Tom and Jerry Wiki
Advertisement
Tom and Jerry Wiki


High Steaks is a 1962 Tom and Jerry cartoon directed by Gene Deitch. It was the fourth of the thirteen cartoons in the series to be directed by Gene Deitch and produced by William L. Snyder in Czechoslovakia. The name is a pun on the term "high stakes", where a risk in a situation leads to a higher chance of either gaining or losing an advantage.

Plot[]

Tom's grumpy owner is grilling steaks in his backyard. The steak's scent reaches Jerry, who is aroused by it and is led to the steak. He then tries to eat it but is captured by Tom, who uses his grill fork to catapult him back into the house. Jerry then returns to retrieve the steak and encounters Tom once more. Tom and Jerry battle it out with steak prongs. Tom tries to charge at Jerry with the prong he had, but Jerry dodges it quickly, causing Tom to accidentally stab the owner's rear end, causing him to leap in pain. Tom nervously tips his hat to the owner as if to apologize for hurting him, but the man angrily sears Tom's head as flat as a waffle with a hot girdle. Tom looks at the audience and was flat as a waffle and straight line and blinks in embarrassment.

Jerry next hides in a shuttlecock and tries to sneak onto the table, but Tom hits him with a racket. The shuttlecock bounces off the net and rebounds into the owner's mouth. Angry and red-faced, he furiously breaks the racket over Tom's head and walks away. The racket flips over for a few seconds to hit him again. Tom then tries to stop Jerry from opening a freshly shaken bottle of kooky kola, but he is too late; the soda ruins one of the man's steaks. Assuming that Tom did it, he punishes Tom by shaking another bottle of kooky kola and forcing it in Tom's mouth, making Tom swallow and take on the shape of a bottle, much to Jerry's humor. Jerry laughs and laughs himself silly.

Once Tom recovers, chases Jerry across the yard only to lose him and turn his mind to the smell of steak cooking on the grill. While Tom is distracted, Jerry slips his tail onto the grill, trapping it in. Tom tries to pull it out but the pain causes him to screech in fear and run out with his tail hooked on the grill, knocking Clint aside along with his steak, drink and the bowl of chips flies in the air. Tom dives into the swimming pool to cool off, but when he tries to resurface he is pulled back into the water due to the grill's weight. The furious owner, already exasperated with Tom, fishes him out of the pool and thrashes him off-screen while Jerry hides under the picnic table and covered his eyes with his hat. After the clobbering is done Jerry sees the owner then tie Tom to a lounge chair so Tom stays out of trouble. Jerry hooks the chair to the rear bumper of a passing car at a stop light just before the car drives away, taking Tom and the chair with it. Finally, the owner goes back to his grilling in peace, and Jerry reaches the table and starts eating one of the steaks.

Characters[]

Starring[]

Featuring[]

Notes[]

  • This is the only short where the owner has no spoken lines, unless one counts his humming.
  • This short seems to be similar to Barbecue Brawl.
  • The intersection where Jerry hitches Tom to a car is of "Snyder" and "Deitch", a reference to the last names of producer William L. Snyder and director Gene Deitch.
  • "Kooky Kola" is a parody of "Coca-Cola".
  • This short has seldom aired on Cartoon Network and Boomerang due to inhumanely insensitive subject matter, and references to animal cruelty.
  • This is the only Gene Deitch cartoon between Switchin' Kitten through Landing Stripling to not use the usual Tom and Jerry "logo".
    • This is also the first cartoon before Calypso Cat to use a creative opening sequence rather than the logo (which was retired after Landing Stripling) for the Gene Deitch era of Tom and Jerry.
  • This is the only Gene Deitch cartoon to not use the Tom and Jerry theme for its "ending music".
  • Tom's owner's angry grumbling after a shuttlecock gets launched in his mouth is recycled from his stressed grumbling in Down and Outing.
  • This is the only short where the owner has razor sharp teeth while punishing Tom.

Gallery[]

Tom and Jerry Cartoons
1940 Puss Gets the Boot
1941 The Midnight SnackThe Night Before Christmas
1942 Fraidy CatDog TroublePuss n' TootsThe Bowling Alley-CatFine Feathered Friend
1943 Sufferin' Cats!The Lonesome MouseThe Yankee Doodle MouseBaby Puss
1944 The Zoot CatThe Million Dollar CatThe BodyguardPuttin' on the DogMouse Trouble
1945 The Mouse Comes to DinnerMouse in ManhattanTee for TwoFlirty BirdyQuiet Please!
1946 Springtime for ThomasThe Milky WaifTrap HappySolid Serenade
1947 Cat Fishin'Part Time PalThe Cat ConcertoDr. Jekyll and Mr. MouseSalt Water TabbyA Mouse in the HouseThe Invisible Mouse
1948 Kitty FoiledThe Truce HurtsOld Rockin' Chair TomProfessor TomMouse Cleaning
1949 Polka-Dot PussThe Little OrphanHatch Up Your TroublesHeavenly PussThe Cat and the MermouseLove That PupJerry's DiaryTennis Chumps
1950 Little QuackerSaturday Evening Puss • Texas TomJerry and the LionSafety SecondThe Hollywood BowlThe Framed CatCue Ball Cat
1951 Casanova CatJerry and the GoldfishJerry's CousinSleepy-Time TomHis Mouse FridaySlicked-up PupNit-Witty KittyCat Napping
1952 The Flying CatThe Duck DoctorThe Two MouseketeersSmitten KittenTriplet TroubleLittle RunawayFit To Be TiedPush-Button KittyCruise CatThe Dog House
1953 The Missing Mouse • Jerry and JumboJohann MouseThat's My Pup!Just DuckyTwo Little IndiansLife with Tom
1954 Puppy TalePosse CatHic-cup PupLittle School MouseBaby ButchMice FolliesNeapolitan MouseDownhearted DucklingPet PeeveTouché, Pussy Cat!
1955 Southbound DucklingPup on a PicnicMouse for SaleDesigns on JerryTom and ChérieSmarty CatPecos PestThat's My Mommy
1956 The Flying SorceressThe Egg and JerryBusy BuddiesMuscle Beach TomDown Beat BearBlue Cat BluesBarbecue Brawl
1957 Tops with PopsTimid TabbyFeedin' the KiddieMucho MouseTom's Photo Finish
1958 Happy Go DuckyRoyal Cat NapThe Vanishing DuckRobin HoodwinkedTot Watchers
1961 Switchin' KittenDown and OutingIt's Greek to Me-ow!
1962 High SteaksMouse into SpaceLanding StriplingCalypso CatDicky MoeThe Tom and Jerry Cartoon KitTall in the TrapSorry SafariBuddies Thicker Than WaterCarmen Get It!
1963 Pent-House Mouse
1964 The Cat Above and The Mouse BelowIs There a Doctor in the Mouse?Much Ado About MousingSnowbody Loves MeThe Unshrinkable Jerry Mouse
1965 Ah, Sweet Mouse-Story of LifeTom-ic EnergyBad Day at Cat RockThe Brothers Carry-Mouse-OffHaunted MouseI'm Just Wild About JerryOf Feline BondageThe Year of the MouseThe Cat's Me-Ouch
1966 Duel PersonalityJerry, Jerry, Quite ContraryJerry-Go-RoundLove Me, Love My MousePuss 'n' BoatsFilet MeowMatinee MouseThe A-Tom-Inable SnowmanCatty-Cornered
1967 Cat and Dupli-catO-Solar-MeowGuided Mouse-illeRock 'n' RodentCannery RodentThe Mouse from H.U.N.G.E.R.Surf-Bored CatShutter Bugged CatAdvance and Be MechanizedPurr-Chance to Dream
Advertisement