Tale of Two Mice

Tale of Two Mice is a 1945 Looney Tunes planned by Frank Tashlin and finished by Robert McKimson.
== Title ==
As with the first Babbit and Catstello cartoon, the title is a play on the Charles Dickens novel A Tale of Two Cities.
== Plot ==
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 ==
Golden-Age-of-Looney-Tunes-2-F.jpg|(1992) LaserDisc The Golden Age of Looney Tunes, Vol. 2, Side 3: Frank Tashlin
lt san antonio.jpg|(2008) DVD San Antonio (USA 1995 Turner print)
lt tcm errol.jpg|(2010) DVD TCM Spotlight: The Errol Flynn Adventures (USA 1995 Turner print)
331779_front.jpg|(2023) Blu-ray Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 1 (restored)
== 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.The Censored Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies Guide (T)
** 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 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.
* The lobby cards for this cartoon refers to this cartoon with the title A Tale of Two Mice. Additionally, the aforementioned name was used in the cartoon's reissue title card.
* 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 ==
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Tale of Two Mice (1945) original titles
Tale-Two-Mice-600.jpg|Lobby card
Screenshot 2020-12-06 at 10.51.18 AM.png|Lobby card
== References ==
es:Tale of Two Mice
Category:1945
Category:Shorts
Category:Babbit and Catstello Shorts
Category:Looney Tunes Shorts
Category:Blue Ribbon reissues
Category:Cartoons written by Warren Foster
Category:Cartoons with backgrounds by Richard H. Thomas
Category:Cartoons with music by Carl W. Stalling
Category:Cartoons with orchestrations by Milt Franklyn
Category:Cartoons with film editing by Treg Brown
Category:Cartoons with sound effects edited by Treg Brown
Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Tedd Pierce
Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Mel Blanc
Category:Cartoons produced by Eddie Selzer
Category:Cartoons with layouts by Robert Givens
Category:Caricatures of real people
Category:Cartoons in a.a.p. package
Category:Re-released cartoons whose original titles are known to exist
Category:Cartoons with uncredited directors