Jerry and the Lion

***Jerry and the Lion*** is a 1950 one-reel animated cartoon and is the 50th *Tom and Jerry* short. It was produced in Technicolor and released to theatres on April 8, 1950 by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer.

## Plot

Tom is listening to music on the radio, but hears a crash from the kitchen, where he sees Jerry stealing food from the fridge. When Tom tries to stop Jerry, Jerry squeezes a tomato into Tom's face. Jerry runs toward his mousehole; but when Tom closes the door, the mouse sneaks through his own mousehole door, and squeezes another tomato into the cat's face. When Tom returns to his chair and radio, an emergency alert then comes and announces:
*Attention! Attention everyone. We interrupt this program to bring you this warning. A ferocious lion has just escaped from the circus. I repeat, a ferocious lion has just escaped from the circus. You are advised to bar your windows and doors immediately.*

Tom frantically closes all the windows, puts a couch in front of the door, and grabs a gun and safari hat to defend himself. Tom hides behind a table, while Jerry, who overheard the warning, sees someone hiding in the shadows, and screams in fear when he sees two angry eyes, but before he can break away or even try to do anything, the runaway lion grabs him and befriends Jerry, showing he is anything but ferocious. He tells Jerry, "Don't give me away, pal. Don't let'em catch me. If they take me back to that circus, I'll go crazy. I can't stand that corny music, all that crackle, crackle, crackle, of them popcorn bags. Say you'll help me get back to the jungle, please!" with a big toothy smile. Jerry nods as the lion continues, "Gee, thanks, pal! Thanks! There's just one more little thing. I'm hungry." while pointing at his open mouth.

Jerry and the lion then sneak over the kitchen. Jerry sneaks a large ham for the lion and are spotted by Tom. Tom stops Jerry with his rifle and takes the ham away from him. Tom then catches Jerry by his tail and Tom holds the ham behind him. The lion, who is hiding behind a curtain, eats the ham in one bite. Tom then goes to take a bite into the ham, but sees there's nothing there, hears crunching noises from behind the curtain, then gets scared and points the rifle at the curtain. Jerry then raises the gun and it goes off, hitting the ceiling. Jerry then starts acting if he had been shot until he hits the ground. Tom sees this and runs away. Jerry and the lion run away in the other direction. Tom returns with a first aid kit, but finds Jerry nowhere to be found. Tom then looks for the lion, but finds Jerry in another room, and doesn't notice that the lion is perched on top of the lamp. Tom points the rifle in Jerry's face and grabs Jerry, who starts to throw punches. Tom grabs Jerry and sticks out his chin as if to say, "Go ahead. Hit me with your best shot." Jerry looks up at the lion, who obligingly raises his paw and smacks Tom right in the kisser, sending him flying halfway across the room to crash right through the chimney stack, The fireplace mantle converts into a slot machine, which turns up three lemons, before Tom falls into the fireplace and has bricks land on his head. Jerry and the lion then run and hide in an umbrella stand. Tom grabs the umbrella and opens it, but quickly learns why it is bad luck to do so when the lion (who was somehow hiding inside it) falls out and squashes him flat. They run off and both hide in a safe closet. Tom then closes the door on the closet, gives an evil laugh whilst slipping inside it and locks the door from the outside. Almost immediately, sounds of battle issue from behind the locked door as Tom is given a sound thrashing, all the while screaming in pain and trying frantically to escape before the door is ripped off it's hinges and flung clear across the room with Tom against it.

Jerry then comes out and gives Tom a mean look. Believing Jerry to have been the one responsible for his vicious beating, Tom screams in terror, opens the door and crashes right through the wall to escape.

Jerry is then shown helping the lion stowaway on to the S.S. Africa. The boat gives a toot and sails away when the lion bids Jerry goodbye with a tear falling from his eye. The boat sails further away as poor Jerry waves goodbye with a handkerchief, along with an instrumental theme of Auld Lang Syne. Jerry cries a little bit to see his new friend go away, but is so happy that he helped.