Buddies Thicker Than Water
Encyclopedia
Buddies Thicker Than Water is a 1962 short film, originally released as part of the Tom and Jerry
series on November 1. It was the 12th and penultimate cartoon in the series to be directed by Prague
-based animator Gene Deitch
in then-Communist Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic
) and produced by William L. Snyder. The name is a pun on the phrase "Blood is thicker than water".
, Jerry is comfortably asleep in his hole inside a penthouse, while Tom tries to keep from freezing to death in the alley below, having been thrown out by the owner. He writes a note, slips into a bottle, and throws it up to hit the penthouse window. Jerry, awakened by the noise, goes out to the balcony and finds both this note and a second one sent up by Tom:
Rushing to the alley, Jerry finds the frozen-solid Tom and drags him back upstairs on a trash can lid. He then sets Tom inside the hot-air vent, thaws him out with an electric blanket
, and provides him with an "Instant Gourmet" dehydrated meal.
Tom and Jerry lounge about the penthouse, listening to music and drinking everything in the owner's liquor cabinet. Her return startles the inebriated pair, and Jerry dives into his hole as she grabs Tom and prepares to throw him out again. Tom grabs Jerry and shows him to the owner, throwing her into a panic until he throws the mouse off the balcony, betraying him. While Tom enjoys the owner's favor, Jerry digs himself out of the snow and sneaks back in, using some of the owner's face powder to disguise himself as a ghost
.
When Jerry puts an album of spooky music on the stereo and switches off the lights, Tom believes that the mouse's ghost has come to haunt him. He flees through the penthouse and out onto the balcony's edge, where the snow washes off part of Jerry's makeup and exposes the ruse. Tom prepares to strike back, but before he can do so, the snowdrift under his feet gives way and he falls down to the alley. He quickly writes a new note and throws it up to Jerry:
Jerry responds by throwing a pair of ice skates and a hockey stick down to him, then goes back to his hole.
Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry are the cat and mouse cartoon characters that were evolved starting in 1939.Tom and Jerry also may refer to:Cartoon works featuring the cat and mouse so named:* The Tom and Jerry Show...
series on November 1. It was the 12th and penultimate cartoon in the series to be directed by Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
-based animator Gene Deitch
Gene Deitch
Eugene Merril "Gene" Deitch is an American illustrator, animator and film director. He has been based in Prague, capital of Czechoslovakia and the present-day Czech Republic, since 1959. Since 1968, Deitch has been the leading animation director for the Connecticut organization Weston...
in then-Communist Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
) and produced by William L. Snyder. The name is a pun on the phrase "Blood is thicker than water".
Plot
On a snowy night in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Jerry is comfortably asleep in his hole inside a penthouse, while Tom tries to keep from freezing to death in the alley below, having been thrown out by the owner. He writes a note, slips into a bottle, and throws it up to hit the penthouse window. Jerry, awakened by the noise, goes out to the balcony and finds both this note and a second one sent up by Tom:
Rushing to the alley, Jerry finds the frozen-solid Tom and drags him back upstairs on a trash can lid. He then sets Tom inside the hot-air vent, thaws him out with an electric blanket
Electric blanket
In the US the electric blanket is a blanket with an integrated electrical heating device usually placed above the top bed sheet. In the UK and Commonwealth, electric blanket commonly refers to an electric mattress pad, which is placed below the bottom bed sheet. Electric blankets usually have a...
, and provides him with an "Instant Gourmet" dehydrated meal.
Tom and Jerry lounge about the penthouse, listening to music and drinking everything in the owner's liquor cabinet. Her return startles the inebriated pair, and Jerry dives into his hole as she grabs Tom and prepares to throw him out again. Tom grabs Jerry and shows him to the owner, throwing her into a panic until he throws the mouse off the balcony, betraying him. While Tom enjoys the owner's favor, Jerry digs himself out of the snow and sneaks back in, using some of the owner's face powder to disguise himself as a ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
.
When Jerry puts an album of spooky music on the stereo and switches off the lights, Tom believes that the mouse's ghost has come to haunt him. He flees through the penthouse and out onto the balcony's edge, where the snow washes off part of Jerry's makeup and exposes the ruse. Tom prepares to strike back, but before he can do so, the snowdrift under his feet gives way and he falls down to the alley. He quickly writes a new note and throws it up to Jerry:
Jerry responds by throwing a pair of ice skates and a hockey stick down to him, then goes back to his hole.