While Tom and Jerry go about with their usual antics around the house, a canary that is also living in the house decides to get out of his cage and help his new mouse friend deal with the cat.
Tropes:
- And There Was Much Rejoicing: After tricking Tom into thinking that he has died from a gunshot wound, Jerry and the canary celebrate and exchange a Happy Dance. Tom then wakes up to glance at their victory and joins them as they shake hands.
- Attack the Tail: Tom catches Jerry after the latter frees the canary inside his mouth by shattering his teeth. In response, the canary pulls up a floorboard below Tom's tail and slams it down on it, causing the cat to leap painfully and get two concussions from the bird's cage.
- Bowdlerization:
- Airings on Cartoon Network and Boomerang omit the scene where Jerry and the canary pass themselves off as Native Americans.
- Any scene where the gun is used is cut out in UK airings.
- Asia Pacific airings of the short remove the scene where the canary points a gun at Tom.
- Big Damn Heroes: The canary witnesses Jerry in danger of being killed by an oncoming toy train ridden by Tom, so he goes to get a bag containing a heavy bowling ball and, while struggling at first, carries it over Tom. As Jerry comes close to meeting his demise and says his prayers, the canary is unable to support the weight of the bowling ball any longer, and it falls out of the bag and through the floor, leaving behind a hole which Tom and the toy train plummet into and crash land into the basement.
- Chained to a Railway: The climax of the cartoon involves Jerry being tied to a toy train track by Tom and the latter driving a toy train, hoping to run the mouse over. Fortunately for Jerry, the cat's chances of killing him are cut short when the bowling ball dropped by the canary bursts a hole in the ground which the cat and the toy train fall into, saving the mouse's life.
- Cuckoo Clock Gag: Tom pokes his head through a table and swallows the canary, only to stick his tongue out like a cuckoo clock and allow the bird to escape.
- Delayed Reaction: Tom doesn't realize that the two "Native Americans" passing by him are Jerry and the canary... at least until after he waves at them.
- Disney Villain Death: Tom is defeated when he and the toy train plummet through a hole made by the bowling ball and crash into the basement. Since he is not seen again afterwards, it could be likely that he has died from the fall.
- Faking the Dead: A variation. When the lightbulb dropped by Jerry lets out a loud bang upon breaking, Tom suddenly has some dramatic death throes, believing that he has been shot, and flips a coin before falling flat on his back, "dead". It isn't until Jerry and the canary celebrate his "demise" and dance happily, upon which he wakes up and shakes hands with them.
- Flower-Pot Drop: As he is flapping his arms like wings and chasing the canary through the air, Tom collides with a wall, causing three potted plants to fall on his head.
- Forcibly Formed Physique: In two instances, Tom gets stuck in a mouse hole, and when he pulls himself out, his muzzle has been elongated and shaped like the hole. The latter instance has him having also swallowed Jerry and the canary.
- Heart Beats out of Chest: Jerry's heart pounds of his chest when Tom catches him in a wine glass. The canary experiences the same thing too when Tom catches him in an empty flower pot, with his heart even pounding from his rear end.
- Hostage Situation: The canary grabs a gun and, despite clearly shaking, threatens Tom at gunpoint with it. Jerry takes advantage of this, unscrews a lightbulb and drops it, causing it to emit a loud bang when it breaks and convince Tom that he has been shot.
- Instant Gravestone: A variation. When Tom thinks he's dying, he looks in the mirror and the reflection briefly turns into a gravestone marked "Here Lies Tom."
- Literal Ass-Kicking: As part of their victory dance over Tom's "death", Jerry and the canary kick each other's butts.
- Mythology Gag: When Tom gets caught in the polar bear rug, he screams in a manner very similar to one of his screams from Solid Serenade.
- Oh, Crap!: Tom freezes in shock when the canary points a gun at him. Later, after Tom ties him to the tracks of a toy train in the climax, Jerry screams when he sees the train rushing toward him.
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse: The canary has quite some strength for a little bird, as he is able to peel a floorboard, hold a gun and carry a bag containing a bowling ball.
- Public Domain Soundtrack: The overture from The Barber of Seville is regularly interpolated with the background music.
- Say Your Prayers: When Jerry is coming close to being run over by the toy train, he can do nothing but pray for someone to save him. Fortunately for him, his prayers are answered when Tom meets his end by means of a hole cut into the floor by a bowling ball.
- Shout-Out: Tom flipping a coin as he "dies" references George Raft's character in Scarface (1932).
- Squashed Flat: Just as he is about to hit Jerry with the broken broom handle, Tom's head is flattened into a disc when the base of the canary's cage falls on him.
- Staged Shooting: As the canary has Tom at gunpoint, Jerry drops a lightbulb, and the sound of it shattering makes Tom think he's been shot. He goes through a protracted death scene before dropping to the floor. It's not until he hears Jerry and the canary celebrating that he realizes he's still alive.
- Standard Snippet: The short ends with Jerry and the canary whistling "My Blue Heaven" while swinging inside the birdcage.
- Suddenly Speaking: One of the few instances of Tom and Jerry saying actual words for the sake of a quick gag. As he is passing by Tom while disguised as a Native American, Jerry greets him with "how" (or at least something that sounds like it).
- The Tooth Hurts: When the canary is swallowed by Tom as he tries to get back into his cage, Jerry frees him by shattering the cat's teeth with a hammer. The canary even kicks away a fragment of Tom's teeth that hasn't fallen out before flying off.
- Watch Out for That Tree!:
- When Tom eventually catches onto Jerry and the canary's disguises and pursues them again, the latter taunts him, only to hit his head against a chair.
- Near the end of the short, as Jerry and the canary sneak away and vamoose from Tom, the former collides with the leg of another chair, allowing Tom to catch him and try to kill him with a toy train.
