The Bowling Alley Cat

The Bowling Alley Cat  is a 1942 one-reel animated cartoon and is the 7th Tom and Jerry Short. It was produced in Technicolor and released to theatres on July 18, 1942 by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer and reissued for re-release in 1948. The title is a play on words of a bowling alley and an alley cat.

Plot
The camera pans through a bowling alley and stops at a bowling ball labeled "No. 8", which a smiling Jerry pops out of and then rappels down to the floor. The mouse slides into an alley and begins to use it as an ice skating rink after discovering its slippery properties. At this point, Tom peeks out from behind two bowling balls and decides to use stealth to catch the mouse. Jerry runs out of alley and falls back on the regular floor. Jerry gets a good running start to run back into the lane and trips over Tom's tail as Tom sits there. Oblivious, he moves Tom's tail out of the way and starts to run until he almost runs into Tom's mouth. Knowing who it is, Jerry returns the cat's tail to its original position, grooms it, and then speeds under the unsuspecting feline. Tom chases Jerry onto the bowling lane, but he slips when he hits the alley. Jerry seizes the chance to play with the cat, and returns to Tom, who manages to make it to his feet. Jerry slides next to him and blows on Tom's legs, causing Tom to fall again. Jerry then grabs Tom's tail and whips him across the building into an ashtray. The incensed cat spits out all the ash in the manner of a volcano.

Jerry waves at Tom from where the pins are set up as Tom grabs a bowling ball and tries to throw it at the pins. However, Tom cannot throw and he lets go of it in the air, and the ball lands directly on his back. Jerry laughs as Tom then throws the ball successfully. Jerry braces himself against the 1st pin as the ball comes. It only jiggles the pin and mouse as the ball returns the same way it came. Tom throws the ball again and starts bowling the pins down as Jerry hangs on to the 1st pin and jumps out of the way. By the fourth ball, there is only Jerry's pin and the 7 and 10 still remaining. Tom's fifth ball breaks through the pin, leaving Jerry clinging onto its top. Jerry then hides behind one pin as Tom converts the resulting split with the fifth ball.

Tom then prepares himself for ball 6 by using a towel and powder. He successfully throws the ball at Jerry, who picks up the pin next to him and swings it like a baseball bat. He hits the bowling ball and the pin splits in half. The ball then comes back toward Tom, who backs up all the way to the bar, only for the ball to hit him, and the cat falls through the floor. Tom recovers and pokes his head out of the hole to see the ball staring down at him. The pins have been reloaded as Jerry waves at the cat. Tom throws his ball at Jerry, but his thumb gets stuck in it and he goes down the lane with the ball, making a strike as Jerry hangs on to the pin setter. Then the pin setter covers Tom and shapes him into a bowling pin. Jerry escapes, but Tom then pushes a line of bowling balls toward Jerry like train cars. Jerry outruns the balls by hiding underneath the ball-eject lane. Jerry sets out back the other way, but the balls come out again and start heading back to where they came. Tom sees this and opens his mouth ready to eat the mouse when the "train" runs into him. However, Jerry manages to hide in the lead ball, and Tom is choked by that ball and run over by the rest of the "train". Jerry then pops out as Tom is thrown after him by the train, unseating him. The balls carry Tom up the ball rack and the last one squeezes him through the arch. Tom runs directly into Jerry's ball, and ball that knocked him through also hits him, smacking the cat on the head and knocking him silly.

Jerry pokes out of his ball, and Tom sees this. The cat sticks his finger into the holes of the ball to dig Jerry out, but Jerry bites him. Jerry flies back into the ball and Tom blows into the holes of the bowling balls. This causes Jerry to pop out, but only as long as Tom blows; this continues until Tom has enough time to catch Jerry in the air. However, the ball drops on Tom's left foot, causing the cat to clutch it in pain and release the mouse. Tom chases after Jerry, but Jerry stops him and then stomps on the same foot again.

Jerry jumps into another bowling ball, and Tom covers it with a cloth, thinking he has caught Jerry. However, Jerry pops out of another ball behind Tom, grabs Tom's tail, and threads it through the holes of the ball and ties it in a knot. The mouse then stands in front of Tom, who is tying the cloth around the ball he thinks Jerry is in. Tom is having trouble tying the cloth, so Jerry helps him by placing his hand on it. The surprised cat unties the knot, realizing his stupidity and chasing Jerry. However, it becomes a lot harder because of the ball tied to his tail like that of an Ankylosaurus. It smacks Tom in the rear twice as the mouse hides behind a corner. Tom tries to catch Jerry, but the momentum of the ball causes the cat to go backwards. Jerry runs under a bench but Tom can't follow him due to the height of the ball. He turns around before the ball breaks free from the bench and slams into him, sending him down the lane, through the pins and a wall and into a trash can outside the alley. Having finally disposed of his enemy, Jerry stands over his scorecard and writes a strike, allowing him to complete a perfect game. He then throws his pencil away.

Availability
DVD
 * Tom and Jerry's Greatest Chases, Vol. 3
 * Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection Volume Two, Disc One
 * Tom and Jerry Golden Collection Volume One, Disc One