His Mouse Friday is a 1951 American one-reel animated cartoon and is the 59th Tom and Jerry short directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.
Plot[]
The cartoon begins with Tom being stranded at sea. Tom is floating on a wooden raft after presumably being shipwrecked in a way similar to Robinson Crusoe. The poor cat has nothing to eat but shoes. When he spots an island, the waves catapult him there. Upon landing, Tom attempts to eat a coconut but it proves to be difficult to break open.
Moments later, Tom breaks his teeth after trying to eat a turtle. However, Tom spots a mouse that is undeniably more edible - Jerry. Tom then chases Jerry and the pair ends up in an uninhabited village. Jerry spots a large drum and beats a tune on it, which frightens Tom. Jerry also finds a large black pot full of coal and rubs the soot onto his face and body, making himself black. When Tom emerges from his hiding place, Jerry jumps out at him by disguising himself as a tribesman, hollering in a thick dialect. He orders Tom to "hop in the pot" by poking him in the rear, causing Tom to jump into the pot. Jerry brings a knife and some vegetables and he orders Tom to "cut the potato". Tom grabs the knife and potato. Tom chops the potato and cooks himself with the vegetables, while Jerry orders him to chop some more vegetables: more potatoes, carrots, then he says "Hold the onions." Tom tosses the onion away as ordered and continues to chop up the other vegetables while Jerry uses the matches to light up a fire under the pot.
Tom is chopping up scallions but he suddenly starts to feel the heat, so he puts the knife away and takes the spoon. He then tastes the water and then adds salt. He looks out of the cauldron and sees Jerry performing a tribal dance, but the movement of the dance causes Jerry's makeshift dress to fall down, revealing his brown mouse fur. Tom realizes that he has been pranked and makes sure that Jerry is aware of it. Jerry tries to order Tom back into the pot, but the cat simply taunts and chases him, only for Tom to stumble upon some genuine adult cannibal tribes. One licks his lips and declares "Mmmm... barbecued cat!" The natives rush after Tom. Meanwhile, Jerry, who is overlooking the whole fracas, is caught by the young child of the tribes, who also licks his lips in delight, turns his head, and says, "Mmmm... barbecued mouse!". Then, the child goes after Jerry.
Availability[]
- (1993) LaserDisc - The Art of Tom & Jerry: Volume I (dialogue muted)
- (2007) DVD - Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection: Volume 3
Notes[]
- Due to the short's racial stereotyping of Black people, His Mouse Friday was placed under an unofficial ban from broadcast or video distribution by MGM and other rights-holders.
- There are two edited versions of this cartoon that have aired on television before being banned and that have been released on video:
- MGM/UA Home Video versions mute out all stereotypical black savage dialogue.
- Warner Home Video versions retain the dialogue but edit the scene where Jerry meets a real black savage by using a pan and zoom to crop out the real black savage's appearance. However, the real black savage's appearance is seen during the beginning of the pursuit between him and Jerry.
- Unlike the child savage that was cropped out, the adult savages remain unedited on the third Spotlight Collection.
- This scene was restored and left intact on a remastered print, which was intended for release on Tom and Jerry Golden Collection Volume Two in 2013. This restored uncensored version of His Mouse Friday produced for the Golden Collection can now be found on iTunes.
- Warner Home Video versions retain the dialogue but edit the scene where Jerry meets a real black savage by using a pan and zoom to crop out the real black savage's appearance. However, the real black savage's appearance is seen during the beginning of the pursuit between him and Jerry.
- MGM/UA Home Video versions mute out all stereotypical black savage dialogue.
- This is the last Tom and Jerry short and MGM short in general to be reissued before the studio shut down.