Fievel, the Lonesome Ranger

Fievel, the Lonesome Ranger
Season 1, Episode 1
Air date	September 12, 1992
Written by	Chris Hubbell Sam Graham
Directed by	Larry Jacobs
Episode guide
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Fievel, the Lonesome Ranger is the first episode of the series Fievel's American Tails. It was was directed by Larry Jacobs (as Lawrence Zelig Jacobs), and written by Chris Hubbell and Sam Graham.

Plot

This first episode starts off with the Mousekewitz family getting ready to go to the cheese festival, all except for Fievel, who was supposed to be taking care of Yasha but instead is off reading a book about 'The Lonesome Ranger' and fantasizing about being a cowboy. While doing so he unknowingly lassos a roller skate and launches himself down the street, nearly being stepped on by a human, before finally crashing into Cat R. Waul who was just in the middle of using Chula to steal a roasted chicken. Waul immediately changes what's on his menu and tries to devour Fievel until he struggles from Waul's grasp. Waul chases him under a porch, offering to shake hands and make up like gentlemen as if it were all just a misunderstanding, but Fievel won't fall for it. Chula then chases him out and Waul catches him, but drops Fievel after some traffic kicks dust in his face. As he chases Fievel around Green River he knocks over Sweet William and his gang, who are none too pleased, and chase Waul down. Fievel makes it to his house, barely escaping, only to be scolded by his Papa for not coming back on time. When Sweet William catches up with Waul and threatens him, Waul offers to help them obtain some food by capturing mice. They later pay Waul to help them trap the mice of Green River.

The Mousekewitz family then departs to the wagon that will take them all to the cheese festival, meeting a stereotypical Australian family on the way. Their son Jack offers to ride on the wagon wheel with Fievel, but Papa makes Fievel take Yasha with him. But before the wagon leaves, Fievel realizes he left his rope in the house. So he goes back to get it, leaving Yasha behind. Unfortunately while trying to reach for the rope Fievel accidently locks himself in a tin box and the wagon leaves without him. After calling for help for a while, a menacing cat paw opens the door and reaches for Fievel, the figure is shadowy and menacing. When he opens the box we see it's only Tiger. Tiger asks Fievel why the entire town is deserted and he replies that it's because everyone went to the cheese factory and he's been left behind. Tiger replies "You mean you're home alone?", putting his hands on his cheeks and gasping. He then offers to play a game of Cat and Mouse with Fievel. Apparently Tiger is playing the mouse, because he goes and hides. Tiger tries to hide under a wooden box, only to get stuck, and then captured by Waul and Sweet William's gang! Fievel sees them drag Tiger away and goes to help. The gang administer tickle-torture on Tiger to get him to tell them where all the mice are. Meanwhile, at the cheese festival, Papa and the rest of the family realize Fievel isn't there, and Jake tells them he saw Fievel jump off the wagon and never come back again. Cyrus, the mouse version of Crocodile Dundee, offers to help Papa find a way back to Green River.

The VHS cover

Back at Green River, Fievel sneaks into the barn Tiger's being imprisoned in, and wonders what the Lonesome Ranger would do. He sees a dog chewing on a bone in the alley. Using his lasso, he ropes the bone and slings it into the barn, The angry dog follows it, attacking Waul and the other cats just after they capture Fievel. Fievel frees Tiger. After they escape to the roof, Fievel decides to pay those cats back. In the meantime we get a shot of Cyrus and Papa leaving the festival in a boat, Cyrus ranting about capturing crocodiles in the outback along the way. In the next scene, Waul and Sweet William's gang gather in the barn again, wondering what to do next. Sweet William comes up with a plan to gang up on Fievel, forcing Waul to participate even though he'd rather stay behind and nap. But Fievel is ready for them. When he sees William's two lackies digging around for him, Fievel motions Tiger to lower a mirror from the roof. He then takes out his cork guns and taunts the cats, even repeating his "I'm talkin' to YOU furhead!" line from Fievel Goes West. The two cats run at the mirror image of Fievel and bump heads. Fievel then ties them up. But just then he sees Waul and Sweet William running at him! They chase Fievel back into the barn, and Sweet William forces Waul to go in after Fievel by himself. When he does, Fievel jumps onto a pair of scissors which cuts a rope and causes a bale of hay to land on Waul. He stumbles out and into a wagon. So Sweet William decides to go after Fievel himself. Fievel's next plan of action? He dresses Tiger up like a mouse to scare William away. But it backfires, as William sees the mouse version of Tiger as just more food to eat. He slaps Tiger's disguise off and runs after Fievel, leaving Tiger to spin around and comically flop over. William chases Fievel into a mouse-sized store and crawls in after Fievel, but Fievel pulls a few strings which dump oil and flour on him, leaving William coughing and hacking, stumbling towards the nearest water source. After washing his face he sees Waul still sitting in the hay wagon, and angrily pounces on him. As the two struggle, Fievel uses his cork gun to shoot at a lever and send the wagon rolling down the street into a pig pen. But at the last moment, Chula grabs Fievel, taking him into an empty building. Fievel is saved when Tiger opens the door, crushing Chula behind it.

After all of this, Cyrus and Papa finally make it back to Green River, and find Tiger and Fievel. Fievel runs into his arms, apologizing for being left behind, but Papa says that the important thing is that the cats didn't get him. Fievel then tells Papa a wild story about how he foiled the cats, which of course, Papa dismisses as a tall tale. Fievel turns to the fourth wall and winks, because of course, WE know what really happened.