Jerry's Cousin

Jerry's Cousin

Directed by	William Hanna Joseph Barbera
Produced by	Fred Quimby
Story by	William Hanna Joseph Barbera
Music by	Scott Bradley
Animation by	Ed Barge Kenneth Muse Ray Patterson Irven Spence
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	April 7, 1951
Color process	Technicolor
Preceded by	Jerry and the Goldfish
Followed by	Sleepy-Time Tom

Not to be confused with Jerry's Country Cousin, an episode from The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show.

Jerry's Cousin is a 1951 Tom and Jerry cartoon.

Characters

Plot

One day at Hogan's Alley, Jerry's cousin Muscles is showing the cats who's boss. After dispatching of his feline nemesis, Muscles retrieves his mail, which includes a letter from Jerry, begging for help in dealing with Tom.

A grumpy Muscles packs his bag and goes to Jerry's home. As he marches through the alleyway, the cats cower in fear; Butch is so scared of Muscles that he digs his own grave and buries himself.

At Tom and Jerry's house, the mouse is being mercilessly terrorized by Tom, who throws sticks of firecrackers into Jerry's mouse hole. Muscles arrives just as a stick of dynamite is thrown into the hole. Muscles goes out of the hole with the dynamite and forces Tom to endure the explosion in his mouth. This causes the cat's eyes, cheeks and eardrums to pop out. When Tom grabs Muscles, the mouse easily throws him off and sternly demands that, as long as Muscles is around, Tom lay off his little cousin Jerry "Listen Pussycat! Don't let me catch you picking on my little cousin while I'm around, you understand? Now beat it!" He then gives Tom a further taste of his strength.

Tom tries weight training, but as he visits Muscles and gives Muscles a punch, Muscles blows his own hand into a very big one and punches Tom strongly. Tom then tries a divide and conquer strategy, and even attempts murder, but finds himself outwitted at every turn; Muscles is either too strong or too crafty for him. In desperation, Tom calls a group of thugs for hire to dispose of Muscles. Even though the thugs ambush Muscles, they are quickly immobilized and tossed from the house. Tom, thoroughly intimidated, begins to grovel at Muscles' feet. Before Muscles returns home, he gives Jerry an outfit which is identical to his, with him reminding him to whistle. Jerry gets himself dressed and toughen himself up to look more like Muscles. While Jerry steps out of his mousehole and whistles, Tom believes that Jerry is Muscles, rushes there to bow to him and kisses his feet, much to the mouse's delight.

Trivia

Cousin George made a cameo at the beginning when Muscles already knocked him out and hung him on a clothes' line.
This is the fifth Tom and Jerry short to be nominated.
This was the last short to have Tom and Jerry in their 1940's style.
This was one of the 2 Hanna Barbera cartoons to use the Gene Deitch theme, the other was His Mouse Friday