Dog Trouble

Dog Trouble is a 1942 one-reel animated cartoon and is the fifth Tom and Jerry cartoon released. It was produced in Technicolor, released to theaters on April 18, 1942 by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer and reissued for re-release in 1952. It was animated by George Gordon, Irven Spence, Jack Zander, Cecil Surry and Bill Littlejohn.

Plot
Jerry is running across a tablecloth, not going anywhere. As Jerry runs, Tom is pulling the cloth like a treadmill. Tom reaches the end of the cloth and Jerry runs across to the other side of the table as Tom gives chase. Jerry tries to stop at the end of the table, but Tom's open mouth is waiting! Although he cannot stop, Jerry uses one of the cat's whiskers to swing himself back out, then escapes into his mousehole. Tom then knocks on the wall to get Jerry to come out, and patiently waits as Jerry tiptoes through an electrical outlet on the other side of the wall. He sees a piece of cheese on a mousetrap and holds it out for Tom's tail to fall into. When the cat's jumping tail repeatedly misses, Jerry simply does the job himself, and then runs for his life as Tom yelps in agony at his throbbing tail.

Jerry tries to run out the door, but he runs directly into a large sleeping bulldog (Spike) and almost hits him. Tom's chase runs him into the dog, causing them both to kiss. The dog wakes up in rancor at this disturbance and the cat runs away, finding shelter by climbing up a lamp. Jerry gets his due as well when the dog hears him laughing at Tom's misfortune and starts to give chase to the mouse instead. Jerry escapes by climbing up the cuckoo clock, but accidentally activates it, causing the bird to pop out with Jerry hanging onto it, giving the dog several failed chances to chomp on him.

In delight, Tom comes down from the lamp, but the alert bulldog forces him to climb back up. The same thing happens to Jerry, and this time when the cuckoo bird pops out with Jerry on board, the dog succeeds in destroying the cuckoo but he misses the mouse. Still, Jerry has to scramble in thin air to hold on for dear life. Tom again tries to sneak away quietly, and succeeds until the floor creaks causing the dog to go after the cat again. Off-screen, sounds of a horrific brawl are heard, and the mortified mouse resolves to assist his rival in fighting the greater danger. The cat jumps onto a desk as the dog attempts to bite him, and Jerry whistles for Tom to join him on top of the clock where it's safe. To avoid the next chomp, Tom leaps all the way to the clock, but his grip is unstable and Tom's whiskers start snapping under the tension. As he starts to fall, the cat gropes in thin air to safety, and Tom extends his hand to Jerry in gratitude. When Jerry loses balance trying to shake the cat's hand, Tom returns the favor and saves him by lowering his tail to pull him out of the dog's mouth, and with this alliance fully sealed, they shake hands.

The new allies connive a plan together; Jerry sneaks across the ceiling sides, down a curtain, and into a sewing basket. He ties a piece of the long thread of yarn to his body and starts to sneak through the house. As a cover for Jerry's plan, Tom taunts the dog and holds out his tail, continually pulling it up every time the dog tries to bite it. Meanwhile, the mouse has woven the entirety of the yarn through the house as a trap for the dog. As the dog pants angrily, Jerry pulls up behind and kicks him in the rear, causing the dog to scream in pain. When the dog lands, the mouse sticks out his tongue and throws the dog's lips over his own face, provoking the dog to chase the mouse around the corner. The mouse then hides and leaves the dog to fall into the yarn trap, completely wrecking the room. This causes Mammy Two Shoes to promptly enter and survey the scene and the dog is then dragged across the floor by Two Shoes and thrown out of the house, as he is not her dog at all.

Tom and Jerry wave to the dog as they watch him get thrown out, and Tom breathes a sigh of relief until a snap is heard behind the curtain they are hiding. Tom's tail has gotten caught in another mousetrap, and despite Jerry's mournful denial, the chase resumes.

Voice cast

 * Lillian Randolph as Mammy Two Shoes (original) (uncredited)
 * Thea Vidale as Mammy Two Shoes (redubbed) (uncredited)
 * Clarence Nash as Tom (uncredited)
 * Billy Bletcher as Bulldog (Spike) (uncredited)

Censorship
Mammy's appearance at the end was ironically censored out on TBS and TNT. In the original version during the ending titles, a World War II note appeared and it said "America needs your money buy war bonds and stamps every pay day". This is the first cartoon to have the World War II note during the original ending titles.

Availability
DVD VHS
 * Tom and Jerry Golden Collection Volume One, Disc 1
 * Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection, Volume Two, Disc 1
 * Tom & Jerry's 50th Birthday Classics