Two’s a Crowd (1950)

Sep 14, 2020

Directed by: Charles M. Jones

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: One of Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies. Claude the cat is happy and content until his mistress is given a puppy for her birthday. Then his life literally turns upside down.

Cartoon Cat: Claude is living a cushy life at the beginning of the short, eating catnip bonbons and lying in his cat bed.

Two's a Crowd - Claude Cat lying on cat bed with bonbons

He is playing with a toy mouse while owner John is in the other room giving his wife a birthday present. It isn’t until he hears a high-pitched dog yapping that Claude realizes what is happening.

Two's a Crowd - Claude Cat lying on cat bed looking shocked

Looking through the curtains, Claude is furious. But then he overhears John saying that if Claude doesn’t like the new puppy they will throw the cat out.

Two's a Crowd - angry Claude Cat looking through curtains
Two's a Crowd - Claude Cat sneering through curtains animated gif

Claude walks into the room and pretends to be surprised by Frisky Puppy then cuddles him. This goes well until Frisky Puppy bites Claude’s nose.

Two's a Crowd - Claude Cat looking lovingly at Frisky Puppy
Two's a Crowd - Claude Cat being bitten on nose by Frisky Puppy

Somehow Claude keeps his composure and plays with Frisky Puppy. John and his wife are convinced the two are okay together. As soon as the couple leaves for the theater, Claude’s demeanor changes.

Two's a Crowd - Claude Cat looking sneaky

Claude stalks Frisky Puppy but the pup sneaks up behind him and barks, sending Claude flying to the ceiling where he clings.

Two's a Crowd - Claude Cat looking around corner with Frisky Puppy behind
Two's a Crowd - Claude Cat clinging to ceiling
Two's a Crowd - Claude Cat scared by Frisky Puppy and jumping up to cling to ceiling animated gif

A classic cartoon moment happens when Claude lets go and drops, stopping in midair to turn his body around and land on his feet.

Two's a Crowd - Claude Cat dropping from ceiling and turning around in midair animated gif
Two's a Crowd - Claude Cat dropping from ceiling and turning midair to land in pet bed animated gif
Two's a Crowd - Claude Cat lying angrily on cat bed

This leads to a series of incidents where Claude tries to kill Frisky Puppy, only to be sent shooting to the ceiling. At one point Claude even uses dynamite to try to dispose of the pup but this backfires as well.

Two's a Crowd - Claude Cat looking down at string of dynamite

Poor Claude gets more and more beat up as the night goes on. He even ends up in a ceiling light fixture when Frisky Puppy scares him in the wrong location.

Two's a Crowd - Claude Cat tangled up in ceiling light

Even with an axe Claude can’t get the job done.

Two's a Crowd - Claude Cat hanging from axe in ceiling

Eventually Claude thinks Frisky Puppy has gone down through the furnace register and he uses a plunger to try to suck the puppy out. He only ends up causing a volcano of coals and fire to shoot up from the basement!

Two's a Crowd - Claude Cat reacting as volcano shoots out of heat register
Two's a Crowd - Claude Cat running away from burning debris

When the couple return home to find their house destroyed they kick Claude out. But Claude sneaks back in and has vengeance on Frisky Puppy by barking at him and sending him to the ceiling for a change!

Two's a Crowd - Claude Cat sneaking up on Frisky Puppy and barking

Final Mewsings: Truly the best representation of cat aerial acrobatics to date!

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