Throwing the Bull in the Silent Film Days

Terrible Tom from Toronto takes advantage of a beat-up old steer in a bullfight with a $10,000 prize—but the sorry-looking animal unexpectedly gets vicious when the cat tosses him into a cactus.



A tail take.



Swirls substitute for fight action. When the swirls end, Tom is vanquished. The bull bows to the crowd.



This is from Alice the Toreador, a 1925 Disney silent short. Alice does a bull-by-the-tail twirl like Popeye in Throwing the Bull, some Terrytoons character in 1935 in The Bull Fight and Droopy in Señor Droopy. Judo Jack did the same circular mid-air spin with Mr. Jinks in a 1958 Pixie and Dixie cartoon. In this case, the crowd yells “FAKE” when it’s revealed the bull she defeated was really Julius the cat wearing a cow-skin. A nice twist ending. Cheaters never prosper, Alice!