Jerry's Cousin

Jerry's Cousin is a 1951 one-reel animated cartoon and is the 57th Tom and Jerry short made in 1950 on April 7 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the cartoon was directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, produced by Fred Quimby, scored by Scott Bradley, and animated by Ray Patterson, Ed Barge, Kenneth Muse and Irven Spence. Paul Frees provided the voice of Jerry's cousin, Muscles. Working titles for this particular cartoon included City Cousin and Muscles Mouse before settling for Jerry's Cousin.

Jerry's Cousin was nominated for the 1950 Academy Award for Best Short Cartoon, the duo's eighth consecutive nomination and tenth overall, but lost to Gerald McBoing-Boing, a UPA production.

The character of Muscles reappeared in Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring, however his name changed to Freddie and he was hostile to Jerry.

Plot
One day at Hogan's Alley, Jerry's cousin, Muscles, a mouse with extraordinary strength, is showing the cats who's boss. After dispatching of his feline nemesis, Muscles retrieves his mail, which includes a letter from Jerry, begging for help in dealing with Tom.

An angry Muscles packs a bag and goes to Jerry's home. As he marches through the alleyway, the cats cower in fear; Butch is so scared of Muscles that he digs his own grave and buries himself.

At Jerry's house, the mouse is being mercilessly terrorized by Tom, who throws sticks of firecrackers into Jerry's mousehole. Muscles arrives with no introduction just as a stick of dynamite is thrown into the hole. Muscles marches out of the hole with the dynamite, and forces Tom to endure the explosion in his mouth. This causes the cat's eyes, cheeks and eardrums to pop out. When Tom grabs Muscles, the mouse easily throws him off and sternly demands that, as long as Muscles is around, Tom lays off Jerry. He then gives Tom a further taste of his strength.

Tom tries weight training, but as he visits Muscles and gives Muscles a punch, Muscles blows his own hand into a very big one and punches Tom strongly. Tom then tries a divide and conquer strategy, and even attempts murder, but finds himself outwitted at every turn; Muscles is either too strong or too crafty for him. In desperation, Tom calls a group of thugs for hire to dispose of Muscles. Even though the thugs ambush Muscles, they are quickly immobilized and tossed from the house. Tom, thoroughly intimidated, begins to grovel at Muscles' feet.



Before Muscles returns home, he gives Jerry an outfit which is identical to his, with him telling him that all he has to do is whistle. Jerry gets himself dressed and toughens himself up to look more like Muscles. While Jerry steps out of his mousehole and whistles, Tom believes that Jerry is Muscles, rushes there to bow to him and kisses his feet, much to the mouse's delight.

Voice cast

 * Paul Frees as Jerry's cousin ('Muscles')

Availability
DVD
 * Tom and Jerry's Greatest Chases, Vol. 2
 * Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection Vol. 1, Disc Two