Love That Pup is an animated Tom and Jerry short released on October 1st, 1949 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, and produced by Fred Quimby.
This episode is notable for introducing Spike's son Tyke. The two enjoy a peaceful nap during day until Tom, while chasing Jerry as usual, rudely wakes Tyke. From that point, Spike threatens to beat him to a pulp if he comes near Tyke again. Tom thus finds his usual chase much more complicated than usual— until he comes up with an underhanded idea.
In 1957, the short received a Shot-for-Shot Remake in CinemaScope called Tops With Pops. All tropes on this page also apply to that one.
This animated feature provides examples of:
- Ambiguous Situation: It isn't clear if the final scene with Tom surrounded by weapons outside the fence means Spike has forced him to stand watch while he and Tyke sleep, or if he's waiting until Jerry eventually leaves Spike's side.
- By the Hair: After Tom ends up waking Tyke up and then tries to run away from him and Spike, the latter dog quickly extends his left arm (front paw) to grab him from the whiskers and bring him back there for a stern warning.
- Determinator: The final scene of the cartoon sees Tom, reduced to wearing a Bankruptcy Barrel, standing outside the fence surrounded by weapons as he waits for another opportunity to get at Jerry. Based on Jerry hanging up a "Do Not Disturb" sign, he's in for a long wait.
- Don't Wake the Sleeper: Spike threatens Tom with bodily harm if he wakes up his sweet little Tyke. Naturally, Jerry takes advantage of this.
- Follow Your Nose: Tom lures Spike into a shed with a steak suspended on the clothesline. Spike's nose perks up and lifts the rest of him, leading the half-asleep dog after the steak.
- Fur Is Clothing: After Spike tears off his fur and uses it as a rug, Tom is left in red long johns and a Bankruptcy Barrel.
- Impact Silhouette: During the start of the episode, Jerry tries to escape Tom and, as he exits the house, the door closes by itself... only for Tom to effortlessly run through it, leaving a hole shaped like him in it.
- Not Hyperbole: Spike threatens to skin Tom alive if the barrel the cat is standing upon in the climax has his son trapped underneath. Since Jerry swapped himself out with Tyke with him none the wiser, he makes good on his threat... and we cut to an angry and furless Tom wearing a Bankruptcy Barrel.
- Nasal Trauma: At one point, Tom gets caught into Spike's arms and, after failing to act like a dog (since he tried to emit doglike sounds like Tyke does but instinctively ended up meowing instead of barking), ends up getting away from Spike by biting his nose.
- Oh, Crap!: Tom has Jerry trapped inside a barrel, and Spike threatens to skin Tom alive if Tyke is under the barrel. Tom acts defiant and is starting to lift the barrel to show Spike wrong when suddenly Jerry whistles at him from atop the fence. Tom's confidence then falls away as he realizes the implication, and very slowly and tremulously lifts the barrel before Spike just lifts it himself, revealing Tyke underneath.
- Papa Wolf: Spike forces Tom to stay away from him and Tyke during his nap, lest he be torn apart. Then Tom makes the mistake of locking him in the shed to get him out of the way, Jerry sneaks the sleeping Tyke under a barrel Tom trapped him in, Spike breaks free and it all goes to hell for the poor cat.
- Rake Take:
- Early on during the episode, while trying to outrun Tom, Jerry drops a rake, a spade and a shovel so they hit the cat. Subsequently, Tom gets hit in the face by the rake, then from behind by the spade when he's stepping back, and finally by the shovel when he tries to run forward again.
- Happens to Tom again after putting a nearby rake on the grass as a trap for Spike (who, in that moment, is furiously looking for him). When Tom notices Spike is heading elsewhere while running, he gets a relief and tries to run towards another direction... only to get hit in the face by the rake.
- Running Gag: Tom getting hit by a rake or some other object happens recurrently over the course of the episode. In fact, the shot showing Tom getting hit by different things (like a tree and a small fountain) while running away from Spike is used twice, once at the beginning and again near the end.
- Standard Snippet: When Spike is sleepwalking after the steak Tom has used as a lure, we hear a rather insistent version of "The Hearse Song" (aka "The Worms Crawl In").
- Squashed Flat: At one point, Tom lures Spike (who's a sleeper) away with a steak suspended in a clothesline. Jerry does everything he can to try to wake up the dog, to no avail. His last resort is to stand in front of him with a stop gesture, only to get squashed by the dog as he continues walking forward to follow the scent of the steak.