Fish Fry is a 1944 animated short film (seven minutes) directed by Shamus Culhane (credited as James Culhane) and produced by Walter Lantz.
Andy Panda goes looking for a present for his dad for Father's Day, and he gets a goldfish from a pet shop. All is well until a cat rooting through garbage cans spots Andy carrying home a tasty fresh fish. The cat sets out to eat the fish while the fist tries to not be eaten.
Tropes:
- Ambiguous Syntax: The cat gets the fish on a pan and starts up the stove. The inattentive fish finally notices the smell and says "Who's cooking fish?" The cat shoots back with "You're cooking, fish."
- Bait-and-Switch: After biting the cat on the finger, the fish feels sorry and appears to want to make it better. He takes out a doctor's bag, reaches inside and pulls out... a set of huge dentures to bite the cat even harder.
- Cats Are Mean: It wants to eat Andy's pet fish!
- Eye Pop: The cat's eyes pop out of its head Tex Avery-style when it first sees the fish, and later when it sees the storm drain and realizes it can intercept the fish coming out.
- Hammerspace: The fish actually pulls a hammer out of space—well, a mallet—to whack the cat on the head.
- Off-into-the-Distance Ending: The cat escapes from the attack dog that Andy has just bought. Then it comes back and joyfully babbles "I made it, I made it!" The cat hits itself in the head a bunch, then runs away as the cartoon ends.
- Pain-Powered Leap: The cat jumps up hundreds of feet in the air after the fish bites it on the finger.
- Talking with Signs: The fish gets Andy to buy him by holding up a sign saying "Take me home for 10¢."
