Solid Serenade

Solid Serenade is a 1946 one-reel animated cartoon and is the 26th Tom and Jerry short, produced in Technicolor and released to theatres on August 31, 1946 by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer. It was produced by Fred Quimby and directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, with musical supervision by Scott Bradley, and animation by Ed Barge, Michael Lah and Kenneth Muse, with uncredited animation by Pete Burness and Ray Patterson.

Characters

Plot

Eager to impress Toodles, Tom smuggles a double bass into the courtyard below for a serenade. Before this, he makes fun of Spike, luring him out so he can be subdued and tied down. Tom does his best rendition of Louis Jordan's "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby" for Toodles, using Spike for a musical cameo.

Down in the basement, Jerry is awakened by a thumping bass solo. Jerry makes his way to the kitchen to harass Tom. Mood ruined, Tom chases Jerry around the kitchen, but is tricked into diving in a loaded sink, and trapped in a window.

Jerry finds Spike and unties him just as Tom catches up. Spike trades his regular teeth for a more dangerous set, and goes after Tom. Tom avoids getting mauled, hides outside the courtyard wall, and manages to knock Spike out with a loose brick. Tom chases Jerry again, but loses track long enough for Jerry to find Spike again. Jerry whips Spike awake with a 2×4 and promptly passes it to the now-present Tom. Thinking quickly, Tom uses the 2×4 to play 'fetch' with Spike. Spike, following his canine instincts, barks playfully and rushes after the 2x4. He is about to pick it up, only to finally realize Tom had tricked him, turning into a "jackass" for a moment. Furious, Spike returned his attention to Tom.

While Spike continues to chase Tom, Tom sneaks some romantic moments with Toodles. Spike catches on to the side action and takes Toodles' spot. Unaware, Tom makes out with Spike (echoing a scene from The Zoot Cat). Tom realizes that Toodles is watching, and that he is holding Spike—he slams him to the ground and runs away.

Tom ditches Spike at a corner, bumping into Jerry again. Jerry is chased into Spike's doghouse, and Tom signals the advantage with an ominous laugh. Jerry reappears safe at the entry, with Spike in tow. Spike backs into his house, giving the same ominous laugh and the final whipping to Tom.

Toodles is serenaded again, but this time by Spike, who has Tom tied down to the double bass. Jerry gives a fiddling flourish using Tom's whiskers.

Trivia

While distracting Spike with the 2×4, Tom gives one of his few plain-voice speaking lines.
This is the first to use the all red scheme A-Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon In Technicolor, although later cartoons would have Color By Technicolor.
It is rather odd how when Jerry throws a pie with iron in it at Tom, Tom still continues to sing. Yet when Jerry throws a normal pie at him, Tom stops singing and goes after Jerry.
The scene where Tom's head is caught by the window is also mimicked in the episode Kitty Foiled, except with a bear rug.
The song "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby" is sung by Louis Jordan in 1944.
Tom's dialogue during holding Spike was reused from The Zoot Cat.