The Tom & Jerry Show
EPISODE 12
BROADCAST NUMBER:TJGA-12
ORIGINAL ABC AIRDATE:November 22, 1975

80-26"THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICES"


It's time for The Once-A-Century Magician's Convention at Sapstone The Sorcerer's castle, and Sapstone's magic prop room is in complete chaos. Dissatisfied and fed up with Manfred, his sloth of a canine apprentice, he "zaps" Tom and Jerry off the street and into his service, duplicates his dog times 7 over and has them chase each other's tails. Sapstone then puts T&J to work cleaning his magic room while he naps. The age-old feud between T&J resume briefly when they find Sapstone's magic wand and use it on each other; Manfred resents his replacements and, catching his tail, breaks Manfred's spell and challenges the cat-and-mouse duo to a three-way magic wand duel with them. The cat, mouse and dog turn each other into bugs, lions and monkeys and make an even bigger mess of Sapstone's room. When the sorcerer discovers the damage, he threatens the three troublemakers with his most diabolical spell, but Tom uses his magic wand to turn back the clock, and as Sapstone repeats his earlier welcome to the new apprentices, Tom and Jerry fly away to safety on a magic carpet, scarfing down newly-conjured-up ice cream cones.

TRIVIA & NOTES:

  • This recalls Mickey Mouse's performance in the "Sorcerer's Apprentice" sequence of Disney's Fantasia (RKO Radio Pictures, 1940).
  • Tom's transformation into a lion references Jerry And The Lion (1952) and Episode #80-23, "The Hypochondriac Lion.
  • When Manfred transforms Tom & Jerry into boxers, notice that their hair, gloves, trunks and shoes match their respective fur colors (Jerry, brown, Tom, grey).
  • When T&J are changed into mice (despite Jerry himself already being a mouse!), they both share the same fur color: grey.
  • We learn that Sapstone The Sorcerer sleeps on a fakir's bed (of spikes!).
  • Manfred is the latest in canines Tom & Jerry run afoul of other than Spike, preceded by wolfhounds in "Robin Ho Ho," a hound which has been chasing a seemingly "nervous" fox in "The Outfoxed Fox", and Houndmutt in "Beanstalk Buddies," and followed by The Great One and an sssortment of green intergalactic mutts on the "Planet Of The Dogs."

80-38"HOLD THAT POSE"
(narrated by John Stephenson)


Safari photographers Tom and Jerry probe the jungle and encounter alligators, wild boars, eagles, man-eating flowers and leopards as they set out in search for the rare, never-before-photographed, fuzzy-feathered Pip Squaker bird. They manage to trap the shy bird with a carrot (a Pip Squaker's favorite food) and finally succeed in getting a shot. The Pip Squaker apparently likes what he sees, and wants another picture, but one is enough for our intrepid duo. T&J receive a hero's welcome by the mayor, as well as a hefty reward for being the only ones to see and photograph the rare Pip Squaker, when suddenly, 1,000 Pip Squakers fly in from all parts of the world to have their picture taken!

TRIVIA & NOTES:

80-42"THE SUPERCAPE CAPER"


Super hero Supercape has lost his courage and hides in his apartment building while the peaceful populace is plundered and pillaged by dastardly archcriminals The Mustache, Hi-C The Robber Baritone, The Bowler and the 300-lb. Fatwoman! When Tom and Jerry, delivery boys for Pete's Tailor Shop, accidentally save Supercape's life by felling The Bowler with his own insidious bowling ball, he makes them deputy Supercapes. Supercape alerts Joe Madurndurn, Chief of Police, that he is back in action; delighted, Chief Madurndurn provides SC a series of crimes to fight. Supercape deputies Tom & Jerry follow SC around, stepping in to save the day when the hero gets cold feet (literally!), and it pays off: Hi-C sustains laryngitis, and The Mustache is caught in the act, unwittingly defacing the actual face of a cop! Finally Supercape declares that their help has cured his cowardice and that he now fears no man. But The Fatwoman appears and he takes off in terror, handing his job over to Tom and Jerry. The cat and mouse take up crime fighting, while Supercape goes to work for Pete's Tailor Shop.

TRIVIA & NOTES:

  • The first lines of this cartoon, intoned by narrator John  Stephenson, are, "This is the sooty...uh, city!" This is in reference to the crime drama Dragnet; Stephenson narrated the 1967-70 NBC incarnation of the classic television series, in which he uttered the words "Ladies and gentlemen: the story you are about to see is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent."
  • This is the third New Tom & Jerry cartoon to deal with a super heroic theme, following Episode #80-15, "Cosmic Cat And Meteor Mouse," and #80-29, "Two Stars Are Born."
  • Supercape's true identity is Stanley Carter; his apartment number is 10-C.
  • Tom speaks, singing, "Ta-ta-ta-taaah!".
  • Notice The Fatwoman is the only archenemy not apprehended. Either she made a clean getaway or Supercape deputies Tom & Jerry nabbed her off-screen.
  • The presence of The Bowler in "The Supercape Caper" recalls incidents in Episode #80-11, "The Super Bowler."
  • Only The Bowler and The Fatwoman are wearing masks.
  • Supercape's 2-way radio bracelet is based loosely on the two-way wrist TV employed for use by Dick Tracy.
  • "The Supercape Caper" recycles underscore cues first used in Where's Huddles and Harlem Globetrotters (Supercape on the phone in the beginning of the episode).

ORIGINAL ANIMATION:

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