Jerry Mouse

**Jerry Mouse** is a fictional character and one of the two titular main protagonists (the other being Tom Cat) in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's series of *Tom and Jerry* theatrical animated short films. Created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, Jerry is a young brown mute anthropomorphic house mouse, who first appeared as a mouse named Jinx in the 1940 MGM animated short *Puss Gets the Boot*.[1] Hanna gave the mouse's original name as "Jinx", while Barbera claimed the mouse went unnamed in his first appearance.

## History

### *Tom and Jerry* cartoons

The
 name "Jerry" was chosen by Geraint Rowlands, who submitted "Tom and
Jerry" as potential names for the duo after an important Loews Inc. distributor in Texas asked for follow-ups to *Puss Gets the Boot*.[1] While the idea of a cat-and-mouse duo was considered shopworn by the 1940s,[1]Hanna
 and Barbera decided to expand upon the standard expected cat and mouse
relationship. Instead of being a "cowering victim" of Tom,
 he took delight in besting, and even torturing, his feline frenemy
(even if Tom is just following orders or is even just minding his own
business and is antagonized by Jerry). Hanna and Barbera considered Tom
and Jerry "the best of enemies", whose rivalry hid an unspoken amount of
 mutual respect.[3] Jerry is also mute like Tom as well.

In later *Tom and Jerry* cartoons, Jerry acquired a young ward: a small grey mouse called "Tuffy" or "Nibbles" depending upon the cartoon,[4][5] who was left on Jerry's doorstep as a foundling baby in the 1946 short *The Milky Waif*.[5] Jerry and Tuffy were also featured together in a sub-series of *Tom and Jerry* cartoons set in 17th century France which featured the characters as musketeers.[4] The first of these shorts, *The Two Mouseketeers*, won the 1951 Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons.[4]

Hanna and Barbera served as writer/directors of the *Tom and Jerry* cartoons until 1956, when they also became the producers.[6] Fourteen *Tom and Jerry*
 cartoons between 1940 and 1954 were nominated for the Academy Award for
 Best Short Subject: Cartoons, with seven of the shorts winning that
award.[7]:32 MGM shut down its animation department in 1957, but new *Tom and Jerry* cartoons were produced by Gene Deitch and later Chuck Jones during the 1960s. Jerry would also appear in later *Tom and Jerry* productions made for television, a series of direct-to-video features, and *Tom and Jerry: The Movie*, a 1992 theatrical film.[8]
 Later productions eschewed much of the violence the 1940s and 1950s
shorts were known for, and in several of the television shows Jerry was
given a red bow tie and a kinder disposition.[9]

Tom and Jerry aren't always enemies; they have been known to team up on occasion.

### *Anchors Aweigh*

On his own, Jerry Mouse appears in a fantasy sequence in the 1945 Gene Kelly MGM musical film *Anchors Aweigh*.[10]
 Jerry appears as the ruler of a kingdom where music is banned because
he feels he lacks talent, and Kelly persuades the mouse into performing a
 song-and-dance number with him.[11] Kelly and MGM had originally wanted Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse as Kelly's dance partner for the sequence, but Disney was unwilling to license the character.[12]

Hanna and Barbera achieved the effect of Kelly dancing with Jerry by rotoscoping:
 live-action plates of Kelly dancing alone were shot first, and the
action traced frame by frame so that Jerry's movements would match The success of the animated segment of *Anchors Aweigh*, which was noted as "stealing the show" in contemporary trade reviews,[11]
 led to two more live-action/animated projects for Hanna and Barbera and
 MGM: an underwater ballet sequence featuring both Tom and Jerry in Esther Williams' 1953 film *Dangerous When Wet*, and the "Sinbad the Sailor" sequence of Kelly's 1956 film *Invitation to the Dance*.[12]

### *Tom & Jerry Kids*

In 1990, this version of Jerry wears a red bowtie, and has a tuft of hair on his head. He often taunts Tom (as a kitten) any chance he gets. Sometimes, in a few episodes, he is friends with/allies of Tom.

## Voice actors

* **William Hanna**: Vocal effects in the Hanna-Barbera era (1940–1958) shorts (also *Tom and Jerry: Shiver Me Whiskers* (archival recording from classic shorts)) and speaking in *The Lonesome Mouse* and *Part-Time Pal*, *The Tom and Jerry Show (2014 TV series)* (archival recording from classic shorts), *Tom and Jerry (2021 film)* (archival recording from classic shorts)
* **Sara Berner**: *Baby Puss* vocal effects, speaking in *The Zoot Cat*, speaking and singing voice for Jerry in *Anchors Aweigh*[13]
* **Harry E. Lang**: *The Million Dollar Cat* and *Springtime for Thomas* vocal effects
* **Lillian Randolph** (voice of Mammy Two Shoes): when Jerry and Tuffy disguise to fool Tom in the 1946 short: *The Milky Waif*[3]
* **Paul Frees**: speaking in *His Mouse Friday* and *Blue Cat Blues*
* **Daws Butler**: speaking in *Mucho Mouse*
* **Allen Swift**: vocal effects in the Gene Deitch era (1961-1962) shorts[14]
* **Gene Deitch**: vocal effects in the Gene Deitch era (1961–1962) shorts[15]
* **Mel Blanc**: vocal effects in the Chuck Jones era (1963–1967) shorts, *Tom and Jerry (2021 film)* (archival recording from classic shorts)
* **June Foray**: vocal effects in the Chuck Jones era (1965–1967) shorts, *Tom and Jerry (2021 film)* (archival recording from classic shorts)
* **Chuck Jones**: vocal effects in the Chuck Jones era (1965–1967) shorts
* **Abe Levitow**: vocal effects in the Chuck Jones era (1966–1967) shorts
* **Terence Monk**: singing in *The Cat Above and the Mouse Below*
* **Dale McKennon**: singing in *Cat and Dupli-cat*
* **John Stephenson**: *The Tom and Jerry Show (1975 TV series)*
* **Lou Scheimer**: *The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show*
* **Frank Welker**: *Tom & Jerry Kids* and *Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring*
* **Dana Hill**: speaking, non-speaking and singing in *Tom and Jerry: The Movie*.
* **Jeff Bergman**: Cartoon Network Latin America bumper[17]
* **Alan Marriott**: *Tom and Jerry in Fists of Furry* and *Tom and Jerry in War of the Whiskers*
* **Marc Silk**: *Tom and Jerry in War of the Whiskers* (as Monster Jerry)
* Dee Bradley Baker: *Tom and Jerry: Blast Off to Mars* and *Tom and Jerry: The Fast and the Furry*
* **Spike Brandt**: *The Karate Guard*, *Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale*, *Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes*, *Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse*, *Tom and Jerry's Giant Adventure*, *Tom and Jerry: The Lost Dragon*, *Tom and Jerry: Spy Quest*, and *Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory*
* **Samuel Vincent**: *Tom and Jerry Tales*
* **Bob Bergen**: *Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz* and *Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz*
* **Rich Danhakl**: *The Tom and Jerry Show (2014 TV series)*
* **Rick Zieff**: speaking in Spike's voice in the *The Tom and Jerry Show (2014 TV series)* episode "Cat-astrophic Failure"

Jerry has had a number of voice actors over the years. Ever since his debut in *Puss Gets the Boot*
 his vocal effects were provided by co-creator William Hanna during the
Hanna-Barbera era. Sara Berner also did vocal effects for Jerry in the
short *Baby Puss* (1943) and voiced him in the short *The Zoot Cat* (1944), as well as *Anchors Aweigh* (1945) in a dance sequence with him and Gene Kelly. Harry E. Lang did Jerry's excited screams in *The Million Dollar Cat* (1944) and *Springtime for Thomas* (1946). A sequence in the short *The Milky Waif*
 (1946) features Jerry and Nibbles disguising themselves as a pair of
black people, in which the former is voiced by Lillian Randolph (same
voice as Mammy Two Shoes). Paul Frees did Jerry's speaking voice in the shorts *His Mouse Friday* (1951) and *Blue Cat Blues* (1956). Daws Butler did Jerry's voice in the short *Mucho Mouse* (1957). When the MGM cartoon studio shut down in 1957 and Gene Deitch and European animation studio Rembrandt Studio took over, he and Allen Swift did Jerry's voice during the 1961–62 era. During the Chuck Jones
 era in 1963–1967, his voice was provided by Mel Blanc, June Foray,
Chuck Jones and Abe Levitow. Terence Monk did his voice in the short *The Cat Above and the Mouse Below* (1964) and Dale McKennon did Jerry’s singing voice in *Cat and Dupli-cat* (1967). In *The Tom and Jerry Show* (1975), Jerry was voiced by John Stephenson. Lou Scheimer voiced him in *The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show* (1980–1982). Frank Welker voiced him in *Tom and Jerry Kids* (1990–1993) and *Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring* (2002). Dana Hill voiced Jerry in *Tom and Jerry: The Movie* (1992).

Other voice actors include Alan Marriott in *Tom and Jerry in Fists of Furry* (2000) and *Tom and Jerry in War of the Whiskers* (2002), Marc Silk in *Tom and Jerry in War of the Whiskers* (2002; as Monster Jerry) Dee Bradley Baker in *Tom and Jerry: Blast Off to Mars* (2005) and *Tom and Jerry: The Fast and the Furry* (2005), Spike Brandt in *The Karate Guard* (2005), *Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale* (2007), *Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes* (2010), *Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse* (2012), *Tom and Jerry's Giant Adventure* (2013), *Tom and Jerry: The Lost Dragon* (2014), *Tom and Jerry: Spy Quest* (2015), and *Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory* (2017), Sam Vincent in *Tom and Jerry Tales* (2006-2008), Bob Bergen (Porky Pig from *Looney Tunes*) in *Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz* (2011) and *Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz* (2016), and Jeff Bergman in a Cartoon Network Latin America bumper. In *The Tom and Jerry Show (2014 TV series)*,
 Jerry's vocal effects are provided by sound designer Rich Danhakl and
archival recordings of William Hanna from the original theatrical
shorts.