''Saturday Evening Puss'' is a 1950 one-reel

animated cartoon Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anima ...

and is the 48th ''

Tom and Jerry ''Tom and Jerry'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series c ...

'' short directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. The cartoon was released on January 14, 1950, produced by

Fred Quimby Frederick Clinton Quimby (July 31, 1886 – September 16, 1965) was an American animation producer and journalist best known for producing the ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoon series, for which he won seven Academy Awards for Best Animated Short Films ...

, scored by Scott Bradley and animated by Ed Barge, Kenneth Muse, Irven Spence and Ray Patterson. It is the only Tom and Jerry cartoon to feature Mammy's face on-screen, though only briefly. A re-edited version was produced in the 1960s replacing Mammy with a white teenage girl.

Plot

Mammy leaves for her Saturday night

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

club. Tom then rushes to the window and signals to his three alley cat friends, Butch,

Topsy Topsy may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Topsy, a character in the novel ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' * Topsy, a character in the 2018 film ''Mary Poppins Returns'' * ''Topsy and Eva'', a 1928 film based on ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' * ''Topsy and Tim'', ...

, and

Lightning Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electric charge, electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the land, ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous ...

that it is "ok for the party". They arrive for a loud session of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

music; however, the noise disturbs Jerry, who is trying to sleep. He complains to Tom, who ignores him. Jerry tries to disrupt the party by tearing the

tonearm A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

off the phonograph, shutting Topsy in a drawer and slamming the piano lid shut on Butch's hands. The cats chase Jerry back into his mouse hole but, deciding that they will not be able to party as long as Jerry is around, turn their music back on to lure him out again. An angry Jerry takes the bait, and the cats chase him. Tom eventually catches him and ties him up with windowsill string. Nevertheless, Jerry loses his temper and reaches the telephone and calls Mammy, telling her about the party. Mammy races back home (during which scene her face is briefly shown for the only time) and confronts the cats. The cats try to run but Mammy grabs Tom by the tail and unleashes her fury, throwing all four cats out the front door. At home, Mammy badmouths the cats for ruining her entire evening. She then decides to relax by playing the same jazz recording that the cats were playing, turning Jerry's brief contentment to immediate dismay and leaving him no better off than before.

Edited version

In the re-animated 1966 version, Mammy Two Shoes was replaced with a white teenage girl, and her night out at the Lucky Seven Bridge Club was redone as a night out dancing with her boyfriend. Her voice was provided by voice actress June Foray, and the animation changes were done by

MGM Animation/Visual Arts MGM Animation/Visual Arts was an American animation studio established in 1962 by animation director/producer Chuck Jones, producer Les Goldman and animator Ken Harris as Sib Tower 12 Productions. Its productions include the last series of ''Tom ...

. In addition, Jerry's voice when he complains to Tom about the noise is muted out. This changed version is found on ''The Art Of Tom & Jerry'' laserdisc release and ''The Very Best of Tom & Jerry'' VHS release both by

MGM/UA Home Video MGM/UA may refer to: *Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, American film and television production and distribution company **United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital p ...

in the 1990s.

Reception

The Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informatio ...

'' reviewed the cartoon on February 16, 1950, saying, "When Beulah, the maid, steps out to her Saturday night social, Tom the cat decides to throw a shindig for the rest of the gang. This disturbs Jerry, the mouse, who tells Beulah — who hurriedly stops the party. Marvelous cartoon."

Voice cast

Lillian Randolph Lillian Randolph (December 14, 1898 – September 12, 1980) was an American actress and singer, a veteran of radio, film, and television. She worked in entertainment from the 1930s until shortly before her death. She appeared in hundreds of radi ...

as Mammy Two Shoes (1950 original version, uncredited) *

June Foray June Foray (born June Lucille Forer; September 18, 1917 – July 26, 2017) was an American voice actress. She was best known as the voice of such animated characters as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Natasha Fatale, Nell Fenwick, Lucifer from Disney' ...

as Teenage Girl (1966 re-animated version) *

Thea Vidale Thea R. Vidale (born November 20, 1956) is an American stand-up comedian and actress. Vidale is perhaps best known for her role as Thea Armstrong-Turrell in the ABC sitcom '' Thea'', which originally aired from 1993 until 1994. Vidale is noted as ...

as Mammy Two Shoes (1991 redubbed version, uncredited) *

William Hanna William Denby Hanna (July 14, 1910 – March 22, 2001) was an American animator and cartoonist who was the creator of ''Tom and Jerry'' as well as the voice actor for the two title characters. Alongside Joseph Barbera, he also founded the ani ...

as Jerry and Butch Cat's screams (uncredited)

Availability

DVD: * ''Tom and Jerry's Greatest Chases'', Vol. 4 (1991 redubbed version) * ''

Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection The ''Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection'' is a series of two-disc DVD sets released by Warner Home Video. Originally planned as an uncensored, chronological set, the issued ''Spotlight Collection'' sets include selected ''Tom and Jerry'' shorts ...

'' Vol. 2, Disc Two

References

External links

* * {{The Hanna–Barbera Tom and Jerry shorts 1950 animated films 1950 films 1950 short films Tom and Jerry short films Short films directed by Joseph Barbera Short films directed by William Hanna 1950s American animated films 1950s animated short films 1950 comedy films Films scored by Scott Bradley Jazz films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer short films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer animated short films Films produced by Fred Quimby Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio short films 1950s English-language films