Puss Gets the Boot

Puss Gets the Boot is the first animated short subject in the Tom and Jerry series. A total of 162 entries were released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer between 1940 and 2005.

Synopsis
In this episode, a smug grey cat named Jasper takes great pleasure in tormenting a small mouse named Jinx. Jinx is trying to run away from Jasper but the cat keeps grabbing the mouse's tail to keep him from running anywhere. Eventually Jinx breaks free but goes into Jasper's mouth, narrowly escaping. Jasper then draws a mousehole on the wall to trick Jinx into entering it. Jinx bangs against the wall until he is knocked silly. Jasper revives him using water and picks him up. Having slowly realized the situation, Jinx punches Jasper in the eye, making him yelp in pain. The incensed cat chases the mouse into a flower stand, where it explodes and destroys the flower and its pot. His owner, Mammy Two Shoes, an African-American woman, enters the room and scolds Jasper for his unacceptable behavior, issuing him an ultimatum that if she catches him making one more mess, he will get kicked out of the house for good. The cat promises to follow her orders and sulks off, but not before nearly running into a vase as he tries to keep the vase from falling. Jinx chuckles at him as he puts the vase back and this causes the cat to chase him, but when the mouse holds a cup over the edge of the table, the cat backs off after seeing a furious Mammy walking away with the remains of the broken flowerpot, afraid that he will get himself into trouble again.

After Jinx puts the cup down, seeing his chance, Jasper rushes at the mouse, but the mouse holds back the cat by threatening to drop the glass again. The mouse then drops the cup and Jasper rushes to catch it. Jinx throws more cups, making it very hard for Jasper to catch them all. As Jinx walks away with the last cup, the angry cat drops a bunch of pillows on the ground. When the mouse tries to humiliate the cat by dropping the cup, it stays intact when it lands on the soft surface of the pillows. The mouse tries to escape but Jasper catches him by the tail. The cat inadvertently throws the mouse onto a shelf, where he escapes and begins pelting the cat with dishes, making sure that to blackmail the cat, he will force the victim to immediately "get the boot" once and for all. Jasper begins to tire of holding all the dishes, after which, in humiliation, the cat tries to stop the mouse from dropping one last dish on the ground, but it is too late.

Mammy once again enters the room in frustration just as Jinx swims in Jasper's milk bowl, uses the cat's tail as a towel and finally kicks the cat, causing him to scream in pain and drop all the dishes, creating a huge mess and blowing up the entire house and causing Jasper to take the blame. Nothing remains of the house except Jinx and his mousehole; however, Jinx remains unharmed. Enraged, Mammy throws Jasper out of the house and shuts the door. Once the cat is expelled from the house, Jinx waves to Jasper, sticks his tongue out, puts a HOME SWEET HOME sign in front of his hole, and enters it.

Production

 * Directed by: William Hanna and Joseph Barbera
 * Animation: Peter Burness. George Gordon, Jack Zander, Carl Urbano, Tony Pabian, Tom Johnson, Frank Endres, Jack Ozark, Harold Walker, Graham Place. Abner Kneitel
 * Story by: George Manuel
 * Layouts: Harvey Eisenberg
 * Backgrounds: Robert Gentle
 * Sequence Director: Dave Fleischer
 * Music: Scott Bradley
 * Produced by: Rudolf Ising and Fred Quimby

Voice cast

 * Clarence Nash - Jasper Cat
 * William Hanna- Jinx Mouse
 * Lillian Randolph - Mammy Two Shoes (original)
 * June Foray, Thea Vidale - Mammy Two Shoes (edited)

Availability
Blu-ray DVD VHS
 * Tom and Jerry Golden Collection, Volume 1, Disc 1
 * Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection: Double Feature, Disc 1
 * Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Award-Nominated Animation: Cinema Favorites
 * Tom and Jerry Golden Collection, Volume 1, Disc 1
 * Tom and Jerry: The Deluxe Anniversary Collection, Disc 1
 * Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection, Disc 2
 * Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection, Volume 2, Disc 1
 * Tom & Jerry's 50th Birthday Classics