Smitten Kitten

Smitten Kitten
Smitten Kitten
	File:SmittenKittenTitle.JPG Title card
Directed by	William Hanna; Joseph Barbera
Produced by	Fred Quimby
Animation by	Kenneth Muse; Assistant animation:; Barney Posner (uncredited); Additional animation:; Ray Patterson; Irven Spence; (both uncredited - archive footage)
Color process	Technicolor
Production; company	MGM Cartoons
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Running time	7:49

Not to be confused with Smitten Kitchen.

"Smitten Kitten" is a 1952 American one-reel animated cartoon and is the 66th Tom and Jerry short directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera and produced by Fred Quimby. It was the only Tom and Jerry cartoon to be animated by one animator. It was animated by Kenneth Muse and the music was composed by Scott Bradley. It is also one of several compilation T&J shorts, integrating footage from previous shorts into the plot.

Plot

While Tom is chasing after Jerry around outside their house, he spots a beautiful female cat (presumably Toodles Galore) and then falls in love with her. The cat giggles. He runs up to her, imitating a dog expressing fondness. Jerry, frustrated, can only stand there and look on. Then the green devil appears, presumably as Jerry's "evil nature" (although too large to perch on his shoulder as conscience and anti-conscience characters customarily do). He convinces Jerry that every time Tom falls in love, it means trouble for Jerry.

The devil recalls the time when Tom met a female cat on the beach, (leading to a flashback of 1947's Salt Water Tabby), where Jerry's interference embarrassed Tom, and led to Tom shooting Jerry into the sea through a fizzy cola bottle. The devil then reminds Jerry of the time when Tom invited a girlfriend of his over for a meal (in 1945's The Mouse Comes to Dinner), where Jerry was forced to serve the food and blow Tom's soup. The frustrated mouse spit Tom's soup in his face, which caused Tom to place the spoon that Jerry was standing on directly above a candle flame, which burned Jerry's bottom and feet, launching the mouse into a block of butter to cool off ("Hehehe! That was a hot one!"). After that, Jerry's reminded of the time Tom fell in love with a cowgirl (in 1950's Texas Tom) (though the devil admittedly says "Not that anything was wrong with her"). Tom confidently strode up to the cat and smoked a roll-up cigarette (with Jerry's "help"), which blew out the word "Howdy" in smoke.

Back in the garden, the devil and Jerry realize Tom's going to serenade his new girlfriend. The devil asks Jerry if he can take that again after what happened (in 1946's Solid Serenade), when Tom kept disturbing Jerry by serenading another girl. The devil sends Jerry on his way to stir up trouble armed with a hatpin, a mini TNT and some matches. Jerry marches towards Tom and the beautiful female cat. While he is marching, he suddenly spots a pretty female mouse and soon becomes smitten with love for her, imitating a dog expressing fondness after she giggles. The devil, frustrated, laments that whenever a pretty lady comes into his life, it means trouble for him. Just then, he suddenly spots a beautiful female devil, quickly changes his mind and immediately falls in love with her, imitating a dog expressing fondness as she giggles.

Production

Directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera
Animation: Kenneth Muse
Additional Animation: Ray Patterson, Irven Spence
Assistant Animation: Barney Posner
Layout: Dick Bickenbach
Music: Scott Bradley
Produced by Fred Quimby

Availability

Tom and Jerry's Greatest Chases, Vol. 3
Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection Vol. 1, Disc Two

External links