The Lonesome Mouse

The Lonesome Mouse
Tom and Jerry series
Reissue 1950 poster
Directed by	William Hanna Joseph Barbera
Produced by	Fred Quimby (unc. on original issue)
Story by	William Hanna (unc.) Joseph Barbera (unc.)
Voices by	Lillian Randolph (1943 original version, unc.) Thea Vidale (1990 redubbed version, unc.) Frank Graham (unc.) William Hanna (unc.)
Music by	Scott Bradley (unc.)
Animation by	George Gordon (unc.) Irven Spence (unc.) Jack Zander (unc.) Kenneth Muse (unc.) Additional animation: Pete Burness (unc.) Al Grandmain (unc.)
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s)	May 22, 1943
Color process	Technicolor
Running time	7:54 (original) 8:07 (reissue)
Language	English
Preceded by	Sufferin' Cats!
Followed by	The Yankee Doodle Mouse

The Lonesome Mouse is a 1943 American one-reel animated cartoon and is the 10th Tom and Jerry cartoon released. This is notable for being the first speaking role of the cat and mouse duo. It was created and released in 1943, and re-released to theatres in 1950. It was directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera and produced by Fred Quimby.

The animators of the cartoon were not credited (typically for early MGM shorts), and this was the last instance in a Tom and Jerry cartoon that this happened. All future Tom and Jerry theatrical shorts credited the animators. the original opening theme was "Runnin' Wild", as heard in Barney Bear's Wild Honey. It was replaced by the later Tom & Jerry theme on re-issue. This cartoon is animated by Kenneth Muse, George Gordon, Jack Zander and Irven Spence with additional animation by Pete Burness and Al Grandmain.

Tom is sleeping by the fireplace, but Jerry drops a vase onto his head, framing Tom and causing Mammy Two Shoes to throw Tom out of the house. Jerry teases Tom from inside, but quickly feels lonely without the cat. Jerry makes a deal with Tom to get him back in the house, snapping Mammy's sock, before shaking a terrified Mammy on a stool.

Jerry then cuts a leg off the stool, and Mammy falls with a big crash, calling for Tom to save her. Tom and Jerry play patty-cake behind a curtain, mimicking fighting sounds, before Jerry turns on the cooker, which Mammy is cowering on. Tom rips a drumstick from a cooked chicken, and shares it with Jerry behind a wall. Tom then chases Jerry into a cupboard, where the mouse chokes the cat before they use the pots and pans as a drum set.

The two then exit the cupboard, staging a fight with a knife and fork, and poke Mammy several times. Tom then grabs a meat cleaver and chops a table leg, a curtain, a table in half, and an apple on top of Jerry's head in half. Jerry notices that last one was a close shave, and as Tom chases after him he asks, "Hey, we're still kiddin', ain't we?" Tom assures him that they are, then chases Jerry around Mammy, who clumsily hits the cat three times with a broom, aiming for the mouse, before Tom snaps it in half.

Jerry then runs under the carpet, with Mammy in pursuit, before he escapes and Tom puts a tomato down in his place. Mammy hits the tomato and Tom cries, laying down flowers. Tom then receives a reward, a lemon meringue pie. Jerry starts to eat it, but Tom refuses to share it with him, causing Jerry to kick Tom's face into the pie. Jerry is disappointed and mumbles angrily to himself, "Why that dirty double crossin', good for nothin', two-timin'..." and the cartoon ends.