Pecos Pest

Infobox Hollywood cartoon
cartoon_name = Pecos Pest
series = Tom and Jerry


caption =
director = William Hanna
Joseph Barbera
story_artist = William Hanna
Joseph Barbera
animator = Ed Barge
Irven Spence
Ray Patterson
Kenneth Muse
background_artist = Robert Gentle
voice_actor = Shug Fisher
musician = Scott Bradley
producer = Fred Quimby
distributor = Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
release_date = flagicon|US November 11, 1955
color_process = Technicolor
runtime = 6' 40"
movie_language = English
imdb_id = 0048477
preceded_by = "Smarty Cat"
followed_by = "That's My Mommy"

"Pecos Pest" is the 96th one reel animated "Tom and Jerry" short, created in 1953 directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera scored by Scott Bradley and released in theaters on November 11, 1955 by Metro Goldwyn Mayer.

"Pecos Pest" was directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, and was the last "Tom and Jerry" cartoon released to be produced by Fred Quimby before he went into retirement. The cartoon was also the last "Tom and Jerry" cartoon not to be produced in CinemaScope; all subsequent "Tom and Jerry" cartoons were released in the widescreen format. It was animated by Ed Barge, Irven Spence, Lewis Marshall and Kenneth Muse with backgrounds by Robert Gentle. Uncle Pecos and his music were performed (uncredited) by Shug Fisher.

Plot

Jerry receives a telegram from his Uncle Pecos:

"DEAR NEPHEW: Me and my guitar on way to big city for television debut -- STOP
"Will spend night with you.
"UNCLE PECOS

Uncle Pecos arrives. He is a gray mouse with a mustache and a ten gallon hat and speaks in a stuttering Texas accent.

The mustached mouse gives Jerry an impromptu performance on guitar, singing a song called 'Crambo' (a butchered version of "Frog Went A-Courtin'" and "Froggy Went A-Wooing Go") but midway through the session, his guitar string breaks.

Uncle Pecos asks Jerry if he has a guitar string, and Jerry shakes his head no. Pecos pokes his head out and spots Tom sleeping. He plucks a whisker off the cat and wakes him up. Pecos then starts playing and Jerry rescues him. Jerry runs into his hole, but Pecos runs into the wall. Jerry pulls him in as Tom arrives. Uncle Pecos thanks the cat for his "service" and Tom is confused. Pecos starts playing again as Tom walks away, but another string breaks, and Pecos seeks another string - from Tom once more. As Tom is lamenting the loss of his whisker, Pecos strolls up to the cat and plucks a second whisker. Tom captures Pecos, but Jerry squirts conditioner in the shape of spectacles onto Tom's face. Jerry flees with his uncle until he falls through the floor grate. Pecos plays more of his song as Tom listens until he breaks another string. Tom covers the grate with a cabinet and two chairs and flees in panic. He hides next to a door and Pecos shuts the door on him as he enters the room. Pecos is calling for Tom and Jerry is trying to stop him. Pecos scolds Jerry and continues searching. Tom breaks out of the door and Pecos soon spots him. Tom defends himself with a flour cabinet, a door, and a mop while Pecos is unstoppable. Pecos tries to reason with the cat, but Tom is intransigent in protecting his whiskers. He crashes through the nearby window and flees into a second house. Tom notices a peep-door and peers through it - and Pecos is on the other side. He grabs a third whisker, but breaks another string after only a few notes.

Tom frantically looks for somewhere to hide as Pecos searches for him. He spots Tom disguised as a knight reading a paperback tome and smoking a cigar. Pecos declares "There you are!" and Tom shakes the ashes onto Pecos. Pecos upends the chair, takes off Tom's helmet, and swipes a fourth whisker. Tom dashes in panic into a closet.

Pecos invites Jerry out to listen to his encore. Even Tom is impressed until Pecos yet again loses a string. Tom retreats into the closet and Pecos attacks him with a large ax. Tom holds out a white flag and then plucks a fifth whisker for Pecos.

Fortunately, Pecos has to leave for his television performance, which Tom and Jerry watch in their living room. Unfortunately, while playing on air, Pecos' guitar string snaps once again, and a laughing Tom ends up aghast when Pecos reaches out of the television set, pulls out Tom's only remaining whisker and finishes his live performance.

Notes

*In the Japanese version, Uncle Pecos' singing voice was not dubbed; he therefore sings in both the English and Japanese versions with the same singing voice. The same occurred in Brazilian an Latin American version.