John Foster and George Rufle | In the Bag / 1932 [animated cartoon]

 

poet lariat

by Douglas Messerli

 

John Foster and George Rufle (directors) In the Bag / 1932 [animated cartoon]

 

In this adventure Tom and Jerry are flying over in a plane when suddenly it has engine problems and crashes to the ground, temporarily burying Tom, before Jerry pulls back to earth.

    As generally happens on their adventures and the couple move forward laterally in space, they discover another and several others following them behind. In this case it’s a bull who when top grabs his horns, lifts his head up and plants a kiss on Tom’s lips (another common occurrence in this series: Tom is kissed by a native chieftain in Jungle Jam and by a walrus in Polar Pals, both released in 1931) before attempting, unsuccessfully to gore him.

    No sooner have they rid themselves of the bull that the duo spot a wanted sign on a tree with a picture of the desperado. In the next frame we see a hand extend from behind the tree as the real villain steps out and attempts to rob our boys. While the wanted man is busy with Tom, however, Jerry points to the wanted sign, pulling down the cowboy’s hat to encase him. Even the desperado’s horse laughs at that ludicrous act. And in no time at all Tom and Jerry have jumped upon the horse’s back and speed off.

     Outside a bar, meanwhile, a couple of cowboys sit, one strumming a banjo while does a dance with a lariat. Jerry takes over the lariat and does a spectacular dance, creating an occasion, that appears in nearly of the Tom and Jerry series for pair to engage in music and dance.  

      The entire town seems to come out to applaud Jerry’s act, and soon go rushing into the bar, the bartender becoming something like today’s “flair bartenders,” juggling bottles and shakers with his mixology skills to entertain the crowd.

       For entertainment we see what appear to be a couple of females from behind, large bustles covering their asses, before their turn, what we thought were fans or bustles now serving as short skirts. But at that very moment, the skirts suddenly drop into place as chaps, as the “girls” lift their heads we show us they are really ugly cowboys performing in a kind of range version of a drag show.

      A trio of cowpokes follows as Tom and Jerry once more play an instrument (this time a tuba), sing, and dance. At that very moment, however, the villain returns to our piece appearing much larger than life (we discover he’s standing on a monkey’s back) at the bar door, guns in hand, demanding they “stick ‘em up.”

 

    In surreal comic style, we see the bar now from outside where several hands reach through the roof to the skies. Back inside they all stand with hands in the air, Tom’s pants falling to his shoes a couple of times.

    The robber pulls a large magnet out of his bag and draws all the gold, coins, watches, and other things metallic worth to him, which he stuffs into his bag before backing through the door and riding off.

     Jerry, jumping upon a nag’s back, goes on the chase. The villain is able to levitate several cannons from within his hat and shoot them variously at his insistent pursuer. We see where Jerry’s lariat skills come in handy, as he pulls it out and lassos the cowboy and his horse, tight-walking across and even under the rope while escaping bullets as he finally knocks out both the villain and his horse, dragging them back into town to the hoorahs of all. He’s awarded a pot of money on the spot.

     Jerry leaves it behind on the street as he returns to the bar to celebrate.

    When the desperado finally awakens, he spots the bag and exchanges it with one tucked inside his shirt.

      Tom, we discover in several episodes, is not always loyal to his partner. And when he sees the bag on the street, pointed out to him by his horse, he cannot resist. He grabs it up and rides off.

      In the woods a safe way out of town, he opens up the bag only to find it filled with nuts. Almost immediately after he pronounces the word “nut” he is descended upon by a mass scurry of squirrels as the lenses closes down for the end.

 

Los Angeles, November 1, 2025

Reprinted from My Queer Cinema blog (November 2025).