Little School Mouse

Infobox Hollywood cartoon
cartoon_name = Little School Mouse
series = Tom and Jerry


caption = The title card of "Little School Mouse"
director = William Hanna
Joseph Barbera
story_artist = William Hanna
Joseph Barbera
animator = Irven Spence
Ed Barge
background_artist = Robert Gentle
voice_actor =
musician = Scott Bradley
producer = Fred Quimby
distributor = Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
release_date = May 29, 1954
color_process = Technicolor
runtime = 7 minutes 50 seconds
movie_language = English
imdb_id = 0047182
preceded_by = "Hic-cup Pup"
followed_by = "Baby Butch"

"Little School Mouse" is the 83rd one reel animated "Tom and Jerry" short, created in 1952 directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera and produced by Fred Quimby with music by Scott Bradley. The cartoon was animated by Irven Spence and Ed Barge, with backgrounds by Robert Gentle, and released on May 29, 1954 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The cartoon could be considered a sequel to the 1948 short "Professor Tom" in which Tom is educating a young cat in catching mice. Here, Jerry is the teacher, teaching Tuffy how to evade capture.

Plot

The story opens with Tuffy, the single attendee at Jerry's school. However, Jerry is late and Tuffy looks at the watch on the wall wondering where he is. He is startled by the sound of Jerry being chased around the room outside the hole by Tom. Finally, Jerry reaches the hole, slamming the door shut behind him. He heaves a sigh of relief and straightens both his framed diploma on the wall and a necktie he's wearing.

Jerry begins teaching little Tuffy the basics of outwitting a cat by way of a couple of cartoon strips on the chalkboard. The first one demonstrates how the cat chases the mouse and, if he catches the mouse, will eat him. Tuffy wails at the idea. Jerry directs his attention to the other picture sequence, which shows the mouse reaching his hole and the cat saying 'bad words'. Tuffy laughs.

For the next lesson, Jerry shows Tuffy an imitation cat's paw in front of a mousehole facade. He demonstrates the procedure and Tuffy goes into the hole, where he makes a show of looking for danger, walks straight out of the hole and ends up walking on the spot with his tail getting caught in the cat's paw. Jerry is not pleased, so he has Tuffy work the cat's paw while he gives another demonstration. Unfortunately, Tuffy winds the crank with such enthusiasm that Jerry can't get away and ends up ironed out on the floor like a carpet before the little mouse realizes what he's doing. He looks under the paw and twinges with embarrassment, then rushes into the classroom and puts up a "CLASS DISMISSED" sign. However, as he is leaving the mousehole, he is caught by his teacher by the diaper. Tuffy immediately retreats to the stool in the corner and dons the dunce's cap.

Following a lesson book, the mice are hidden behind a sofa, as Jerry attempts to show Tuffy how to pluck a whisker from the cat without waking him up. Using the furniture and the rug as cover, he succeeds in obtaining one of Tom's whiskers (amazingly, without waking him up) and makes it back to the sofa to show Tuffy. To Jerry's annoyance, Tuffy approaches Tom directly, instead of stealthily. However, his annoyance quickly turns to horror when his young charge returns not only with a whisker, but with a very bemused Tom still attached! Jerry grabs Tuffy and flees back to the hole. Tuffy reaches the hole first and slams the door in Jerry's face. Jerry frantically knocks for him to let him in. Tuffy finally thinks to open the door again, but by then, Tom has beaten up Jerry, who tumbles in with a black eye and wearing the lesson book round his neck!

Later on, Jerry demonstrates the next lesson in the (now-intact) book: how to obtain cheese without waking the cat. Using the blinds as an elevator, a cup and spoon as a rowboat, and a broom as a slide, he succeeds in climbing onto the countertop and reaching a plate with some cheese on it, but narrowly avoids waking Tom when he drops his piece of cheese on his head. Acting quickly, he pulls Tom's eyes shut and soothes him back to sleep. Once back at the hole, Jerry shows his prize to Tuffy before eating it. The little mouse goes out himself and looks up at the plate of cheese on the countertop and then wakes Tom, who looks at him sleepily and helpfully gives him the cheese, too tired to begin a chase. Jerry is dumbfounded as Tuffy returns with the whole cheese, shows it off and swallows the whole lot at once, causing his stomach to assume a large wedge shape.

In a last effort, Jerry tries to teach Tuffy how to bell the cat. By now, Tom is waiting for him, but fakes being asleep. Playing along with Jerry as he ties on the bell, he even conveniently lifts his head up and puts a finger on the knot as Jerry ties it. Jerry signals his thanks before realising his folly and fleeing. Tom catches him easily, proceeds to beat him up again and Jerry later makes it back to the hole with the string and bell wound several times round his neck. Tuffy looks out nervously and gulps. He cautiously approaches Tom, who is now fully awake and grumpy, and offers him a parcel. Tom opens it and finds it to be a bell on a string. Delighted at this present, he puts it on himself and Jerry, having ultimately failed, storms off in disgust and throws out his diploma.

At the end of the cartoon, Tom and Jerry (now wearing the dunce cap) are Tuffy's pupils. Tuffy shows them how "cats and mice should be friends". Jerry disagrees, but Tom feels otherwise, kissing Jerry on the head and giving his bell another ring.

Trivia

*This is one of the few shorts where Tom literally beats up Jerry.