Barbecue Brawl

The Barbecue Brawl is a 1956 one reel animated Tom and Jerry short directed and produced by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera with music by Scott Bradley. It was released on December 14, 1956 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Plot
Spike and Tyke walk into the backyard to have a barbecue. The first attempt fails because the charcoal blows up. On the second attempt, when Spike puts too much charcoal in the grill, it lets off a cloud of dark smoke when Spike blows into the charcoal to get the fire going (which results in the smoke literally making Spike's eyes red and watery). He, however, claims to his son that a bit of Hickory smoke always keeps in good barbecue flavor. Spike's third attempt causes the steak to instantly be burnt to a crisp. Spike tires to retrieve another steak, but this time Tom and Jerry have appeared on the scene with Tom chasing Jerry as usual. Jerry repeatedly hides in the items involved in the barbecue: the bag of charcoal, Spike's hat, the salad, the shakers, and the bread. This means every time that Tom pursues Jerry, he's interfering with the barbecue. When this happens, Spike furiously chases Tom off, who usually ends up in the swimming pool.

Finally, Spike manages to prepare the meal; he and Tyke sit down to eat, except that Tom and Jerry are not seen at this point. However, an army of ants known as the Ant Army spots the food and approach the picnic table. Spike grabs the food, wrapping it up in the tablecloth, grabs Tyke and flees to the diving board. The diving board Spike and Tyke are standing on starts shaking as the Ant Army gets closer. Spike and Tyke are pushed off the board into the pool while the Ant Army carries off the food. Spike climbs out of the pool and grabs the steak from the ants before they can take it home. But before Spike can retrieve the steak, the lead ant blows his trumpet ordering the Ant Army to retrieve it and march off.

Availability
VHS DVD
 * Our Lips Are Sealed (VHS)
 * Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection Vol. 3, Disc Two