The Midnight Snack (1941)

Jerry's raiding the fridge, carrying off a giant wedge of cheese. Tom's feeling playful, so he piles the cheese high with dishes, builds a set of bread-slice steps, and ends them on a ... See full summary »

Directors:

Joseph Barbera, William Hanna

Stars:

Lillian Randolph

Cast

Uncredited cast:
Lillian Randolph	...	Mammy Two-Shoes (voice) (uncredited)

Storyline

Jerry's raiding the fridge, carrying off a giant wedge of cheese. Tom's feeling playful, so he piles the cheese high with dishes, builds a set of bread-slice steps, and ends them on a rolling pin. This sends Jerry crashing, of course. Jerry puts the cheese back. Tom dips a paw into a bowl of jelly in the process and decides to raid the fridge; he puts Jerry's tail under an iron. After some snacking, Tom buries Jerry in the cream from a creampuff. But he also tosses the cheese wedge into the china cabinet, bringing Mammy down to scold him. Time for a scapegoat: Tom stuffs Jerry into the fridge, then runs to the next room. When Mammy screams, Tom chases Jerry but this chase ends differently, with Tom trapped in the ironing board. Jerry takes careful aim with a fork, sending Tom into the fridge, where Mammy thrashes him as Jerry munches on the cheese.

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Plot Keywords:

mammy two shoes | surrealism | character seen only from neck down | cartoon cat | cat versus mouse | 

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Genres:

Family | Animation | Short | Comedy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 July 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pique-nique de minuit

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

9 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

William Hanna and Joseph Barbera originally had the cat named Jasper and the mouse was Jinx, in 1940's Puss Gets the Boot cartoon. This is the first cartoon with their names, Tom Cat and Jerry Mouse.

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Connections

Followed by Professor Tom (1948)

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Soundtracks

"Sing Before Breakfast"
Music by Nacio Herb Brown

User Reviews

Very good, if perhaps not one of the best

The Midnight Snack is one of the first Tom and Jerry cartoons, if I am not mistaken it was the second. It is not quite as good as the cartoons of the 50s, most of which are classics, it does understandably have the feeling that they were still finding their feet, but it is infinitely better than the Gene Deitch abominations. What did I like about The Midnight Snack? A lot actually. As I've said, things are not quite settled but that is to be expected at the start. However, the animation really is wonderful. Tom's design would get better later on with his ears for example being more prominent and cat-like, but here he does look sweet I have to give you that. The backgrounds however have fluidity and detail and the colours are bright and beautiful-looking. The music has always been a key part to Tom and Jerry's success, full of energy and always enhancing the humour. The music for The Midnight Snack, even for so early on, does that exactly. The story is simple but never dull, and the gags are as you'd expect very funny. Jerry is the same as usual, cute and very clever for such a small rodent. Tom is much more playful than the more dastardly, cunning approach he'd have later, but he is very likable and interacts very well with Jerry. All in all, not one of the best but still very good. 9/10 Bethany Cox