High Steaks
| High Steaks | |
|---|---|
| Tom and Jerry series | |
 The title card of High Steaks. | |
| Directed by |
Gene Deitch Animation direction: Václav Bedřich |
| Produced by | William L. Snyder |
| Story by | Larz Bourne |
| Voices by | Jack Albertson |
| Music by | Steven Konichek |
| Animation by |
Jindra Barta Antonín Bures Mirek Kacena Milan Klikar Vera Kudrnová Vaclav Bedrich Vera Maresová Olga Sisková Zdenka Skrípková Zdenek Smetana (all uncredited) Checking: Ludmila Kopecná (uncredited) |
| Backgrounds by |
Background paint: Bohumil Siska (uncredited) Assisted by: Miluse Hluchanicová (uncredited) |
| Studio | Rembrandt Films |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Release date(s) | March 23, 1962 |
| Color process | Metrocolor |
| Running time | 6:35 |
| Country | Czechoslovakia |
| Language | English |
| Preceded by | It's Greek to Me-ow! |
| Followed by | Mouse into Space |
High Steaks is a Tom and Jerry animated short film, released on March 23, 1962. It was the fourth of the thirteen cartoons in the series to be directed by Gene Deitch and produced by William L. Snyder in Czechoslovakia. The short's title is a pun on the phrase "High stakes".
Plot
Tom's owner, Amos Slade (from Disney's The Fox and the Hound), is grilling steaks outside in his backyard. Jerry also gets hungry for some steaks and runs out of the basement to get to them, but Tom manages to stop him by trapping him with a fork. Tom then flings Jerry back into the basement, which makes him angry, and Jerry brings out his own fork to stab Tom with. The two engage in a fencing match with their forks; Tom misses every time, and accidentally stabs Amos in the butt with it, causing him to leap in pain. After Tom nervously salutes him, Amos angrily sears Tom's head with a hot girdle, turning his head into a waffle. Amos goes back to grilling his steak.
Later, Jerry next hides in a shuttlecock, trying to sneak onto the table, but Tom catches him and hits him with a racket. The shuttlecock bounces against the net and ricochets into Amos' mouth. Thinking that Tom threw the shuttlecock at him, an angry Amos grabs the racket and breaks it apart over Tom's head.
Afterward, Jerry shakes up a bottle of Kooky Kola (which is a pun on the soda, Coca-Cola) soda and sprays it on one of Amos' steaks, ruining it. Thinking that Tom is responsible for the damage, Amos shakes up another bottle of Kooky Kola and force-feeds it to him as Tom gulps it, which turns him into a bottle. Jerry laughs at Tom's predicament, and the cat once again chases Jerry.
While Tom is searching for Jerry, the cat gets enamored with the aroma of the steam and goes up to the grill. Jerry, who was hiding behind the grill, places Tom's tail into the grill, causing Tom to scream in pain and run around wildly with the grill in tow. In the process, he smashes the table where Amos is eating steak, ruining his lunch and angering him further. Tom lands above the swimming pool with the heavy grill to cool off, but cannot get out of the water due to the grill's weight. Amos gets extremely mad and, finally having had enough of Tom's shenanigans, yanks Tom up by his neck and pounds him for ruining his lunch. All the while Jerry hides under the picnic table covering his eyes with his hat. After the beatings are done, Amos ties Tom very tightly to a lawnchair and burns him at the stake to make sure he stays out of trouble. Jerry then wheels the chair out of the yard and attaches it to a car's bumper, and the car drives away with the chair, taking the unconscious Tom with it. After that, Amos returns to his grilling in peace, while Jerry climbs up onto the table to steal and eat one of the Amos' cooked steaks.