- This article is about the episode. For the song, click here.
The Itch is the twenty-first episode of Tom and Jerry Tales. It is directed by Douglas McCarthy, with a story written by Joseph Barbera and Matt Wayne, teleplay written by Matt Wayne and storyboarded by Charles Visser.
Synopsis[]
In a medieval town where Tom is a big local taxpayer sheriff and Jerry is a little young flute player, a Rat Band comes by to play their song which supposedly giving everyone itches to anyone who hears it.
Plot[]
The episode opens in an unnamed medieval town populated by rodents, with Jerry the Young Mouse playing his flute out in the streets. A baker from the town notices him playing and gives him some coins. Soon, Tom the big taxpayer sheriff arrives and begins collecting taxes from the townsfolk. While he does this, a criminal rodent steals Jerry's hat with the coins still inside, but Tom captures him. Tom then notices Jerry and collects his coins as tax payment. Tom then walks off, leaving Jerry heartbroken. He then notices some of the townsfolk rushing towards a stage nearby, where a rat band is about to perform. As the band performs their soundcheck, they prepare to start the show, but Jerry rushes onto the stage playing his flute. The band alerts the Big Security Rat and Jerry is drag off the stage, saying that the townsfolk had only come to see the rat band perform, before crushing Jerry's flute. Oh No!
The band soon begins performing their song, and all of the townsfolk watching the show suddenly start to itch. Jerry ends up pulling a second flute out of his hat, but before he can start playing it, he gets affected by the itching as well. He jumps into a nearby pool of water, which relieves him of the itching. Jerry soon notices the rest of the townsfolk are itching as well, and is puzzled by it. Jerry rushes over to Tom, and tries to alert him to what is going on, but Tom motions for him to get lost. Jerry decides to provoke Tom by throwing a tomato at him, igniting a brief chase. Jerry then motions for Tom to stop, and points towards the band, believing they are the cause of the itching phenomena. Tom walks up to their big security guard to interrogate him, but when Tom holds out his hand, the security rat bites it, causing Tom to scream in pain and fly through the air, crashing into a market cart. Tom decides to try again, but the big rat grabs him, spins him around and hurls him away, crashing through the roof of a building. Jerry is angered by Tom's failure, but Tom hatches a plan to get the big rat out of the picture.
Tom decides to disguise Jerry as a lady to lure the big rat into a trap, to which Jerry is initially upset. However, Jerry follows through and Tom knocks the big rat unconscious with a frying pan. Soon after, Tom grabs the members of the rat band and hauls them away, but soon falls victim to the itch himself. Jerry notices this and comes up with a solution: he grabs a set of bellows, fills them with water and sprays Tom with the water. Tom is instantly relieved from the itching, and they all find out the cause: fleas had been brought to the town by the rat band. The band is upset, as they believed the itching meant they were enjoying their music. They ask Jerry to help them with curing the rest of the townsfolk, to which Jerry acts quickly.
Jerry and the band lead the townsfolk towards a river using their music, and the townsfolk jump into the water, relieving them of the itching as the fleas swim away. The band is thankful for Jerry's help, and offer him the opportunity to be a part of their band, which he happily accepts as the security rat (having been affected by the itching himself) jumps into the river. The band soon jumps into the river themselves, suggesting they should do it every year. The episode ends with the band putting on another concert (this time with Jerry as a member) with the big townsfolk paying Tom to attend.
Characters[]
Main[]
- Tom Cat (as a Big Taxpayer Sheriff)
- Jerry Mouse (as The Little Young Flute Player)
Supporting[]
- Rat Band
- Security Rat
- Fleas (main antagonists)
- Rodent Villagers
Trivia[]
- This is the only Tom and Jerry Tales episode written by original co-creator Joseph Barbera.
- This is also the last Tom and Jerry cartoon Joseph Barbera was ever involved in before his eventual death on December 18, 2006.
- The song "The Itch" is played several times throughout this episode.
- This is the second cartoon involving a rodent rock band. The first was Tom & Jerry Kids Show episode, "The Vermin", involving a punk rock band trio of mice of the same name. The members of the Medieval rat rock band themselves look almost "punk". The rat band could be considered a Medieval equivalent of modern-day rock and metal bands.
Availability[]
In Other Languages[]
| Names, etymology and in other regions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Language | Name | Definition, etymology and notes |
| Portuguese (Brazil) |
A Dança do Coça-Coça | |
Gallery[]
Main article: The Itch (episode)/Gallery
Videos[]
Tom and Jerry Tales Flea Infestation Boomerang UK