If there was ever a cartoon that showed you the true nature of Tom and Jerry’s relationship with one another it is this one. I can’t really see Herman and Katnip missing each other’s company, outside of the mouse missing the cat’s stupidity. Yet it seems that Jerry has a definite need for the sense of danger in his life, or at the very least, a manic playmate.

The short starts with Jerry getting Tom thrown out of the house by Mamma Two-Shoes. At first the mouse enjoys himself, but soon boredom sets in and the mouse watches Tom through the window, pining for the excitement that has left his life. A narrator – quite nicely voiced by Hanna – convinces Jerry to get Tom back into the house and his life. Jerry proceeds to wave a white flag and tells his plan to Tom in a rare moment of the two talking semi-intelligibly to each other, meaning that the audience can understand some of the words.

The rest of the cartoon is basically a play act or send-up of the usual Tom and Jerry hi-jinks, as the two put up a nice little pretence which in many ways is a refreshing twist on the old setup.

One of my personal favorite Tom and Jerry cartoons.