Tom's Photo Finish

Infobox Hollywood cartoon
cartoon_name = Tom's Photo Finish
series = Tom and Jerry


caption = The title card of "Tom's Photo Finish".
director = William Hanna
Joseph Barbera
story_artist = William Hanna
Joseph Barbera
animator = Kenneth Muse
Bill Schipek
Lewis Marshall
Jack Carr Herman Cohen
Ken Southworth
layout_artist = Richard Bickenbach
background_artist = Robert Gentle
voice_actor = Daws Butler as Gorge and Spike (unc.)
musician = Scott Bradley
producer = William Hanna
Joseph Barbera
distributor = Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
release_date = November 1, 1957
color_process = Technicolor
CinemaScope
Perspecta Stereo
runtime = 6 minutes 19 seconds
preceded_by = "Mucho Mouse"
followed_by = "Happy Go Ducky"
movie_language = English
imdb_id = 0051096

"Tom's Photo Finish" is the 109th one reel animated "Tom and Jerry" short, created in 1956, directed and produced by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera with music by Scott Bradley. The cartoon was animated by Kenneth Muse, Bill Schipek, Lewis Marshall, Jack Carr, Herman Cohen and Ken Southworth, with backgrounds by Robert Gentle and layouts by Richard Bickenbach. It was released on November 1, 1957 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Plot

Tom sneaks under the rug and steals some chicken from the refrigerator and puts the remainder back, but Joan and George soon discover that someone has been eating it and that it could only have been Tom or Spike. After hearing George declare that they will find out who "if I have to X-ray them", Tom frames Spike by creating phony ink footprints from the sleeping dog to the refrigerator and slipping the chicken under Spike's arm. Joan and George soon see the footprints, follow them and find Spike with the chicken. They kick him out of the house, and even give the remainder of the chicken to Tom. Spike sees everything going on inside and says, "I've been framed!"

Unknown to Tom, Jerry has taken a photograph of Tom slipping the chicken under Spike's arm, and proceeds to make dozens of copies of the photograph in his "darkroom". Jerry walks past a sleeping Tom with one of the photos and Tom lazily opens his eyes. Jerry continues past and then Tom realizes what he has seen. His face pops off. Because Jerry has slipped the photo into George's newspaper, Tom takes it and tears it up. George complains about it to Joan, who simply tells him that Tom is only playing. Jerry then sticks a photo into Joan's new yellow dress that she is knitting, and Tom puts it on and runs off. Tom takes out the photo and tears it up. Tom then gasps when he sees photos across the wall. Tom mows through all twenty-nine of them and sighs with relief, until he sees Jerry lowering one with a fishing line towards George's eyes. He sees it for a split second and then Tom covers his eyes. He assumes it is Joan's because of the hands, and kisses Tom before he sees the cat. He is about to kick the cat out of the house as well, but she protests. She is making a chocolate cake at the time and Jerry slips a photo in between the layers of the cake. Tom sees it and lifts the cake up, but she catches him. She asks what is wrong and then offers Tom a little taste of the cake. Tom gobbles the entire confection and she throws the kitchen tools at the cat and reprimands him. He runs away into the hallway. Tom wipes his forehead and then spots Spike outside of the window. Tom walks over and taunts the dog for a few seconds, but then George stops him and asks if he wants to be perceived crazy. Tom says no and George walks away. He pulls down the drapes where there are four photos, but he doesn't see them. Tom pulls on the cord in order to hide the photos and gets wrapped up. George wonders what could be the matter with him "now."

There are only two photos left. Jerry folds one into a paper airplane and throws it into the kitchen where Joan is bound to catch it. She is curious about it, but Tom pops up and swallows the photo as it flies into his mouth. Jerry folds the last photo into a second airplane and throws it towards George. Tom panics and runs after it with scissors. His attempts to cut up the last piece of evidence result in him cutting up George's newspaper, his underpants, and almost clipping George's head off.

George is irate and grabs Tom by the tail, who says his prayers as George catches the final photo and unfolds it. Seeing the truth, he kicks Tom out as Jerry photographs it and lets Spike back in. Spike is forgiving to Joan and George. Jerry whistles and Spike waltzes over to Jerry's hole, where Jerry shows Spike the picture of Tom being kicked out and Spike laughs at it along with the mouse.

Notes

*The production/direction credits read "Joseph Barbera and William Hanna" rather than the usual "William Hanna and Joseph Barbera"