Scaredy Cat 1948 ( dir Chuck Jones)

The Porky/Sylvester collaborations ( there are three to my knowledge) are quite unique as Sylvester doesn't talk and plays an incredibly cowardly cat. Throughout these cartoons, Sylvester's cowardice just places Porky into embarrassing or uncomfortable situations, and he replies my insulting Sylvester ( who doesn't talk at all)

Scaredy Cat is the first cartoon in this triliogy and by far the best one.

The scene begins with with Porky, with Sylvester in tow, moving into their new house. The audience already can feel that something is going to happen and so does Sylvester. The only one who is completely oblivious is Porky.

And yes there is something wrong with the house, it is inhabited with a bred of murderous mice (led by a mouse wearing an executioners hood). To make it worse, Sylvester stumles upon them executing the previous owner's cat. This heightens Sylvester's paranoia and to Porky's annoyance he clings onto him for a fair amount of the cartoon.

The mice are intent on killing their new inhabitants and flings axes and knives at them, even trying to push the bed out of the window. As Sylvester blocks all these actions, unbenowst to Porky, he achieves in irritating his master even more and finally he goes out to the kitchen to prove that nothing is wrong. As a result the mice kidnap him and prepare the chopping block.

Sylvester then escapes the house only to be stopped by his guardian angel, who reminds him that Porky looked after him as a kitten and that a cat his bigger than a mouse! Sylvester then plucks up courage and chases every mouse out of the house.

As Porky is thanking his pet for saving him the executioner mouse pops out of a cuckoo clock, whacks Sylvester with a mallet, pulls of his hood, puts on a Napoleon hat and states in a Lew Lehr ( a vaudeville actor) voice

Pussycats is the cwaziest people

and the cartoon ends.

To tell the truth this cartoon isn't funny - at all and as a kid it used to frighten me, especially the bit when Sylvester turns all white and enters Porky's room. However it is mesmerising and keeps you at the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next. Plus it's twisty ending gives you some sigh of relief At this point Jones' cartoons were flawless and this one in particular is a stand out as it is able to grab your attention from the first second and keep you stuck in your chair. Also there is chemistry between Sylvester and Porky, which all leads to an entertaining short.