Puss Gets the Boot is a 1940 American animated short film and the first short in what would become the Tom and Jerry cartoon series, though neither are yet referred to by these names. It was directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, and produced by Rudolf Ising. It is based on the Aesop's Fable The Cat and the Mice. As was the practice of MGM shorts at the time, only Rudolf Ising is credited. It was released to theaters on February 10, 1940, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

In this short, the cat is named Jasper, and appears to be a scruffy, battle-hardened street cat, more malicious than the character that Tom would develop into over time. The unnamed mouse (referred to as Pee-Wee in an official MGM magazine), is similar to who would become the Jerry character, albeit slightly thinner. The basic premise is one that would become familiar to audiences; in The Art of Hanna-Barbera, Ted Sennett sums it up as "cat stalks and chases mouse in a frenzy of mayhem and slapstick violence". Though the studio executives were unimpressed, audiences loved the film and it was nominated for an Academy Award.

  • Lillian Randolph as The Maid (original) (uncredited)

Production and release

In June 1937, animator and storyman Joseph Barbera began to work for the Ising animation unit at MGM, then the largest studio in Hollywood. An early thought involved a fox and a dog before they settled on a cat and mouse. The pair discussed their ideas with producer Fred Quimby, then the head of the short film department who, despite a lack of interest in it, gave them the green-light to produce one cartoon short. and an African American housemaid. Leonard Maltin described it as "very new and special [...] that was to change the course of MGM cartoon production" and established the successful Tom and Jerry formula of comical cat and mouse chases with slapstick gags. Puss Gets the Boot was a critical success, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Short Subject: Cartoons in 1941 despite the credits listing Ising and omitting Hanna and Barbera.

Availability

; Blu-ray:

  • Tom and Jerry Golden Collection, Volume 1, Disc 1
  • Tom and Jerry: The Golden Era Anthology, Disc 1

; DVD:

  • 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 and Jerry: The Golden Era Anthology, Disc 1

; Laserdisc:

  • The Art of Tom and Jerry Volume 1, Disc 1, Side 1
  • Tom & Jerry Classics

; iTunes:

  • Tom and Jerry, Volume 2

References