Casanova Cat (1951)

 

The first Tom and Jerry cartoon of 1951 is a gem that deserves to be more widely seen. 

In this short film, Tom is courting the lovely girl cat, Toodles. He brings her flowers and a pet mouse (Jerry). After Tom makes Jerry do various tricks for Toodles, the mouse decides to get revenge. Jerry writes a love letter to Butch (the black cat who appears in many of these cartoons) and signs it Toodles. When Butch comes up to Toodles' place, Tom and Butch fight over the lovely girl cat. 

This is a wonderful short. Tom and Butch fighting over a girl may have been done before and since, but this film makes the premise feel new and fresh. Every gag here is excellent. The gag with the flagpole is especially excellent. Though it may not be an original gag, the delivery of it is simply perfect. It moves at a fast pace that doesn't give you too much time to anticipate the gag but not too fast to where it loses its effect. The character animation on Butch in this scene is simply perfect as the pure confidence as he gives a suave smile makes the punch line even funnier. Speaking of character animation, the early scenes with Tom, Jerry and Toodles are also excellent. Without a single word these characters perfectly display all we need to know about them. We can see Tom's infatuation with Toodles and how hard he is working to impress her. We can see Jerry's growing frustration with Tom. We can also see Toodles being charmed by Tom's flirtations. With this the story and characters are set up quickly and effectively, allowing the film to spend the rest of its run time on slapstick gags. This shows how well William Hanna and Joseph Barbera understood not only slapstick comedy but also filmmaking. 

The reason this cartoon is so little seen today is because of a brief scene where Tom makes Jerry dance in blackface. This scene has kept the film from appearing on the Tom and Jerry Spotlight DVDs. However, the film has appeared occasional on the TV channels ME-TV and Boomerang with this scene edited out. It is unfortunate that this one gag has kept one of the great Tom and Jerry cartoons from being better known. 

The credited animators on this film are Irven Spence, Ray Patterson, Ed Barge and Kenneth Muse. This cartoon would be reissued to movie theaters in 1958. 

This is the final theatrical cartoon for Tom's girlfriend Toodles. However of clips her cartoons (including her) are reused in the cheater shorts, Smitten Kitten (1952) and Smarty Cat (1955). The Tom and Jerry Wiki lists her as being the same female cat in the Chuck Jones Tom and Jerry cartoon, Love Me, Love My Mouse (1966), but I personally disagree. Later she would have cameos in the direct to video movies, Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz (2016) and Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (2017). She would also appear in episodes of the TV shows, Tom and Jerry Tales, The Tom and Jerry Show (the 2014 version) and Tom and Jerry in New York as well as the video games Tom and Jerry in House Trap, Tom and Jerry Infurnal Escape, Tom and Jerry Tales and Tom and Jerry Chase. 

Motion Picture Daily, 1951


Below is the movie poster for this film. Tom doesn't look too bad, but Jerry looks awful. 

Cue Ball Cat (1950)

 

The first year of the 1950's showed Tom and Jerry films still at the consistant high quality that they had maintianed in the 1940's. The duo's last cartoon of 1950, surely continued this trend. 

This short film, like all the best Tom and Jerry cartoons, has a very simple storyline. Jerry is sleeping under a pool table. When Tom unknowingly hits him with a pool ball, a big fight begins between the two. 

This is an excellent cartoon. Out of this very simple premise, the filmmakers were able to get a true wealth of gags. Not only are the gags here very funny, but they are also very clever. In fact, this film might have some of the cleverest Tom and Jerry gags ever. A lot of these clever gags revolve around the use of objects around the pool hall. These is especially true for how the cue balls take on a life of their own. Tom's impossible tricks with the cue balls are just the beginning of these great gags. I love how the group of cue balls follow Jerry like a train, a gag that becomes even funnier with the use of train sound effects. I also love that these cue balls after wards form almost into a body sticking out of one of the holes, and that the number in the center of the top one turns into to eyes to give Jerry a mean look. As well as these gags this cartoon is also loaded with the violent slapstick one associates with Tom and Jerry. Once again, these violent gags work so well not because of the gags themselves but because of the delivery. William Hanna's timing and the character animation are both pitch perfect here and can make even the weakest gags work. I also love how this is a pure Tom and Jerry cartoon. There are no side characters and not dialogue. Instead all we have is Tom and Jerry and a wealth of slapstick gags. Often that is simply all you need. 

The credited animators on this film are Irven Spence, Ed Barge, Kenneth Muse and Ray Patterson. The cartoon was reissued to movie theaters in 1956. 

A clip from this cartoon is seen in the horror movie, Night of the Lepus (1972), where it can be seen on the screen at a dive in movie theater. Clips were also used in a 

Below is the movie poster for this film. I love the goofy look on Tom's face. 

Still the movie poster looks better than the cover for this Walton Super 8 release. Walton Super 8s were a series of films released for home viewing before home video. Besides Tom and Jerry, this London based company released many films starring Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy. 

The Framed Cat (1950)

 

The Framed Cat is an underrated gem of the Tom and Jerry series. 

In this short film, Tom steals a piece of chicken and frames Jerry for eating it. To get revenge Jerry frames Tom for stealing Spike the bulldog's bone. 

This is a pure delight of a cartoon. Everything about this film works perfectly. It does just what a great 7-minute short should. That is to take a very simple story and tell it in the most entertaining way possible. That is definitely the case here as there is not one dull moment. I feel that anyone who is interested in becoming an animator should study the Tom and Jerry films and this is a perfect example of why. These characters perfectly express themselves and everything going on in their mind with minimal dialogue. There are many moments of great character animation here, but the highlight is the scene with the magnet and the bone. This is not only the funniest part of a film full of great gags but it also an example of character animation at its finest. What is so funny about this scene is not the gag itself, but the character animation. Tom's complete confusion as to why the bone keeps coming back to him and Spike's growing frustration are what make this scene funny. The timing on this scene is also perfect. During this time period William Hanna's sense of comedic timing was at its peak. The magnet making Tom turn around every time Spike moves the bone is a hilarious gag that would have fallen flat without great timing. 

In this film, Spike is missing white part on his chest, which appears in every other cartoon with the character. Instead in this film his whole body below his head is entirely gray. This is also a rare cartoon where Tom and Spike live in the same house. 

The credited animators on this cartoon are Ed Barge, Kenneth Muse, Irven Spence and Ray Patterson.

Below is the movie poster for this film. It is definitely better looking than many of the earlier movie posters for these cartoons. 

The Hollywood Bowl (1950)

 

In the vein of The Cat Concerto (1947) before it, this film once again features Tom trying to put on a concert and Jerry wanting to be a part of it. Tom has a big concert at the Hollywood Bowl as the conductor. Jerry wants to conduct alongside Tom, but Tom does not take to kindly to this. Tom tries his best to get Jerry out of his way, but the mouse proves to be incredibly stubborn. 

This is a delightful cartoon. While it may be similar to The Cat Concerto, it never copies the previous cartoon, not even to use one of the same gags. While this may not be the funniest Tom and Jerry short, the humor is still a lot of fun. The gags here mostly make one smile rather than laugh out loud but there is no problem with that. The one exception to that though is the climactic scene where members of Tom's orchestra start disappearing. The climax is truly hilarious. The character animation here is simply wonderful. Once again these characters come to life in a way even most live action movie characters don't. This is a completely dialogue less short but just from how they move and their facial expressions, we know everything about who these characters are and what they are thinking. The scenes with both of them conducting are character animation at its best. 

IMDB's trivia section states, "One of the very few times composer Scott Bradley used the full MGM Orchestra for the soundtrack, since the subject demanded it. He typically scored the MGM cartoons for a 20-piece ensemble, claiming 'You don't need more than 20 players for cartoon music.'" While it is important not to take anything IMDB says as absolute fact, this film definitely a larger and more orchestral score than the average Tom and Jerry cartoon. All the music Scott Bradley did for the Tom and Jerry films was fantastic but this short truly is a standout in this respect. The music here (including some great classical pieces) is simply wonderful. 

The credited animators on this cartoon are Kenneth Muse, Ed Barge, Ray Patterson and Irven Spence. 

In the original release of this cartoon the opening titles were superimposed over a starry blue sky. However in the reissue the opening titles were over a simple blue background. Most TV airings of this film feature the reissue opening. 

Original 

Reissue

Below is the movie poster for this film. While not perfect, it is a great deal better than most of the MGM cartoon posters of this time. 

Safety Second (1950)

 

For me and I am sure for many other cartoon fans, Safety Second is a Fourth of July tradition. 

In this short film, Jerry tells his little friend Nibbles not to play with fireworks but instead to keep the Fourth of July, "Safe and Sane." Nibbles of course does not listen to this at all. This soon leads to a big firework fight between Tom and the two mice, when Tom decides to play with fireworks as well. 

This is simply a delightful film. It has everything one might want from a chase cartoon. The idea of a slapstick cartoon revolving around fireworks makes you wonder why more slapstick cartoon series have entries about the Fourt of July. The sheer amount of milage this film gets out of fireworks gags is simply fantastic. Because these gags are so well timed and delivered the film never feels too repetitive and never stops being a lot of fun to watch. The character animation also adds a lot to this film. Again, it makes these pantomime characters feel more real and alive to us than many live action movie characters. This is especially true when it comes to the interactions between Jerry and Nibbles. The animation not only completely captures who these characters are but what their relationship with each other is. 

Unlike many theatrical cartoons, this film was actually released around the holiday, it revolves around. It first went to movie theaters on July 1, 1950. The credited animators on this film are Ray Patterson, Ed Barge, Kenneth Muse, Irven Spence and Al Grandmain. This is the first Tom and Jerry film to feature "Made in Hollywood U.S.A." at the end of the cartoon. It continued to appear on all the Hanna-Barbera theatrical Tom and Jerry shorts. 

Below is the movie poster for this film. 

Jerry and the Lion (1950)

 

This is one of the many Tom and Jerry films where Jerry befriends another animal. In this cartoon, the other animal is a lion. Though this is the only theatrical short film to feature this lion, he would later appear in more Tom and Jerry media. He would appear in multiple episodes of TV's The Tom and Jerry Show (the 2014 version), as well as an episode of HBO Max's Tom and Jerry in New York entitled Mousequerade (2021). He would also be an unlockable character in the 2002 video game, Tom and Jerry in War of the Whiskers. The Tom and Jerry Wiki lists this as being the same lion who would appear in The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show episode, Under the Big Top (1980) and Tom and Jerry Tales episode, You're Lion (2008). 

In this short film, Tom hears about a ferocious lion that escaped from a circus. A terrified Tom locks and bars all the doors while holding a gun to protect himself. The lion does find its way into the house and befriends Jerry. He tells Jerry to help him from not being sent back to the circus. Jerry must help get his new friend back to Africa, while keeping him a secret from Tom. 

This is a simply wonderful cartoon. While it may not have as many great gags as some of the earlier Tom and Jerry films, the gags that work here are fantastic. The gag involving the umbrella is one of my favorite Tom and Jerry gags ever. The timing on this gag is perfect and it takes you by surprise the first time you watch it. This whole film also benefits from some great character animation. Once again the animation truly brings these characters to life. You can always tell just what Tom and Jerry are thinking without them having to say a word. Often times the looks on Tom's face (or even the lion's) make the gags even funnier. The lion is also a great character who works very well with our friends Tom and Jerry. 

The credited animators on this film are Irven Spence, Ed Barge, Kenneth Muse and Ray Patterson. The cartoon would be reissued to theaters in 1957. 

Below is the movie poster for this film. While this is better than many of these movie posters, it is still far from perfect and the characters are definitely off-model. 

Texas Tom (1950)

 

The above image of Tom of Tom serenading a lovely cowgirl cat is one that is rightfully ingrained in the minds of classic cartoon fans. That is because the scene it comes from is true classic Tom and Jerry at its best. In fact, the whole cartoon is a delight.  

The film begins with Tom and Jerry having their typical slapstick fight, this time out west. Suddenly a big car drives by and drops off a beautiful cowgirl cat and Tom is immediately smitten. Tom serenades her by lip-syncing to a record he makes Jerry play. This naturally makes Jerry very angry, and he does all he can to spoil Tom's chances at romance. 

This is a top-notch film in every respect. This is another fast-moving cartoon that brings us gag after gag. The pure energy this film moves with, makes it hard not to have a good time watching. On top of this, every single joke lands here. This is only helped by William Hanna's timing again being absolutely perfect. The whole film is again full of great character animation. The scene with Tom serenading the cowgirl cat is not only great because of the gags, but also because of the great animation. The look on Tom's face as he tries to keep the lip-syncing ruse up when Jerry messes of the speed of the record is even funnier than the gags themselves. This animation as well as being funny also makes Tom more real to us as well. We can see what is going through his mind as he tries to figure out how to continue to lip-sync to this. 

This cartoon is also a pure delight for fans of cowboy music (like me). A couple of Cowboy songs are used on the soundtrack, and both are a lot of fun. If You're Ever Down in Texas Look Me Up is a great novelty song written by Terry Shand and 'By' Dunham. Phil Harris had a hit off this song in 1946, which you can listen to below. In this cartoon Ken Darby sang the song. 

I Tipped My Hat and Slowly Rode Away, a novelty song written by Larry Markes and Dick Charles is used in the film's opening. This duo wrote such songs as Mad About Him, Sad About Him, How Can I Be Glad Without Him Blues, Along the Navajo Trail, It Takes a Long, Long Train with a Red Caboose to Carry My Blues Away and May You Always. In this cartoon the song is sung by The Kings Men, who had previously recorded the song in 1947 for an episode of the Fibber McGee and Molly radio show. You can listen to that below. 

The cowgirl cat, who Tom falls for would later appear in an episode of TV's The Tom and Jerry Show entitled Day of the Jackalope (2014). She would later be a playable character in the 2019 online game Tom and Jerry Chase. That game would give her the name Tara. 

The credited animators on this film are Ed Barge, Kenneth Muse, Ray Patterson and Irven Spence. Clips for this cartoon would later be used in the Tom and Jerry cartoons, Smitten Kitten (1952) and Cruise Cat (1952). Tom's cowboy outfit from this film was later used in the 2003 video game, Tom and Jerry in War of the Whiskers.

Below is the movie poster for this film. This is much better than the average Tom and Jerry movie poster of this time.