''Tee for Two '' is a 1945 American one-reel

Technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...

animated cartoon Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...

and is the 20th ''

Tom and Jerry ''Tom and Jerry'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series ...

'' short, first released to theaters on July 21, 1945, by

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

. The short is directed by

William Hanna William Denby Hanna (July 14, 1910 – March 22, 2001) was an American animator, voice actor, and musician who is best known for co-creating ''Tom and Jerry'' and providing the vocal effects for the series' title characters. Alongside Joseph B ...

and

Joseph Barbera Joseph Roland Barbera ( ; ; March 24, 1911 – December 18, 2006) was an American animator and cartoonist, best known as the co-founder of the animation studio Hanna-Barbera. Born to Italian Americans, Italian immigrants in New York City, Bar ...

, composed by Scott Bradley, and animated by Ray Patterson, Irven Spence,

Pete Burness Wilson David "Pete" Burness (June 16, 1904 – July 21, 1969) was an American animator and animation director. He was perhaps best known for his work on the Mr. Magoo series. He also contributed to the ''Tom and Jerry'' series, ''Looney Tunes'' ...

, and

Kenneth Muse Kenneth Muse (July 26, 1910 – July 26, 1987) was an American animator, best known for his work on the ''Tom and Jerry'' series at MGM Cartoons. Biography Muse worked briefly at Walt Disney Productions, where he was Preston Blair's assistant ...

Plot

Tom wreaks havoc on a golf course, trying to play despite Jerry's interference. From hitting Jerry instead of the ball to being attacked by bees, Tom's attempts are met with comical failures. After a series of mishaps, including a humiliating encounter with a lawn mower, Tom is knocked out by Jerry's final swing.

Production

Like every short of ''

'' during its first two decades, ''Tee for Two'' is directed by

and

, with its score composed by Scott Bradley. The short is animated by Ray Patterson, Irven Spence,

, and

. Patterson animated the scene of Tom scoring his first hole with Jerry as the golf ball. For Spence, he animated the beginning scene of Tom desperately trying to hit his golf ball. For Burness, he animated the scenes of Jerry assisting Tom by both being the tee and holding up the tee. For Muse, he animated the scenes of Tom's first encounter with Jerry and Tom in the lake. Both Spence and Muse split the responsibilities of animating the chase of Tom by the bees. Spence has expressed his love for, and frustration towards, the sport of golf in his diary, which is assumed to inform his animation for the short.

Reception

Animator Mark Kausler has described Tom's reaction from the bee attack to be "the most terrifying drawing ( y the animatorKen Muse) of Tom being stung... accompanied by the most anguished scream ever put on film." Animation historian and video editor Devon Baxter has also described Tom's scream to be "the largest and most gruesome reaction in the series to date". For writer and historian Michael Samerdyke, he viewed the climactic scene as illustrative of the natural incorporation of

Tex Avery Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (; February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, animation director, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of America ...

's style of comedy into Hanna and Barbera's own animated shorts. However, animation historian

Michael Barrier Michael J. Barrier (born June 15, 1940) is an American animation historian, author, and critic, best known for his extensive research on the history of American animation and comic art. He is the author of ''Hollywood Cartoons: American Animat ...

saw otherwise, and stated that "the sheer scale of Tom's reaction–so big it's preposterous–cancels out his pain."

Home media

*"Tom and Jerry's Greatest Chases, Vol. 1" (2000) *" Tom and Jerry: The Classic Collection" (2004) (Region 2 DVD) *" Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection" (2004) *" Tom and Jerry Golden Collection, Volume One" (2011)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tee For Two 1940s American animated films 1945 comedy films 1945 films Animated films about cats Animated films about mice Animated films without speech Golf animation Short films directed by Joseph Barbera Short films directed by William Hanna Tom and Jerry short films American comedy short films Films produced by Fred Quimby Films scored by Scott Bradley American golf films 1945 animated short films