry pulls Tom's hat over his head, trapping the cat, and whacks him on the brow. Jerry then runs and hides behind a table leg and trips Tom as he passes by. Jerry then runs under the couch, and Tom dives after him, popping out between the couch and window. Jerry clips the windowshade to the hanger
Clothes hanger
A clothes hanger, coat hanger or coathanger, is a device in the shape of:* Human shoulders designed to facilitate the hanging of a coat, jacket, sweater, shirt, blouse or dress in a manner that prevents wrinkles, with a lower bar for the hanging of trousers or skirts.* Clamp for the hanging of...
in Tom's jacket, and then steps on Tom's nose and kicks the cat in the eyes. Tom angrily pursues the mouse, but is stopped by the hook. Tom grabs the coffee table, but Jerry hits his hands with the shovel
Shovel
A shovel is a tool for digging, lifting, and moving bulk materials, such as soil, coal, gravel, snow, sand, or ore. Shovels are extremely common tools that are used extensively in agriculture, construction, and gardening....
, and the shade pulls Tom back and he ends up in the fishbowl. Tom is pulled up and down by the shade, then left hanging on the shade, and his wet zoot suit slowly shrinks and falls off. The zoot lands near Jerry and it is a perfect fit for him. Jerry then walks away with his brand new zoot suit.
Voice cast
- Sara Berner as Jerry & Toots (uncredited)
- Billy BletcherBilly BletcherWilliam "Billy" Bletcher was an American actor, comedian, and voice artist, a native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.-Career:...
as Tom (uncredited) - William HannaWilliam HannaWilliam 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...
as the man on the radio (uncredited)