The Little Orphan

Infobox Hollywood cartoon
cartoon_name = The Little Orphan
series = Tom and Jerry


caption =
director = William Hanna
Joseph Barbera
story_artist = William Hanna
Joseph Barbera
animator = Irven Spence Kenneth Muse Ed Barge Ray Patterson
musician = Scott Bradley
producer = Fred Quimby
distributor = Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
release_date = flagicon|US April 30, 1949
color_process = Technicolor
runtime = 7' 50"
movie_language = English
imdb_id = 0041592
preceded_by = "Polka-Dot Puss"
followed_by = "Hatch Up Your Troubles"

"The Little Orphan" is a 1949 one-reel animated cartoon and is the 40th "Tom and Jerry" short, released in theatres on April 30, 1949 by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer. It was produced by Fred Quimby and directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, with music by Scott Bradley. The cartoon was animated by Irven Spence, Kenneth Muse, Ed Barge and Ray Patterson.

"The Little Orphan" won the 1948 , this being the fifth Oscar (of seven) given to the cat and mouse team. Though the cartoon was released in 1949, it won its Oscar the previous year. This may have been because it was given a short run at a cinema in 1948 to qualify it for that year's Academy Award.

ynopsis

Jerry reads a book. Nibbles arrives and passes Jerry. Nibbles goes to cheese what is on a mousetrap. Jerry saves Nibbles on time before it's too late. Jerry has been asked to take care of Nibbles over the Thanksgiving holiday. However, Nibbles is, as the note pinned to his scarf says, "always hungry." Jerry attempts to feed the little mouse with his own food, but his cupboards are empty. Quietly, he leads Nibbles out of the mousehole, and tiptoes into the living room, where Tom is sleeping besides a bowl of cream. Jerry allows Nibbles to drink the cream from the bowl, before spotting a turkey what Mammy Two Shoes takes. Mammy puts the turkey on the table and leaves. Nibbles spots the feast too. Nibbles proceeds to eat certain foods from the table, while Jerry dresses himself and Nibbles as pilgrims, but the trouble begins when Nibbles swallows an orange whole. Jerry hits Nibbles with a knife to remove the orange. It shoots straight out of Nibbles' mouth and right into the sleeping Tom, waking him up.

After Tom's rude awakening, he spies on the two mice, and, wearing a feather duster as an Indian headdress, catches Nibbles. War begins. Jerry pops a champagne cork into Tom's face. Tom returns, grabbing Jerry. Nibbles takes a fork, and, propelled by a plate of jell-o, launches the fork into Tom's rear end. Tom picks up the offending fork and hurls it towards Nibbles, catching him by the diaper. As Tom catches Nibbles, Jerry runs up a nearby candlestick and whacks Tom in the face with a spoon.Tom launches flaming pussy willows, melting Jerry and Nibbles' hiding places. As they flee, Jerry runs into a knife thrown by Tom, and is knocked out cold. Tom grabs Jerry once again. Nibbles catapults a pie into Tom's face, knocking the cat off the table. In a scene that is often cut from television, Nibbles catapults a candle onto Tom's tail, burning the cat, such that he appears in blackface. Finally, Nibbles launches a champagne bottle like a missile, which hits Tom and shoots him into a cabinet. Tom surrenders, waving the white flag.

In the final scene, a bandaged Tom, Jerry and Nibbles say grace at the table. Nibbles finishes his prayers and proceeds to devour the entire turkey before Tom and Jerry are able to pick up their cutlery, leaving the little orphan with a large belly that he pats in delight.

Notes

*The cartoon was remade in CinemaScope, using thicker lines and more stylised backgrounds, as "Feedin' the Kiddie".
*Clips of this cartoon were used in "Life with Tom".
*Mammy Two Shoes is only seen as a cameo in this episode.

Censorship

*Recent television broadcasts, as well as the version contained on the current DVD set, have excised the blackface gag that occurs after a lit candle lands on Tom's tail. At present, the scene abruptly cuts to the champagne bottle being launched and taking off, then cuts to Jerry and Nibbles watching Tom's crash offscreen.

*CBS cleaned up the blackface by leaving Tom's Indian headdress, which was burnt in the original version.