High Steaks
Encyclopedia
High Steaks is a 1961 cartoon directed by Gene Deitch
and produced by William L. Snyder, released in early 1962. The cartoon was the fourth of thirteen made in Czechoslovakia
after original creators William Hanna
and Joseph Barbera
had left MGM to work for television. The title is a pun on the phrase "High stakes
".
Tom's owner, Clint Clobber(the minor character of this episode) is grilling steaks in his backyard. The steak's scent reaches Jerry(the antagonist
/villain of this episode), who is aroused by it and is led to the steak. He then tries to eat it but is captured by Tom(the secondary character/protagonist
of this episode), who uses his grill fork to catapult him back into the house. Jerry then returns to retrieve the steak, and encounters Tom once more. The two of them fight using grill forks until Tom inadvertently stabs Clint, who retaliates by squashing Tom's head flat in a red-hot steak holder.
Jerry next hides in a badminton
shuttlecock
and tries to sneak onto the table, but Tom hits him with a racquet. The shuttlecock gets caught in the net and rebounds into Clint's mouth, whereupon he breaks the racquet over Tom's head. Tom then tries to stop Jerry from opening a freshly shaken bottle of soda, but he is too late; the soda ruins one of Clint's steaks, so he forces Tom to gulp down a second shaken bottle. Once Tom recovers, he chases Jerry across the yard only to get his tail trapped in the grill. Tom dives into the swimming pool to cool off, prompting Clint to tie him to a lounge chair so he will stay out of trouble. Jerry hooks the chair to the rear bumper of a nearby car just before it drives away, taking Tom with it. Finally, Clint goes back to his grilling in peace, and Jerry reaches the table and starts eating one of the steaks.
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...
and produced by William L. Snyder, released in early 1962. The cartoon was the fourth of thirteen made in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
after original creators William Hanna
William Hanna
William Denby Hanna was an American animator, director, producer, and cartoon artist, whose film and television cartoon characters entertained millions of people for much of the 20th century. When he was a young child, Hanna's family moved frequently, but they settled in Compton, California, by...
and Joseph Barbera
Joseph Barbera
Joseph Roland Barbera was an influential American animator, director, producer, storyboard artist, and cartoon artist, whose film and television cartoon characters entertained millions of fans worldwide for much of the twentieth century....
had left MGM to work for television. The title is a pun on the phrase "High stakes
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
".
Plot
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
/villain of this episode), who is aroused by it and is led to the steak. He then tries to eat it but is captured by Tom(the secondary character/protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of this episode), who uses his grill fork to catapult him back into the house. Jerry then returns to retrieve the steak, and encounters Tom once more. The two of them fight using grill forks until Tom inadvertently stabs Clint, who retaliates by squashing Tom's head flat in a red-hot steak holder.
Jerry next hides in a badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
shuttlecock
Shuttlecock
A shuttlecock, sometimes called a bird or birdie, is a high-drag projectile used in the sport of badminton. It has an open conical shape: the cone is formed from sixteen or so overlapping feathers, usually goose or duck and from the left wing only, embedded into a rounded cork base...
and tries to sneak onto the table, but Tom hits him with a racquet. The shuttlecock gets caught in the net and rebounds into Clint's mouth, whereupon he breaks the racquet over Tom's head. Tom then tries to stop Jerry from opening a freshly shaken bottle of soda, but he is too late; the soda ruins one of Clint's steaks, so he forces Tom to gulp down a second shaken bottle. Once Tom recovers, he chases Jerry across the yard only to get his tail trapped in the grill. Tom dives into the swimming pool to cool off, prompting Clint to tie him to a lounge chair so he will stay out of trouble. Jerry hooks the chair to the rear bumper of a nearby car just before it drives away, taking Tom with it. Finally, Clint goes back to his grilling in peace, and Jerry reaches the table and starts eating one of the steaks.