Two's a Crowd

Late Warner toon (no reference to Leon Schlesinger) doesn't feature one of the regular characters but instead offers mean Claude Cat who is all set to get rid of the lovable puppy presented to the lady of the house when he hears that he'll be the one sent on his way if they don't get along. Left alone, his stunts all backfire (he finds himself alone in the closet with his about to explode frankfurters etc.) and demolish the house. The out of character last gag weakens what has been a characteristic, pacey series entry but there are enough nice touches like Claude's drop, freeze and spin to land on his feet.

Claude Cat gets an outing without pesky mice Hubie and Bertie. This time he has to contend with Frisky, a dog brought home by his mistress. Sure enough, the pooch turns out to be a nuisance, often to Claude's detriment.

"Two's a Crowd" represents an instance when Chuck Jones had to direct a certain number of cartoons - usually one or two - featuring his own characters (as opposed to Bugs, Daffy, Porky or Elmer). Each of the directors from Warner Bros. animation's golden age had this requirement. What's particularly eye-opening about this cartoon is that it has an ending unlike what usually happens in these cartoons. Not a great cartoon, but enjoyable.

"Hey, you, get off of my cloud. Don't hang around cuz two's a crowd." - The Rolling Stones