Cat Glove

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

In the Tom and Jerry universe, Casanova Cat stands out as a rare romantic comedy where the chase is not for food or survival, but for the affections of a wealthy female cat. The plot is driven by Tom's greed: upon learning that Toodles has inherited $1,000,000, he immediately dresses up and brings flowers, dragging Jerry along as a living gift. Tom forces Jerry into a series of degrading performances—winding him into a doll, blackening his face with cigar smoke, and making him tap-dance on a hot metal plate—all to impress Toodles. The short's climax shifts when Butch, an alley cat, enters the scene after Jerry drops a newspaper headline about Toodles' inheritance into the alley. Tom and Butch then engage in a violent slapstick duel for Toodles' heart, using boxing gloves, fishbowls, bowling balls, and mousetraps. Ultimately, Jerry outwits both cats by kissing Toodles on the cheek, winning her affection, and escaping with her in a car while Tom and Butch are left tangled and defeated.

In Their Own Story

The short opens with Tom heading to Toodles' home, dragging Jerry tied to a bow. Inside, Tom winds Jerry into a doll and forces him to roll on a ball, impressing Toodles. Tom then blackens Jerry's face with cigar smoke and blowing it, and forces him to tap-dance by lighting up a metal plate. Tom gives Jerry as a present to Toodles, but asks for a kiss in return. Just as Tom and Toodles are about to kiss, Jerry jams Tom's tail into an automatic ashtray, causing Tom to scream in Toodles' face. Jerry escapes to the window ledge and spots Butch singing a couple of lines from "Over the Rainbow" (his singing was provided by Jerry Mann) in a nearby alley. Jerry launches the newspaper headline towards Butch, and Tom and Butch proceed to fight each other to win Toodles' heart. Butch slaps Tom into a fishbowl, but Tom ties Butch's tail to a pole. Toodles tosses sweets into Tom's mouth, but Butch drops a bowling ball into Tom. Butch kisses Toodles' arm, but Tom places a mousetrap onto her arm to trap Butch's kissing mouth. Tom then traps Butch between two doors and kisses Toodles' cheek. Butch grabs Toodles and goes to kiss her, but Tom also turns around to also kiss Toodles—the two kiss each other instead, and Tom turns around and attacks Butch in the face. Jerry then kisses Toodles on the cheek, causing her to take an interest in Jerry. Tom and Butch chase Jerry, but Jerry hides in a vent, ties Butch and Tom's tails into a knot, and pulls their tails to make them pull each other into the wall repeatedly. Butch runs forward, squeezing Tom through the vent. Tom pops out as a cube and bangs into Butch. They untangle themselves and look on the couch for Toodles, but hear a noise outside. Both cats run to the window and see a car leaving. Toodles and Jerry are in the back seat; after Jerry puts down the shade, he and Toodles share a love-kiss.

Reader's Guide

Casanova Cat is a classic one-reel Tom and Jerry short from 1951, running approximately 7 minutes. It is the 55th short directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera and produced by Fred Quimby. The animation was handled by Irven Spence, Ray Patterson, Ed Barge, and Kenneth Muse, with story by Hanna and Barbera, layout by Richard Bickenbach, and music by Scott Bradley. The voice cast includes Jerry Mann (uncredited) as Butch singing "Over the Rainbow" and William Hanna (uncredited, archival audio) as Tom screaming. The short has a controversial history due to its blackface sequence, where Tom blackens Jerry's face with cigar smoke. This led to the cartoon being banned from DVD release in the United States by Warner Home Video, and it was not aired on Cartoon Network or Boomerang because of racial stereotyping of African Americans. However, it did air on May 1, 2021 on MeTV with the censored Turner print, cutting out the blackface. On September 9, 2025, it was announced that the Tom and Jerry: The Golden Era Anthology (1940–1958) Blu-ray/DVD set, released on December 2, 2025, would feature all 114 original Hanna-Barbera shorts uncut and uncensored, including Casanova Cat, marking its first official release on a physical format in North America. The short is available on VHS (Tom and Jerry's Cartoon Cavalcade, uncensored), Region 2 DVD (Tom and Jerry: The Classic Collection, uncensored), and Region 1 DVD and Region A/1 Blu-ray (Tom and Jerry: The Golden Era Anthology, uncensored). It was omitted from the Spotlight Collection, Volume 3 DVD release in 2007, and was also skipped on the planned Tom and Jerry Golden Collection – Volume 2, which was cancelled following negative reception.

Did You Know?

• Casanova Cat is the 55th Tom and Jerry short directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera and produced by Fred Quimby.
• Butch's singing of 'Over the Rainbow' was provided by Jerry Mann, who is uncredited.
• The short was banned from DVD release in the United States by Warner Home Video due to a blackface sequence involving Jerry.
• It aired on MeTV on May 1, 2021 with the blackface scene cut out.
• The short was finally released uncut and uncensored in North America on the Tom and Jerry: The Golden Era Anthology Blu-ray/DVD set on December 2, 2025.