Quiet Please!

Quiet Please! is a 1945 American one-reel animated cartoon and is the 22nd Tom and Jerry short, which won the 1945 Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons, making it the third consecutive win for the series. It was produced by Fred Quimby and directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, with music by Scott Bradley. The cartoon was animated by Kenneth Muse, Ray Patterson, Irven Spence, and Ed Barge.

The cartoon is notable for featuring a speaking Tom, a rarity in the original series. In this film, Tom sings Brahms' Lullaby while he puts Spike to sleep, and later says to Jerry, "One custard pie?! Let me have it!"

Directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Produced by Fred Quimby.

Dialogue

[This academy-winning short begins with Tom's nemesis, Spike, preparing to take a nap. He stretches and yawns as he settles into his pillow and falls asleep. Suddenly, he is awakened by a crashing sound. It's coming from the usual cat-and-mouse antics of Tom and Jerry. Tom is trying to flatten Jerry with a frying pan the first time around, whacking Spike three times in the process, leaving the bulldog dazed for a bit. Tom then runs off after Jerry and makes four more whacks at Jerry with the pan. Spike is annoyed at this and puffs up his pillow before trying to fall asleep again. Unfortunately for Spike, Tom fires five bullets at Jerry with a rifle, waking him up for the second time. Tom then fires more shots, causing both mouse and bulldog to duck down to avoid the bullets. Jerry runs away as Tom comes into view and places the rifle on Spike's head and shoots again, before running off in pursuit of Jerry again, tossing the rifle onto Spike's head, hitting him with it with a clang. Spike facepalms and tries to cover his head with his pillow, but another crashing noise from Tom and Jerry's antics keep him awake, annoying him. This time, Tom tries to hit Jerry with an axe, but ends up missing him as he whacks Spike again another three times. Jerry runs off again and Tom pursues him again. But, before Tom could catch up to Jerry, an agitated Spike grabs Tom and is fed up with him for all the noise he and Jerry are making with all of their usual cat-and-mouse antics, disturbing him from his nap.]

Spike: [to Tom] Listen, pussycat. I'm tryin' to take a nap. A little beauty rest, see? And you're drivin' me nuts! I'm a nervous wreck! Look!

[He pulls his tongue out over and over again, making his ears bang together eight times. He then turns back to Tom.]

Spike: Please, chum. Take it easy. Lay off the noise, huh? 'Cause if I hear one more sound, I'm gonna skin ya alive! Get it?! [Jerry nods happily, seeing an opportunity.] Now, scram!

[He throws Tom across the room and into a blue chair, then the feline crashes into the ground. Tom peeks out from the right chair arm to see Spike falling asleep again, to his relief, until Jerry gets his attention by revealing a stinky cat sign from a pink curtain, provoking Tom to chase after the mouse. Tom pursues Jerry across the house until he sees Spike ahead, causing him to skid to a stop. Jerry is seen with a frying pan and an orange spoon and marches over to Tom and whacks him in the stomach and the head with the spoon before threatening to do the same with Spike as Tom tries to attack. Tom then puts his hands behind his back and waves at Jerry, then slowly backs away into a corner of the room before waving at the mouse again, and seemingly exits the room, to Jerry's delight. However, Tom is revealed to have faked it and steals the pan and the spoon from Jerry and hides them behind his back as Jerry looks at his hands, then Tom shows him the cooking utensils and Jerry waves at the cat before escaping. He then pulls out a cord plug to trip Tom into a table of wine glasses, which would wake Spike up if he broke them, but Tom moves the table away and places a yellow couch seat in its place to make for a quiet landing.]

---

Tom: [reading under his breath] "To Tom my favorite cat I leave my sole earthly possession..." [out loud] One custard pie?! Let me have it!

[Jerry lets him have it all right – right in the face]

Voice cast

• Billy Bletcher as Spike (uncredited)
• William Hanna as Tom and Jerry (uncredited)