Mouse Trouble

In 'Mouse Trouble' (1944), Tom receives a book called 'How to Catch a Mouse' in the mail and attempts each piece of advice, only to be outsmarted by Jerry at every turn. The short was directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. It is the 17th entry in the Tom and Jerry theatrical series.

Yes, 'Mouse Trouble' won the Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons) at the 17th Academy Awards in 1945, one of several Hanna-Barbera Tom and Jerry shorts to win. The Tom and Jerry series ultimately earned seven Oscars. It was produced by Fred Quimby's MGM animation unit.

'Mouse Trouble' has been included in multiple Tom and Jerry home video releases, including the 'Tom and Jerry: The Chuck Jones Collection' and various MGM compilation DVDs. It also aired frequently on the 'Tom and Jerry Show' reruns on Cartoon Network and Boomerang. Many of the public-domain 1940s shorts circulate on YouTube.

The fictional manual Tom studies is titled 'How to Catch a Mouse (A Random Mouse Book),' a pun on Random House publishers. Tom turns the pages for each new scheme, with chapter headings like 'Surprise Attack' guiding the gags. The book gag became one of the series' most iconic visual bits.