''The Zoot Cat '' is a 1944 American

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films running through a special ...

one-reel animated short and is the 13th ''

Tom and Jerry ''Tom and Jerry'' is an American 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 centers on the ...

'' short. It was released to theatres on February 26, 1944 by

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

. The cartoon features much 1940s slang, a parody of the popular (but

controversial Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin ''controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an opposite ...

) zoot suit, and some features of 1930s popular culture.

Plot

A Valentine note to Toots from Tom, with a pink ribbon tied to Jerry, is inside a gift box. Meanwhile, Tom gets ready for a date, his whiskers in curlers. Tom knocks on the door, rings the doorbell and shouts before dropping the box and hiding behind a pillar on the porch. Toots opens the door and is pleasantly surprised at the gift. Tom then attempts to impress Toots by playing a

ukulele The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings. The tone and volume of the instrumen ...

, singing, doing tricks with a

yo-yo A yo-yo (also spelled yoyo) is a toy consisting of an axle connected to two cylinder, disks, and a string looped around the axle, similar to a wikt:spool, spool. It is an ancient toy with proof of existence since 500 BCE. The yo-yo was also ca ...

and dancing. Finally, Tom presents her with a bouquet of flowers, but a loose floorboard smacks him in the face and knocks him flat. Toots responds with a scathing disparagement of Tom in jive talk, while Jerry nods in agreement to her words. After she throws the gift back at Tom (which includes Jerry), Jerry grabs an ear of

corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn ( North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. ...

and plants it in the box, signifying that Tom's efforts were "corny" (slang for outdated). Tom then hears a radio commercial for a zoot suit, which gives Tom an idea: to make his own zoot suit and dazzle his girlfriend. On his knocking on the door again, Toots is now electrified and Jerry shocked to see Tom in the impressive outfit, calling him "Jackson". Tom lights a cigar as Toots compliments his new, hip look before inviting him inside. They start to jive dance and Jerry politely cuts in, dancing a few steps with Toots before Tom realizes what's going on. Tom chases Jerry, who escapes by jumping into an ashtray and rubbing a burning cigarette butt on Tom’s nose. Jerry then peels a banana and throws the skin onto the floor, which sends Tom crashing into a piano. But he recovers in majestic form and starts to play the piano, taking on the persona of a suave, romantic lover and trying to impress Toots by using a

Charles Boyer Charles Boyer (; 28 August 1899 – 26 August 1978) was a French-American actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer started on the stage, but he found his success in American fi ...

-esque voice saying, "You set my soul on fire. It is not just a little spark; it is a flame, a big roaring flame," during which Jerry sticks matches between Tom's toes, and lights them in order to give him a hot foot. Tom unwittingly continues with a fire-related wooing until the flames engulf his feet. He pauses, sniffs the smoke-filled air, and remarks in a Groucho Marx voice "Say, something ''is'' burning around here!", then realizes his foot is on fire and leaps about, yelling hysterically. Tom then pursues Jerry, who opens up a floor vent door, causing the pursuing cat to fall in down to the basement. Jerry resumes dancing with Toots. Tom returns, determined to flatten Jerry with a

fireplace A fireplace or hearth is a structure made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, depending on the desig ...

shovel A shovel is a tool used for digging, lifting, and moving bulk materials, such as soil, coal, gravel, snow, sand, or ore. Most shovels are hand tools consisting of a broad blade fixed to a medium-length handle. Shovel blades are usually made ...

. A chase ensues. Jerry hides behind a table leg and uses his foot to trip Tom. Jerry clips the hanger in Tom's jacket to a window-shade, then kicks Tom in the eyes. Tom angrily pursues the fleeing mouse, but the shade rolls back taking Tom with it. By the

window A window is an opening in a wall, door, roof, or vehicle that allows the exchange of light and may also allow the passage of sound and sometimes air. Modern windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent mate ...

, Tom gets repeatedly dunked in a

fishbowl A fish bowl is a container for fish. Fishbowl may also refer to: Arts and media Music * "Fishbowl", a song on the album '' Mythologies'', by Rhett Miller * "Fishbowl", a song on the album '' Very Proud of Ya'', by AFI * "Fishbowl", a song o ...

. This causes the suit to shrink and squeeze the cat and eventually pop off his body. Jerry jumps into the shrunken suit, which is now a perfect fit for him. He then struts away, pleased with his new suit.

Voice cast

* Jerry Mann as Tom Cat and the Radio Announcer (uncredited) * Sara Berner as Jerry and the Girl Cat * Additional Voices by

Billy Bletcher William Bletcher (September 24, 1894 – January 5, 1979) was an American actor. He was known for voice roles for various classic animated characters, most notably Pete in Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse short films and the Big Bad Wolf in Disney ...

and Dick Nelson

Availability

;VHS: *Tom & Jerry's 50th Birthday Classics 2 ;Laserdisc: *The Art of Tom & Jerry: Volume One, Side Two ;DVD: *Tom and Jerry's Greatest Chases, Vol. 1 * Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection Vol. 1, Disc One * Tom and Jerry Golden Collection Volume One, Disc One ;Blu-ray: *Tom and Jerry Golden Collection Volume One, Disc One ;iTunes: *Tom and Jerry Vol. 1 ;Streaming: *Boomerang App

Censorship

Because of the United Kingdom's ban of TV characters smoking, Tom smoking a cigar and a cigarette and Jerry putting the cigarette on Tom's nose is faded out.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zoot Cat, The 1944 short films 1944 animated films Tom and Jerry short films Short films directed by Joseph Barbera Short films directed by William Hanna 1940s American animated films 1940s animated short films 1944 romantic comedy films 1944 musical comedy films American romantic comedy films American musical comedy films Films scored by Scott Bradley Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer animated short films 1940s English-language films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer short films 1940s musical comedy films Films produced by Fred Quimby Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio short films American animated short films Animated films about cats Animated films about mice 1950s American films