Heavenly Puss

Heavenly Puss is a 1949 one-reel animated cartoon and is the 42nd Tom and Jerry short, created in 1948, and released on 9 July 1949. It was directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, and produced by Fred Quimby. The cartoon's music was composed by Scott Bradley and the animation was credited to Ray Patterson, Irven Spence, Kenneth Muse and Ed Barge.

Plot summary
Tom dreams about his nightmare. A typically violent chase begins between Tom and Jerry. Tom loosens the carpet and pulls it down, along with it a large upright piano. With no time to react, Tom is squished to death by the piano. Tom's spirit rises and climbs the golden escalator of Heaven to the golden gates of the "Heavenly Express", a train that sends dead cats to heaven. At the gatekeeper's desk, cats are waiting. The first one, Butch, had lost a fight with a bulldog (possibly Spike), Frankie, struck with flat iron whilst singing on a backyard fence, Alosius, ran over by a steamroller and Fluff, Muff and Puff, thrown into a river and drowned. Unfortunately for Tom, the gatekeeper refuses to let him enter because he has persecuted Jerry all his life. But since the Heavenly Express doesn't leave for an hour, he is given a certificate of forgiveness for Jerry to sign. He will be allowed through if Jerry signs it, but if he doesn't, Tom will be banished to Hell, where Spike the Bulldog, personified as the devil, awaits.

Tom comes back to life and pleads with Jerry to sign. First he brings cake but Jerry eats the cake and spills ink on Tom's face. Then Tom signs it instead, but the angel makes him return. Tom brings cheese but during his protests, Jerry thinks it's a scam and angrily rips the certificate, causing an angry Tom to attempt to smash Jerry. Spike pops in and reminds Tom of the consequence of doing so, tempting him to finish the job ("Attaboy, Tom! Hit him and let's go! Come on!"). Tom reattaches all the ripped pieces of the certificate, but Tom misses the deadline. Jerry then signs, and Tom frantically tries to climb the stairs but they fade away and Tom falls into a hole that leads directly to Hell With A SPLASH! where he will be tortured by Spike for all eternity. Tom awakens, realizing that he is alive and is overjoyed. Having learned his lesson, he runs over to Jerry and hugs him profusely. An utterly perplexed Jerry shrugs.



Voice cast

 * Billy Bletcher as The Cat Gatekeeper and Butch (Spike) the bulldog (uncredited)