Changes: Tale of Two Mice

Catstello is being chased at high speed around the house by a cat, yelling "Hey Babbit!" Catstello narrowly escapes into the mousehole, while the cat crashes into a wall. Babbit notices this and asks Catstello for the cheese, which he replied that he hasn't got any because he is scared of the cat. Babbit then chastises Catstello for his cowardice, but when this doesn't get into Catstello's head. Babbit continuously slaps him on the head.

They attempt to steal cheese that is being guarded by a cat. Their schemes include past a sleeping cat, which doesn't go so well as Catstello runs off at first time, a small airplane and a rope and pull system. Finally, Catstello manages to escape the cat with a wedge of Swiss cheese, which unfortunately Babbit doesn't like. Fed up with Babbit constantly ordering him around, repetitively slapping him as well as his ungratefulness for his efforts, Catstello continuously slaps him and force-feeds Babbit chunks of Swiss cheese. Catstello remarks "Ooohhh, I'm a baaaaaaad boy!"

Caricatures

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello

Availability

Censorship

On the now-defunct WB channel, the sequence in which Babbit's states, "If this don't work, then I'll be a jack-ass," followed by Catstello in a crashed toy airplane yelling, "Jack-ass! A jack-ass!" and braying like a donkey was cut.^[4]
- Cartoon Network and Boomerang have aired this cartoon along with Blooper Bunny and Dumb Patrol uncensored, despite having also edited "The Rebel Without Claws" and "I Was a Teenage Thumb" to remove profanity ("damn" in the former cartoon short and "ass" in the latter).

Notes

This is the first cartoon where Babbit and Catstello are recast as mice instead of cats as in their debut cartoon "A Tale of Two Kitties" (1942), as well as as the protagonists rather than as antagonists to Tweety. They would later be recast as mice again in "The Mouse-Merized Cat" (1946)
- This is also the first cartoon where Catstello turns against Babbit in the end due to the former fed-up of the latter's constant abuse. This would happen again in "The Mouse-Merized Cat".
- It was also the first (and only) appearance of Babbit and Catstello in the Looney Tunes series.
The plot of the short resembles the 1941 Screen Gems cartoon "The Great Cheese Mystery". Both share a similar setup, featuring a pair of mice stealing food from a sleeping cat. Arthur Davis and Frank Tashlin both worked in that cartoon as director and writer respectively.
When this short was re-released as a Blue Ribbon, it was retitled as A Tale of Two Mice.
The unnamed cat in this cartoon physically resembles Babbit from "A Tale of Two Kitties".
MeTV aired a previously unreleased restored print of the cartoon on Toon In With Me. While a 16mm print with the original titles is known to exist, Warner Bros. only restores 35mm prints, hence the Blue Ribbon titles were restored instead.
This cartoon is the first cartoon that was directed by Robert McKimson, although he isn't credited as he only completed the cartoon following Frank Tashlin's departure from the studio.

Gallery

Tale of Two Mice (1945) - 2022 restoration - Intro and Outro + 43-seconds clip

Tale of Two Mice (1945) original titles

References

[1] ttps://archive.org/details/catalogofc19723261213libr/page/149/mode/1up

[2] ttps://cartoonlogic.libsyn.com/cartoon-logic-episode-11-frank-tashlin-tale-of-two-mice

[3] ttp://www.whataboutthad.com/2010/11/01/animator-breakdown-tale-of-two-mice/

[4] The Censored Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies Guide (T)

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Shorts
-{{Infobox_Shorts
 |name = Tale of Two Mice
-|image = Taleoftwomice.jpg
-|Director = [[Frank Tashlin]]
-|producer = [[Eddie Selzer]] (uncredited)
-|airdate = June 30, 1945
-|series = [[Looney Tunes]]
-|Voice = [[Mel Blanc]] (uncredited)<br>[[Tedd Pierce]] (uncredited)
-|Starring = [[Babbit and Catstello]]<br>House Cat
 |previous = [[A Gruesome Twosome]]
 |next = [[Wagon Heels]]
+|image = <gallery>
-|video = [[File:Tale Of Two Mice|center|280px]][[File:Tale of Two Mice (Original Titles)|center|280px]]
+Tale_of_two_mice-title.png|Original Title
-|Writer = [[Warren Foster]]
+TaleofTwoMiceRestored.png|Blue Ribbon
-|Animators = [[Richard Bickenbach]]<br>[[Cal Dalton]]<br>[[Arthur Davis]]<br>[[Izzy Ellis]]<br>[[A.C. Gamer]] (Effects)
+</gallery>
-|Layout-artist = [[Richard H. Thomas]]
+|airdate = 30 June 1945 <br/><br/>'''[[Blue Ribbon]] reissue:''' <br/>10 January 1953
-|Background-artist = [[Richard H. Thomas]]
+|runtime = 7 min. 32 sec. (reissue)
-|Sound effects = [[Treg Brown]] (uncredited)
-|Musician = [[Carl W. Stalling]]}}
+|series = [[Looney Tunes]]
+|mpaa = 9799
-'''Tale of Two Mice '''is a 1945 [[Looney Tunes]] cartoon. It was directed by an uncredited [[Frank Tashlin]].
+|prodno = 7-15 <br> 1309 (reissue)
+|renewed = 13 November 1972<ref>https://archive.org/details/catalogofc19723261213libr/page/149/mode/1up</ref>
+|starring = [[Babbit and Catstello]]
+|voice = [[Mel Blanc]] (uncredited)<br>[[Tedd Pierce]] (uncredited)
+|director = [[Frank Tashlin]] (planned, uncredited)<br>[[Robert McKimson]] (finished, uncredited)<ref>https://cartoonlogic.libsyn.com/cartoon-logic-episode-11-frank-tashlin-tale-of-two-mice</ref>
+|producer = [[Eddie Selzer]] (uncredited)
+|writer = [[Warren Foster]]
+|animators = [[Richard Bickenbach]]<br>[[Cal Dalton]]<br>[[Arthur Davis|Art Davis]]<br>[[Izzy Ellis|I. Ellis]]<br>[[Anatole Kirsanoff]] (uncredited)<ref>http://www.whataboutthad.com/2010/11/01/animator-breakdown-tale-of-two-mice/</ref>
+|effects_anim = [[A.C. Gamer]] (uncredited)
+|layout = [[Bob Givens|Robert Givens]] (uncredited)<br>[[David Hilberman|Dave Hilberman]] (uncredited)
+|background = [[Richard H. Thomas]]
+|editor = [[Treg Brown]] (uncredited)
+|musician = [[Carl W. Stalling]]
+|video =
+}}
+'''Tale of Two Mice''' is a [[1945]] ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' planned by [[Frank Tashlin]] and finished by [[Robert McKimson]].
-==Plot==
+== Title ==
+As with [[A Tale of Two Kitties|the first Babbit and Catstello cartoon]], the title is a play on the Charles Dickens novel ''A Tale of Two Cities.''
-[[Babbit and Catstello]] from [[A Tale of Two Kitties]] return, but this time they're mice.  They attempt to steal cheese that is being guarded by a cat. Their schemes include past a sleeping cat, which doesn't go so well as Catstello runs off at first time, a small airplane and a rope and pull system.
-==Gallery==
+== Plot ==
+[[Babbit and Catstello|Catstello]] is being chased at high speed around the house by a cat, yelling "Hey [[Babbit and Catstello|Babbit]]!" Catstello narrowly escapes into the mousehole, while the cat crashes into a wall. Babbit notices this and asks Catstello for the cheese, which he replied that he hasn't got any because he is scared of the cat. Babbit then chastises Catstello for his cowardice, but when this doesn't get into Catstello's head. Babbit continuously slaps him on the head.
+They attempt to steal cheese that is being guarded by a cat. Their schemes include past a sleeping cat, which doesn't go so well as Catstello runs off at first time, a small airplane and a rope and pull system. Finally, Catstello manages to escape the cat with a wedge of Swiss cheese, which unfortunately Babbit doesn't like. Fed up with Babbit constantly ordering him around, repetitively slapping him as well as his ungratefulness for his efforts, Catstello continuously slaps him and force-feeds Babbit chunks of Swiss cheese. Catstello remarks "Ooohhh, I'm a baaaaaaad boy!"
+== Caricatures ==
+* [[Caricatures#Bud Abbott and Lou Costello|Bud Abbott and Lou Costello]]
+== Availability ==
 <gallery>
+Golden-Age-of-Looney-Tunes-2-F.jpg|(1992) LaserDisc <br/>''[[The Golden Age of Looney Tunes]]'', Vol. 2, Side 3: Frank Tashlin
-Two mice-1-.jpg
+lt san antonio.jpg|(2008) DVD <br/>''San Antonio'' (USA 1995 Turner print)
-Two mice.jpg|Blue Ribbon Re-Issue Titles
+lt tcm errol.jpg|(2010) DVD <br/>''TCM Spotlight: The Errol Flynn Adventures'' (USA 1995 Turner print)
+_front.jpg|(2023) Blu-ray <br>''[[Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 1]]'' (restored)
 </gallery>
+== Censorship ==
+* On the now-defunct WB channel, the sequence in which Babbit's states, "If this don't work, then I'll be a jack-ass," followed by Catstello in a crashed toy airplane yelling, "Jack-ass! A jack-ass!" and braying like a donkey was cut.<ref>[http://www.intanibase.com/gac/looneytunes/censored-t.aspx The Censored Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies Guide (T)]</ref>
+** [[Cartoon Network]] and [[Boomerang]] have aired this cartoon along with [[(Blooper) Bunny|Blooper Bunny]] and [[Dumb Patrol (1964 short)|Dumb Patrol]] uncensored, despite having also edited "[[The Rebel Without Claws]]" and "[[I Was a Teenage Thumb]]" to remove profanity ("damn" in the former cartoon short and "ass" in the latter).
+== Notes ==
+* This is the first cartoon where [[Babbit and Catstello]] are recast as mice instead of cats as in their debut cartoon "[[A Tale of Two Kitties]]" (1942), as well as as the protagonists rather than as antagonists to [[Tweety]]. They would later be recast as mice again in "[[The Mouse-Merized Cat]]" (1946)
+** This is also the first cartoon where Catstello turns against Babbit in the end due to the former fed-up of the latter's constant abuse. This would happen again in "[[The Mouse-Merized Cat]]".
+**It was also the first (and only) appearance of Babbit and Catstello in the ''Looney Tunes'' series.
+* The plot of the short resembles the 1941 Screen Gems cartoon "The Great Cheese Mystery". Both share a similar setup, featuring a pair of mice stealing food from a sleeping cat. [[Arthur Davis]] and [[Frank Tashlin]] both worked in that cartoon as director and writer respectively.
+* When this short was re-released as a Blue Ribbon, it was retitled as '''A Tale of Two Mice'''.
+* The unnamed cat in this cartoon physically resembles Babbit from "A Tale of Two Kitties".
+* [[MeTV]] aired a previously unreleased restored print of the cartoon on ''Toon In With Me''. While a 16mm print with the original titles is known to exist, Warner Bros. only restores 35mm prints, hence the [[List of Warner Bros. cartoons with Blue Ribbon reissues|Blue Ribbon]] titles were restored instead.
+* This cartoon is the first cartoon that was directed by [[Robert McKimson]], although he isn't credited as he only completed the cartoon following [[Frank Tashlin]]'s departure from the studio.
+== Gallery ==
+<gallery widths="185">
+IMG 2453.png
+IMG 2454.png
+Two mice-1-.jpg|Original title card
+IMG 2456.png
+Tale of Two Mice BR Title Card (1995 Dubbed Print).png|Reissue title card (1995 dubbed print)
+vlcsnap-2022-07-14-08h19m47s313.png|Reissue title card (restored, from MeTV airing)
+Tale of Two Mice (1945) - 2022 restoration - Intro and Outro + 43-seconds clip
+Tale of Two Mice (1945) original titles
+Tale-Two-Mice-600.jpg|[[Lobby Cards|Lobby card]]
+Screenshot 2020-12-06 at 10.51.18 AM.png|Lobby card
+</gallery>
+== References ==
+<references />
+[[es:Tale of Two Mice]]
+{{-}}
 [[Category:1945]]
 [[Category:Shorts]]
 [[Category:Babbit and Catstello Shorts]]
-[[Category:Cartoons directed by Frank Tashlin]]
 [[Category:Looney Tunes Shorts]]
 [[Category:Blue Ribbon reissues]]
 [[Category:Cartoons written by Warren Foster]]
-[[Category:Cartoons animated by Richard Bickenbach]]
-[[Category:Cartoons animated by Cal Dalton]]
-[[Category:Cartoons animated by Arthur Davis]]
-[[Category:Cartoons animated by Izzy Ellis]]
 [[Category:Cartoons with backgrounds by Richard H. Thomas]]
 [[Category:Cartoons with music by Carl W. Stalling]]
@@ Line 46: / Line 94: @@
 [[Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Mel Blanc]]
 [[Category:Cartoons produced by Eddie Selzer]]
-[[Category:Cartoons with layouts by Richard H. Thomas]]
+[[Category:Cartoons with layouts by Robert Givens]]
 [[Category:Caricatures of real people]]
-[[Category:1952-53 Reissues]]
+[[Category:Cartoons in a.a.p. package]]
+[[Category:Re-released cartoons whose original titles are known to exist]]
+[[Category:Cartoons with uncredited directors]]