Tale of Two Mice
Tale of Two Mice is a 1945 Warner Bros. cartoon in the Looney Tunes series, directed by a uncredited Frank Tashlin.[1] It is a sequel to 1942's A Tale of Two Kitties, with the Abbott and Costello characterizations ("Babbit and Catstello") now cast as mice.[2] They are voiced by Tedd Pierce and Mel Blanc respectively.
| Tale Of Two Mice | |
|---|---|
 The original title card of A Tale Of Two Mice. | |
| Directed by | Frank Tashlin (uncredited) |
| Produced by | Edward Selzer (uncredited) |
| Story by | Warren Foster |
| Starring | Mel Blanc Tedd Pierce (both uncredited) |
| Music by | Musical direction: Carl Stalling Orchestra: Milt Franklyn (uncredited) |
| Animation by | Richard Bickenbach I. Ellis Cal Dalton Art Davis |
| Layouts by | Background layout: Richard H. Thomas |
| Backgrounds by | Background paint: Richard H. Thomas |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
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Running time | 7:48 |
| Language | English |
Plot
Catstello is being chased by a cat rapidly at high speed around the house, yelling "Hey Babbit!" Catstello narrowly escapes into the mousehole, while the cat crashes into a wall. Babbit notices this and asks Catstello for the cheese, which he replied that he hasn't got any because he is scared of the cat. Babbit then chastises Catstello for his cowardice, but when this doesn't get into Catstello's head. Babbit continuously slaps him on the head.
They attempt to steal cheese that is being guarded by a cat. Their schemes include past a sleeping cat, which doesn't go so well as Catstello runs off at first time, a small airplane and a rope and pull system. Finally, Catstello manages to escape the cat with a wedge of Swiss cheese, which unfortunately Babbit doesn't like. Fed-up with Babbit constantly ordering him around and repetitively slapping him as well as his ingratitude for all of Catsello's efforts, Catstello continuously slaps him and force-feeds Babbit chunks of Swiss cheese, remarking "Ooohhh, I'm a baaaaaaad boy!"
Home media
- Laserdisc - The Golden Age of Looney Tunes Volume 2 Side 3 Frank Tashlin
- DVD - San Antonio (USA 1995 Turner print)
- DVD - TCM Spotlight: Errol Flynn Adventures (USA 1995 Turner print)
Notes
- This is the first cartoon where Babbit and Catstello are recast as mice instead of cats as in their debut cartoon "A Tale of Two Kitties" (1942), as well as the protagonists rather than as antagonists to Tweety. They would later be recast as mice again in "The Mouse-Merized Cat" (1946)
- This is also the first cartoon where Catstello turns against Babbit in the end due to the former fed-up of the latter's constant abuse. This would happen again in The Mouse-Merized Cat.
- Frank Tashlin, the director of this short, is not credited during the opening credits, this is due to him leaving before the cartoon was released into theaters.
- The unnamed cat in this cartoon physically resembles Babbit from "A Tale of Two Kitties". It is possible that director Frank Tashlin and the animators of this short designed the cat based on the said character.
- This cartoon was re-released into the Blue Ribbon Merrie Melodies program on January 10, 1953, retitled A Tale of Two Mice. Because the cartoon was re-released in the 1952-53 animation season, the Lydian "THE END" ending card is present in place of the original ending title card. Despite the re-release, the original opening and ending titles, as well as the title card and credits, are known to exist.
References
- Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 161. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
- Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 52. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.