Bad Day at Cat Rock

Overview

Bad Day at Cat Rock is a 1965 Tom and Jerry cartoon written, produced, and directed by Chuck Jones as essentially a remake of his 1963 Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoon To Beep or Not to Beep. Maurice Noble was the cartoon's co-director, the animation was credited to Ben Washam, Ken Harris, Don Towsley, and Dick Thompson. The music was scored by Eugene Poddany, and backgrounds by Phil DeGuard. Mel Blanc was on hand to supply the screams, yells, and other vocal effects.

Plot[]

On a high rise Tom walks across a beam and stops in order to stare into the air. A black dotted line is formed in the air, and Tom walks across it. Jerry then creates one himself in the shape of stairs, and then drops the stairs while Tom is on them, causing Tom to fall into a manhole. The title cards are then shown while Tom lights multiple matches (Tom even burns his hand on one!).

One of Tom's matches eventually ignites a stash of dynamite, which throws him out of the manhole and into the beam that Jerry is standing on. Jerry hits a second beam and then grabs onto Tom's fur and uses it as a parachute down to a safe wood outcropping. Tom turns up, brimming with rage, and takes his fur back, and puts it back on. Tom only runs a few paces before realizing that his tail is still crunched up. He undoes his tail and pops it out again.

Tom and Jerry are now chasing each other across high-rise beams, and Jerry discovers a yellow glove and gets in it. Tom is so far behind that Jerry has a plan. He "whistles" like a police officer and holds out his hand, and then points into the distance. Tom looks over Jerry's shoulder and gets punched. Jerry/glove counts "1, 2, 3" and then Tom gets up and throws punches at him. Jerry shakes Tom's hand and then throws him on top of the beam he is standing on, then retrieves a cutting torch which cuts through the beam. Tom falls to earth with a section of the beam on top of his head and hits the ground with no visible damage, until his body weight starts collapsing towards the lower part of his body.

Jerry slides down to the ground and Tom chases him behind some pillars. Both cat and mouse start to poke their heads out from different pillars until Tom sees Jerry's back and tries to poke him with a tack, but only hurts himself. Tom hits the top of the beam and falls to the ground. Jerry waves and whistles at the cat.

The remainder of the cartoon features Tom using a large rock and a see-saw, which consists of a beam balanced by a rock, to attempt to reach Jerry. Each rock has a different form after each unsuccessful attempt:

Attempt 1: Tom throws the rock onto the other side of the see-saw, but it is slanted too much to the right and Tom is launched sideways into another network of beams.

Attempt 2: Tom throws the rock straight up and squashes himself. Jerry's ears rattle from the recoil.

Attempt 3: Tom pitches the rock onto the other end, but it lands on its point and tips over several times, smashing the cat again. Jerry begins to look worried.

Attempt 4: Tom throws the rock to the other side, but it squashes the beam into a 90-degree angle and causes Tom to be shifted right and then fall on top of the rock. Jerry starts walking dejectedly across the beam he is on.

Attempt 5: Tom throws the rock up and it falls dead center, squeezing the beam and Tom around itself ("appearing" itself like a flask). Jerry kicks a pebble and it falls into a paint can. Jerry sees it next to a bunch of boards and prepares to write.

Attempt 6: Tom throws the rock up and dashes away to a safe bunker. When he sees that the rock has landed perfectly, he jumps onto the other end and it catapults him up, but into another beam and back down to the same end of the see-saw, and the rock is thrown up in the air and onto him. At the same time, Jerry paints out "The End" on a board, then pushes it into the camera.

Characters[]

Starring[]

Availability[]

Notes[]

This is the first Chuck Jones-era cartoon where Jerry's wave makes a jingle in the opening intro. In the previous cartoons, his wave does not make a sound.
This is also the first Chuck Jones-era cartoon with Chuck Jones' signature.
This cartoon was released exactly 25 years after the cartoon series premiered.

Tom and Jerry Cartoons
1940	Puss Gets the Boot
1941	The Midnight Snack • The Night Before Christmas
1942	Fraidy Cat • Dog Trouble • Puss n' Toots • The Bowling Alley-Cat • Fine Feathered Friend
1943	Sufferin' Cats! • The Lonesome Mouse • The Yankee Doodle Mouse • Baby Puss
1944	The Zoot Cat • The Million Dollar Cat • The Bodyguard • Puttin' on the Dog • Mouse Trouble
1945	The Mouse Comes to Dinner • Mouse in Manhattan • Tee for Two • Flirty Birdy • Quiet Please!
1946	Springtime for Thomas • The Milky Waif • Trap Happy • Solid Serenade
1947	Cat Fishin' • Part Time Pal • The Cat Concerto • Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse • Salt Water Tabby • A Mouse in the House • The Invisible Mouse
1948	Kitty Foiled • The Truce Hurts • Old Rockin' Chair Tom • Professor Tom • Mouse Cleaning
1949	Polka-Dot Puss • The Little Orphan • Hatch Up Your Troubles • Heavenly Puss • The Cat and the Mermouse • Love That Pup • Jerry's Diary • Tennis Chumps
1950	Little Quacker • Saturday Evening Puss • Texas Tom • Jerry and the Lion • Safety Second • The Hollywood Bowl • The Framed Cat • Cue Ball Cat
1951	Casanova Cat • Jerry and the Goldfish • Jerry's Cousin • Sleepy-Time Tom • His Mouse Friday • Slicked-up Pup • Nit-Witty Kitty • Cat Napping
1952	The Flying Cat • The Duck Doctor • The Two Mouseketeers • Smitten Kitten • Triplet Trouble • Little Runaway • Fit To Be Tied • Push-Button Kitty • Cruise Cat • The Dog House
1953	The Missing Mouse • Jerry and Jumbo • Johann Mouse • That's My Pup! • Just Ducky • Two Little Indians • Life with Tom
1954	Puppy Tale • Posse Cat • Hic-cup Pup • Little School Mouse • Baby Butch • Mice Follies • Neapolitan Mouse • Downhearted Duckling • Pet Peeve • Touché, Pussy Cat!
1955	Southbound Duckling • Pup on a Picnic • Mouse for Sale • Designs on Jerry • Tom and Chérie • Smarty Cat • Pecos Pest • That's My Mommy
1956	The Flying Sorceress • The Egg and Jerry • Busy Buddies • Muscle Beach Tom • Down Beat Bear • Blue Cat Blues • Barbecue Brawl
1957	Tops with Pops • Timid Tabby • Feedin' the Kiddie • Mucho Mouse • Tom's Photo Finish
1958	Happy Go Ducky • Royal Cat Nap • The Vanishing Duck • Robin Hoodwinked • Tot Watchers
1961	Switchin' Kitten • Down and Outing • It's Greek to Me-ow!
1962	High Steaks • Mouse into Space • Landing Stripling • Calypso Cat • Dicky Moe • The Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit • Tall in the Trap • Sorry Safari • Buddies Thicker Than Water • Carmen Get It!
1963	Pent-House Mouse
1964	The Cat Above and The Mouse Below • Is There a Doctor in the Mouse? • Much Ado About Mousing • Snowbody Loves Me • The Unshrinkable Jerry Mouse
1965	Ah, Sweet Mouse-Story of Life • Tom-ic Energy • Bad Day at Cat Rock • The Brothers Carry-Mouse-Off • Haunted Mouse • I'm Just Wild About Jerry • Of Feline Bondage • The Year of the Mouse • The Cat's Me-Ouch
1966	Duel Personality • Jerry, Jerry, Quite Contrary • Jerry-Go-Round • Love Me, Love My Mouse • Puss 'n' Boats • Filet Meow • Matinee Mouse • The A-Tom-Inable Snowman • Catty-Cornered
1967	Cat and Dupli-cat • O-Solar-Meow • Guided Mouse-ille • Rock 'n' Rodent • Cannery Rodent • The Mouse from H.U.N.G.E.R. • Surf-Bored Cat • Shutter Bugged Cat • Advance and Be Mechanized • Purr-Chance to Dream