Cruise Cat is a 1952 Tom and Jerry cartoon directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.
Plot[]
Tom is a mascot aboard a cruise ship and is warned by the captain that he will be replaced by another mascot if he finds a mouse on board the ship. Jerry tries to board the ship, but he is kicked out by Tom and squashed by a coconut. Jerry then ties a rope to board on, but is attacked by Tom, who snaps the rope, which flattens Jerry against a bollard. Jerry then tries to pole vault in through the window, but fails when Tom closes it. Jerry finally boards the ship by grabbing the anchor. He ties Tom's tail to a lifebuoy ring and makes a fake call for help, causing Tom to throw the ring and fall off the ship.
Tom gets back on, and goes to grab Jerry, but is caught in Jerry's deckchair. Jerry then slips up Tom with a bar of soap to keep him away from the ship. Tom emerges again and dives into the pool after seeing Jerry dive into it, only for him not to notice that it is Jerry, who plugs the water out, causing Tom to crash onto the floor and break into pieces. Jerry then dashes to the steam machine and pulls boiling water onto Tom. Tom corners Jerry, but is forced to stop and salute the captain, allowing Jerry to do the switcher by throwing Tom off the ship again.
Jerry walks along the deck playing his ukulele, but gets attacked by Tom, who chases him. Tom throws a stick of dynamite into the ship basement, but hears nothing, then sees, that Jerry, who, while hiding in the door, kicks Tom and locks in him when he tries to get out, but fails, as the dynamite explodes. Jerry flees into a theater with Tom following him, where a segment from Texas Tom is being shown. Jerry laughs at Tom, then Tom throws him off the ship and into the air. A seagull catches Jerry, who whacks him with his ukulele. When Jerry falls down, he lands onto a mast, falls into a vent and onto a food serving tray. The captain praises Tom for keeping mice away from the ship, but when the food is served, to Tom's horror, it turns out to be the tray which Jerry fell onto. Enraged, the captain throws Tom into a brig. Some sea water splashes onto Tom's face. The cat looks out of the ship through the window to see what happens and sees Jerry surfing to the coast of Hawaii.
Notes[]
- During the theater scene, stock footage of Texas Tom is used, albeit with altered audio.
- This is the first Tom and Jerry short to give credit to background artists.
- The background artist for this short was Robert Gentle.
- This is the first Tom and Jerry short to take place in Hawaii.
- Some aspects in the cartoon would be used in later nautical-themed cartoons such as Calypso Cat and Puss 'n' Boats.
- In Calypso Cat, Jerry gets in the ship the same way he did in this cartoon.
- Puss 'n' Boats also shares a similar premise of Jerry attempting to sneak onto a ship which Tom is guarding to keep the boat free of mice.
- The opening scene of Surf-Bored Cat homages the ending of this cartoon where the cruise ship arrives at the beaches of Hawaii. In addition, in that same short Jerry getting his head stuck inside a coconut is similar to in this short.
Availability[]
- LaserDisc - The Art of Tom & Jerry: Volume I (MGM/UA)
- DVD - Tom and Jerry's Greatest Chases, Vol. 4 (Warner Bros.)
- DVD - Tom and Jerry: Whiskers Away! (Turner Print)
- DVD - Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection: Volume 2 (Turner Print; Warner Bros.)
- DVD - Tom and Jerry: Santa's Little Helpers (restored; Warner Bros.)