The Mouse from H.U.N.G.E.R. is a 1967 entry in the Chuck Jones era of the classic series.
Plot
Secret agent Jerry from the title organization H.U.N.G.E.R. drives through the street of a city (the buildings in the opening shot suggest New York City) and enters his secret headquarters, a cigar store cash register, through a cigar store Indian. He is given his mission: infiltrate the mansion of Tom Thrush and recover a refrigerator with lots of cheese. But before that, Jerry checks all of the weapons and explosives inside his coat. But upon sealing his coat very tightly, they were all set off, leaving several holes on his coat, much to the mouse's embarassment before the title cards roll.
Tom Thrush (portrayed by Tom, notably with a gap in his teeth here) sees Jerry coming on his radar and sets some traps for the secret agent (which are removed with a trap system-overriding car horn), including an exploding robot female to attract Jerry and get a blast out of this. These are mostly ineffective, evident with a blackened Jerry instead going "WOW!" at the pretty lady as she retreats. After a moment of frustration due to his traps' ineffectiveness and then (after calming down) a moment of thought of how best to respond to his approaching enemy, Tom Thrush retreats to the safeguarded room and sets even more traps, such as blades, machine guns, and sensitive mines. Jerry plays a tape-recorder; it sounds as if he is walking through the room. Tom Thrush waits a few seconds, then says "Boom!" Not hearing the explosions that should result from the walking, Tom Thrush runs in. He is attacked by his own traps.
After that, he "helps" Jerry by opening the safe that keeps the refrigerator as he gets bonkers (due to the traps that he ran over). Jerry thanks Tom Thrush by lifting his fedora up as he gets the refrigerator from him. Jerry straps the refrigerator to his tiny car and Tom Thrush is crawling out the front door of his mansion, though it is obvious that, since the earlier incident, he is in a very bad way. Giving up in defeat after seeing Jerry about to leave with the refrigerator filled with cheeses, Tom Thrush's hand lands on the "Play" button of Jerry's tape player; "Taps" is the track; Tom Thrush grabs a flower and lays it on his chest recreating a death sequence.
The words "THE END" are seen behind Jerry's license plate ("JERRY-AKIN 00 1/7", a pun on both Illya Kuryakin and James Bond) before Jerry drives off.
Notes
- This cartoon is notable for the Chuck Jones era as it is much more wild than those from the Hanna-Barbera era.
- Madagascar is not on the map that is shown in the title card.
- This is one of the few cartoons where Tom yanks off one of his own whiskers, and does not express pain after doing this.
- This is the only Chuck Jones-era cartoon to be released on the Tom & Jerry Cartoon Festival video series from the 1980s.
- Tom's evil alter ego, Tom Thrush, is a play on toe thrush, also known as athlete's foot (tinea pedis), a fungal skin infection that usually begins between the toes, commonly occurring in sweaty feet confined within tight-fitting shoes. The name is also a play on T.H.R.U.S.H., the evil organization of the 1964-68 TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (of which this short is a parody).
- This is the series' 157th entry.
Censorship and Bans
- This short is rarely shown on Cartoon Network and Boomerang in America due to Native American stereotyping (cf. the scene of Jerry entering the briefing room through a cigar store Indian statue) and heightened concerns over epileptic seizures (cf. the flickering of the briefing film).
Availability
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Gallery
- Main article: The Mouse from H.U.N.G.E.R./Gallery