Mouse Cleaning is one of the least seen Tom and Jerry films and this is a shame as it is a real gem.
The premise of this film is incredibly simple. Tom (while chasing Jerry) tracks mud into the house. His owner then tells him, to clean up the mess and if it gets messy while she is gone, Tom is out. Jerry overhears this and decides the best way to get revenge on his rival. So, while Jerry goes around the house trying to make a mess, Tom follows him trying to stop the mouse.
This type of plot had been done before with Tom and Jerry and it would be done again. In fact, the plot is quite similar to the very first Tom and Jerry cartoon, Puss Gets the Boot (1940). However, it has rarely been done as well as it is here. The timing in this film is truly fantastic. William Hanna was a master at comedic timing and this film features him at the top of his game. Probably one of the best examples of this is the scene with Tom catching all the falling eggs. This is such a simply gag but the perfect timing makes it very funny, especially with a wonderful topper gag at the end. This cartoon also does a wonderful job simply building on ever gag before. The film gets more and more over the top as it goes along. Because of this it gets funnier and funnier with each gag. One of my favorite moments is when Jerry takes a donkey into the house. What makes this gag so funny, is that no donkey has appeared earlier and the introduction to this gag makes you think Jerry is welcoming Tom's owner back. The element of surprise here is simply perfect. While Tom and Jerry can often be predictable, this is one gag that few would see coming. Adding to the fun is the wonderful character animation on both Tom and Jerry. Both characters feel completely real here, and you can see them thinking through their every move. A real highlight though is when Tom does a big Tex Avery style take. It is over the top, but also fits the character and the situation perfectly. Scott Bradley's music is also very energetic and fun. It also complements the action on screen perfectly making it much funnier.
This is one of the only four shorts where you briefly see Tom's owner's head. The other shorts are Part Time Pal (1947), A Mouse in the House (1947) and Saturday Evening Puss (1950). The film appeared in the "Other Great Cartoons" appendix of Jerry Beck's book, The 50 Greatest Cartoons. It is the only other Tom and Jerry cartoon to appear in this appendix and there is only one Tom and Jerry cartoon was included in the main list of 50 cartoons, The Cat Concerto (1947).
The reason this cartoon is so little seen is because of one blackface scene. In this scene, not only does Tom's face appear black but he also talks in a stereotypical voice, that is inspired by black actor Stepin Fetchit. This scene is also integral to the film's ending making it so it can't be cut out. Because of this, the cartoon is rarely (if ever) seen on TV and is sadly one of the few Tom and Jerry shorts not available on DVD. If you want to see the cartoon though, you can watch it here.
Below is the movie poster for this film. This is as typically ugly as you might expect from a Tom and Jerry movie poster.
When watching the Tom and Jerry films, what really stands out is just how many variations the filmmakers were able to come up on a simple formula. Though nearly all of these cartoons revolved around a cat chasing a mouse, most of them come up with fun little twists. This is one of the reasons you can watch quite a few Tom and Jerry short films back-to-back without them becoming too repetitive. The same cannot be said of some other theatrical cartoon series and this is part of what makes Tom and Jerry truly special.
In this short film Tom is teaching a smaller cat (who is known by many Tom and Jerry fans as Topsy) the art of catching a mouse. Jerry however does his best to persuade the smaller cat that cats and mice should be friends. And no matter how hard Tom tries to teach this smaller cat to catch Jerry, the smaller cat simply doesn't get the idea and is more interested in being buddies with the mouse.
This is a very fun cartoon. The relationship between Tom and Topsy is perfect. While this film is full of good slapstick gags, the best humor comes from the smaller cat's complete obliviousness to what Tom is trying to teach him and Tom's frustration at this. One of the best jokes comes from Tom being unable to communicate to hit Jerry with the vase and being hit by the vase himself. What makes this scene so funny is the character animation on the smaller cat as he is trying to figure this out. Another joke that works brilliantly due to the character animation is Topsy being stuck between a couch and a table. What makes this gag so funny is that Topsy, obliviously keeps running (without moving anywhere) until Jerry pulls him out. The pure oblivious determination on his face is truly hilarious. Also adding to the fun of this film is the character animation on Tom whenever Topsy and Jerry act as best friends. His frustration at this is not only funny but it makes him feel more real to us because we have all felt the same frustration when trying to communicate something, when the other person simply doesn't get it. The scenes between Topsy and Jerry may be very cutesy for Tom and Jerry, but it works very well, because it fits the characters and the story perfectly. Plus, how this cutesy animation meshes with the more violent gags only makes the gags funnier.
Roles would be reversed in a later short, Little School Mouse (1954), where Jerry would try to teach another mouse how to fight against a cat with similar results. The storyline for Professor Tom would be used again in the Hanna-Barbera TV Pixie and Dixie cartoon, Jinks Junior (1958). In that cartoon Mr. Jinks is teaching his son how to catch "meeces," but his son is more interested in being friends with Pixie and Dixie. Animation from Professor Tom would be reused in the later Tom and Jerry short, Matinee Mouse (1966).
This cartoon would be reissued to movie theaters in 1956 and again in 1965. The credited animators were Ray Patterson, Irven Spence, Kenneth Muse and Ed Barge.
Below is the movie poster for this film. It is not great, but it is better than many of these posters.
This short film returns to a plot device we haven't seen in a little while. This is when Tom and Jerry must team up against a greater evil.
In this film Tom again fails to catch Jerry. This causes him to be replaced by a new cat, Lightning. Lightning is a very fast cat and easily kicks Jerry out of the house. Tom and Jerry team up to get rid of this new cat.
This is very fun cartoon. From the very start this whole film moves at a very fast pace. The opening scene is so energetic and fun that it immediately draws you into the action (once again Scott Bradley's wonderful music plays a major role in this). There are some very good slapstick gags here. Many of the best gags come not from the slapstick violence but from little character moments. One of my favorites involves Lightning about to kick Jerry out, only for Jerry to stop him and kick himself out. The character animation on that gag is wonderful and makes it a highlight of the film. This is not to say that the scenes of slapstick violence aren't also delightful. An extended gag involving an iron and a magnet is slapstick violence at its best. The punch line of this gag is wonderful and puts a nice twist on the ending we are expecting. This whole extended gag sequence is also enhanced by Scott Bradley's energetic renditions of The Trolly Song (from the feature length MGM movie, Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)) and The William Tell Overture. Not only is this music a lot of fun to listen to but it also makes the onscreen action even funnier.The character of Lightning is also a lot of fun. The sheer speed that he runs is a great gag and helps this film's sense of energy. He also works incredibly well as a threat to our heroes and there is a joy at seeing them get the better of him. What also makes this film work better is that he is a thief who steals the food from the house when Tom and Jerry are outside. This helps make Tom and Jerry very sympathetic and easy to root for as they try to dispose of him.
The design for Lightning is an orange cat, about the same size and build as Tom. This design would be reused in later Tom and Jerry films whenever there was a group of cats needed. This orange cat design would also appear in the Spike and Tyke spin-off film, Scat Cats (1957) as well as the later Tom and Jerry TV series, The Tom and Jerry Show (2014) and Tom and Jerry in New York (2021). This design also appeared in the direct to video movies, Tom and Jerry: Cowboy Up! (2022) and Tom and Jerry: Snowman's Land (2022). However, in the subsequent uses of this cat design, the character doesn't show any signs of the incredible speed here, which means cartoon fans can debate whether this is the same character.
One scene from this film has been censored on TV airings. This is when Lightning dresses Tom up to look old and Tom's owner says, "take good care of poor old Uncle Tom". TV airings would take the word Uncle out.
This short film would be reissued to theaters in 1955 and again in 1965.
Heard on the soundtrack of this film is the pop tune, I’m Sitting on Top of the World. This song was written in 1925 by the songwriting team of Ray Henderson (music), Sam M. Lewis and Joe Young (lyrics). Al Jolson recorded in 1925 and it became a major hit for him. Jolson would later perform the song in the feature film, The Singing Fool (1928). Other artists who have recorded this song include the Melody Shieks, the Radio Franks, Les Paul and Mary Ford, Jerry Lewis, Doris Day, Aretha Franklin, Brenda Lee, Dean Martin (this was the title track of a 1973 album for him) and Dizzy Gillespie. Below listen to Al Jolson and Dizzy Gillespie's versions of this song.
Below is a movie poster for this cartoon. Once again, the MGM cartoon continue to have some of the ugliest movie posters. Just look at the foot kicking Tom and Jerry out.
Tom and Jerry films often adhered to a formula, but quite often they would also break or subvert this formula. The Truce Hurts is one of the best examples of this.
In this short film, Tom, Jerry and Spike the bulldog (called Butch in this cartoon) are once again fighting. Spike (or Butch) states that the three should sign a peace treaty and put their differences aside. They start off this truce by being the best of friends. However, keeping it doesn't seem to be as easy as they first thought.
This is such a fun cartoon. Despite the characters calling a truce, there are still plenty of good gags to be found here. The over politeness between each of them is truly hilarious. This is especially true when they each try to get some sort of upper hand of each other, while pretending to be polite (which is especially shown whenever they try to "share" food or milk). Also, the sight of Tom brushing Jerry's teeth in the morning is delightfully silly. This film also has a good amount of the typical Tom and Jerry slapstick here. The trio fighting with a pipe, frying pan and a baseball bat before their truce is one of the most delightfully over the top depictions of cartoon characters fighting. Just the sheer glee of violent slapstick and wonderful timing make this simple moment truly hilarious. This is also an image that is often burned in the minds of many cartoon fans. This wonderful scene would later become a major part of the Boomerang TV channel's advertisement for showing Tom and Jerry cartoons and this clip would also be used in a later Tom and Jerry cartoon, Matinee Mouse (1966). Yet what really makes this film work so well is the sheer fast paced energy that never lets up. It is hard not to get caught up in this pure comedic momentum.
Scott Bradley's musical score is once again, just as much fun as the action on the screen. This infectiously fun music not only perfectly matches the action on screen but even enhances it. As well as his original music, Scott Bradley also incorporates music from MGM's live action feature films. Heard here are The Worry Song from Anchors Aweigh (1945, which features a cameo by Tom and Jerry as a live action Gene Kelly dances with an animated Jerry) and We're Off to See the Wizard and Over the Rainbow from Wizard of Oz (1939).
In most TV airings of this film, there is a gag cut out. In the original version after the meat truck splashes mud on Tom, Jerry and Spike, the trio appear in blackface. This gag was also cut out of the original Tom & Jerry Spotlight Collection Vol. 1 DVD but was included in later reprintings of the DVD. In the 1960's an edited version of this cartoon aired on TV. This version covered the trio's big reddish lips and removed the pigtails. This way it looked as if they were simply covered in mud rather than in blackface.
This film was reissued to movie theaters in 1956 and was one of 15 reissued in 1964.
Below is a movie poster for this cartoon. While not perfect, it is definitely better than some of the other Tom and Jerry posters.
The title of this short film is a play on Kitty Foyle, a 1939 bestselling book by Christopher Morley that was turned into a hit live action movie in 1940 (which gave Ginger Rogers a best actress Oscar). This cartoon is in no way a parody of either the book or the live action feature though.
This film's plot is incredibly simple. This time instead of just after Jerry, Tom is often both Jerry and his little bird friend. They work together to outwit the cat.
This is a near perfect Tom and Jerry cartoon. Though it may have the slimmest of plots, that actually works to the film's favor. It allows this short to be nothing but gag after gag. This allows the film to move at a very fast pace and never lose its comedic energy. This is why even if you have seen this cartoon enough times to know everything that is going to happen, it is still a lot of fun. It simply so easy to get caught up in the pure energy of this cartoon. Like all Tom and Jerry films of this era, this energy is enhanced by Scott Bradley's wonderfully fun music. None of this is to say that the jokes aren't funny though because they are wonderful. Once again, the best part of these gags is the delivery. The wonderful sequence with Tom, Jerry and the bird shaking hands is perfectly timed and features some incredible character animation. The way Tom goes from being confused to becoming caught up in the moments is truly hilarious and is what makes this simple joke work. Tom riding on the train is probably one of the simplest and most elementary chase cartoon gags, but the goofy-ly devious look on Tom's face is truly hilarious. The same can be said with Tom going into a George Raft imitation during his "dying" scene. The sheer ridiculousness of that moment makes what could have been a gruesome gag, very silly and funny. Most of all though this film is just Tom and Jerry boiled down to their bare essentials and shows us that sometimes this is more than enough.
This is the debut of Jerry's little bird friend. This character has been named Cuckoo by Tom and Jerry fans, yet I can't think of an instance where he is named in any of the films. Perhaps he received this name, from a brief gag (in this film) where he pops out of Tom's mouth like a bird in a cuckoo clock. He would appear in a few Tom and Jerry cartoons after this one. He would have another major role in The Flying Cat (1952) and a smaller role in Hic-cup Pup (1954). He would also appear in Life with Tom (1952) and Matinee Mouse (1966), but only in clips reused from Kitty Foiled and The Flying Cat.
The credited animators on this cartoon are Ed Barge, Irven Spence, Kenneth Muse and Irving Levine. This is the only animation credit Irving Levine got on a Tom and Jerry cartoon. However, the same year as this film, he got credit on another MGM cartoon, The Bear and the Hare (1948) starring Barney Bear. The title of Kitty Foiled appears on a movie theatre in an episode of TV's The Tom and Jerry Show entitled, It Ain't Over Until The Cat Lady Sings (2014). Cartoon Network and Boomerang have often run cut versions of this film without the scene where Jerry and the bird dress up like Native Americans. On some channels in the UK the scene involving the gun was cut. This film would be reissued to theatres in 1956 and again in 1964.
The following is an exhibitor's review from the Motion Picture Herald, "KITTY FOILED: Tom and Jerry Cartoons— Tom and Jerry cartoons are the best in the cartoon field. This one was exceptionally funny. - Arthur Lee Burke Jr., Venita Theatre, Herculaneum, Mo."
The movie poster for this cartoon is well above average for a Tom and Jerry movie poster. Not only this but it actually depicts a scene from the film.
This short film continues the winning streak that the Tom and Jerry cartoons were on during this time period.
In this film during a typical Tom and Jerry chase, Jerry hides in a bottle of invisible ink. Finding that he has turned invisible, he decides to use this to torment Tom.
There is much to love about this cartoon. Once again Willaim Hanna has gotten his comic timing down perfect by this point. This is a very fast-moving cartoon, where the action never stops. Yet never does the film feel rushed or move by too quick for the gags to land. It doesn't hurt that these gags are often excellent. They take great advantage of the premise of Jerry turning invisible and are often quite clever. Like in all the best Tom and Jerry cartoons, these gags are enhanced by great character animation. As Jerry is invisible this use of character animation becomes a great showcase for Tom. Tom is more than up to the task of caring this part of the film. I especially love the animation as the invisible Jerry plays the piano behind him. Also, the animation after he is hit with the golf club makes a very typical cartoon gag truly stand out as hilarious. Tom is truly one of the great pantomime characters in animation history and this is clearly on display here. As great as the premise of an invisible Jerry is, this cartoon is a delight even before Jerry turns invisible. The typical Tom and Jerry gags at the start are delightful and perfectly executed. Even these early scenes move by with a wonderfully fast paced energy. That energy is enhanced by an equally energetic score by Scott Bradley. This episode also benefits from some wonderfully detailed background art that really makes the house environment feel real.
This may have been the first time Tom had to deal with an invisible Jerry, but it was not the last. This idea would also be the basis of the later Tom and Jerry films, The Vanishing Duck (1958) and Of Feline Bondage (1965).
Motion Picture Herald, 1947
The following is an exhibitor's review from The Motion Picture Herald, "THE INVISIBLE MOUSE: Tom and Jerry Cartoons - Our most popular cartoon series. This one couldn't have been better. - George E. Janes, Ojai Theatre, Ojai, Cal." The following is a review from The Film Daily, "Completely hilarious in this tale of Jerry who becomes invisible after falling into a bottle of invisible ink, and Tom, his feline opponent. If Tom had troubles before he's really baffled now, much to the merriment of audience. Rates very high." This is one of 15 Tom and Jerry cartoons reissued to movie theaters in 1963. The credited animators are Ed Barge, Richard Bickenbach, Don Patterson and Irven Spence. This is one of only two Tom and Jerry short films where Don Patterson gets an animation credit (the other being A Mouse in the House (1947).
I have stated that I think the MGM cartoons of this period had some of the ugliest movie posters. Here is an example of that. Though this is still (somehow) one of the better ones.
While most of the Tom and Jerry films of this era are well established classics that all cartoon fans are familiar with, A Mouse in the House is the rare hidden gem of this time period. It is a shame this film is not better known because it is a delightful cartoon.
In this film Mammy Two Shoes is upset that there is a mouse in the house, even though she has two cats, Tom and Butch (the only film in which the two live in the same house). She states that whichever one of her cats catches Jerry can stay, while the other will be kicked out.
This is simply a wonderful cartoon. The premise itself is delightful. While Tom and Butch fighting over Jerry is incredibly simple, it leads to a nice twist on the usual Tom and Jerry formula that pays off quite well. There are plenty of great gags throughout the whole film. Like many of the great Tom and Jerry cartoons, the execution of the gags is just as funny as the gags themselves. One of the best bits is near the start of the cartoon. Tom and Butch are looking everywhere and under everything for Jerry. Jerry sees this and joins in the search. This gag is already funny, but it is made even funnier by the character animation on Jerry. The playfully inquisitive look on Jerry's face as he looks around is truly hilarious. The sequence where Tom and Butch have their gun duel is as funny as anything ever put in a Tom and Jerry short. However, it is greatly enhanced by the wonderful "evil" expression on Tom's face as he tries to cheat. This film also moves at a wonderfully fast pace, packing gag after gag. This keeps a great comic energy throughout the cartoon that is simply a lot of fun to watch. Once again this is enhanced by the wonderful score by Scott Bradley. The ending of this film is also fantastic and provides a wonderful twist on the audiences' expectations.
Part of the reason that this film is not more well known is because it has not aired on regular television in quite a long time. While today few, if any, of the Mammy Two Shoes shorts air today (due to the character being considered a racial stereotype), this one stopped airing on TV much earlier. The reason for this is one scene near the end. Earlier in this cartoon, both Tom and Butch disguise themselves as Mammy from the back to fool the other. When later in the film both of them come across the real Mammy (from the back), they assume it is the other cat and start whacking her in the rear end. Since this scene is integral to the plot and simply couldn't be edited out (the way a quick blackface gag earlier in the film could), the cartoon was simply not aired.
The following are exhibitor's reviews from the Motion Picture Hearld. "Mouse in the House: Tom and Jerry Cartoons — Above average laffs in this good mouse cartoon. - Stanley Leay, Stanley Theatre, Galena, Ill." "MOUSE IN THE HOUSE: Tom and Jerry Cartoon — These gay fellows are very popular here and it is a great pleasure to show so good a cartoon as this. - Jussi Kohonen, Kino-Halli, Kotka, Finland." The later of these reviews comes from an issue dated April 2, 1955. This is much later than the cartoon was released but perhaps the film arrived in Finland around the mid-50's or perhaps since the exhibitor, who obviously likes Tom and Jerry, purposely got older Tom and Jerry films for the theater to play them there. The very same page features 2 exhibitor's review from the same exhibitor. Both of these are for feature length films, Orchestra Wives (1942) and Lucky Me (1954). A Mouse in the House would be reissued to U.S. movie theaters in 1964, along with 14 other Tom and Jerry shorts.
The Tom and Jerry films continue their winning streak with Salt Water Tabby.
In this film Tom is ready for a nice day at the beach, when he spies Toodles. He flirts with Toodles until he realizes that someone is eating the food inside of Toodles' picnic basket. Taking a look inside he sees Jerry eating her food. Tom tries to stop Jerry and the two begin to have a battle on the beach with Tom trying to get the better of Jerry and Jerry trying to ruin Tom's chances with Toodles.
This is simply a fantastic cartoon. Though it very much follows the established formula for these films, the beach setting allows for all sorts of very clever gags. Not only are many of these gags are laugh out loud funny, but there is not a single gag that misses. This film is also full of wonderful character animation. Many of the best bits of character animation comes from Tom flirting with Toodles. Tom's sheer self-confidence and complete obliviousness to the fact that Toodles is no interested is simply wonderfully conveyed through this animation. As soon as we see this two together, we fully understand the personalities of both these characters making both of them feel real to us. Probably the best moment of character animation is after Jerry puts a seashell into a sandwich Tom is eating. This is really only a moderately funny gag in and of itself. However, watching Tom try to act nonchalant and like he is actually enjoying the sandwich in front of Toodles is downright hilarious. This is another example of the character animation in a Tom and Jerry short greatly enhancing a gag. Not to be left out, Jerry gets a wonderful bit of character animation with the smug look on his face as he makes Tom eat sand. Again this is a decent gag that becomes very funny through the animation. This film also shows how perfect Bill Hanna's timing was by this time period. This is one of the fastest paced Tom and Jerry cartoons. There is gag after gag with little time between. However the pace works perfectly with the action. At no point does the action ever feel rushed and at no point does the pace take away from letting these character's personalities show.
The bathing suit that Tom wears (yes, I know he wears a bathing suit to the beach despite being unclothed most of the time) in this film would later reappear in the later Tom and Jerry theatrical cartoon, Muscle Beach Tom (1956), in a beach-based level of the 2003 video game Tom and Jerry in War of the Whiskers and in an episode of TV's Tom and Jerry Tales entitled Beach Bully Bingo (2006). A clip from this film would appear in the later Tom and Jerry short, Smitten Kitten (1952).
The following is an exhibitor's review from the Motion Picture Herald, "Salt Water Tabby: Tom & Jerry Cartoon - Another hit in our most popular cartoon series. For my money, these have Bugs Bunny wiped off the face of the map. - George E. James, Ojai Theatre, Ojai, Cal."
The credited animators on this short were Ed Barge, Michael Lah and Kenneth Muse. The cartoon would be rereleased in theaters in 1954 and again in 1963.
Box-office, 1963
Here is the movie poster for this cartoon. While I would hesitate to call this a good poster, it is honestly quite better than the average movie poster for this series.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse was another Tom and Jerry film nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film. Its competition included, Chip an' Dale (1947, Disney), Pluto's Blue Note (1947, Disney), Tubby the Tuba (1947, George Pal Puppetoon) and Tweetie Pie (1947, Warner Brothers). The Oscar would go to Tweetie Pie, which would mark the first Oscar for a Warner Brothers cartoon. Tweetie Pie also has historical significance because it is the first film to pair Sylvester and Tweety. In that cartoon Slyvester is actually called Thomas.
In this film Tom is trying to enjoy a nice saucer of milk, when Jerry keeps drinking from it. Tired of Jerry drinking from his saucer, Tom attempts to poison his milk and set it out for Jerry. However, this has an unintended effect as instead of being poisoned Jerry turns into a muscular monster. Jerry then uses his newfound strength to get the best of Tom.
This is simply a wonderful cartoon. Like many of the best Tom and Jerry films, what makes this cartoon work so well is not only the gags themselves but the wonderful delivery. The character animation here is simply wonderful and is just as funny as any of the gags. The transformation scenes with Jerry are fantastic and the biggest laughs come from the hulking way Jerry walks towards Tom after transforming, the look on Tom's face when Jerry drags him through the safe and the character animation with Jerry when he realizes he returns back to normal. Many of the gags here are quite excellent as well. I especially love the waffle iron gag and Tom's way of getting out of the fridge. Both of these are laugh out loud hilarious. This cartoon also has a simply wonderful ending gag. This film also keeps a wonderful energy going throughout. The action never lets up and because of this, there is not a moment when the viewer is not having fun. Adding to this energy is another wonderful score by Scott Bradley.
The following is a review from The Film Daily, "Frightening Satire To prevent Jerry from drinking milk from the refrigerator, Tom brews a deadly potion. Instead of polishing off the rapid rodent as intended, it imbues him with super-mousean powers and for a while the familiar cat-after-mouse chase is reversed. When the brew wears off the familiar routine begins once again, with amusing, if frightening results. Some pretty strong stuff for kids but amusing overall." I don't know about you, but I was able to handle this cartoon just fine as a kid. This film was reissued to theaters in 1955.
This monstrous version of Jerry appears in the 2003 video game, Tom and Jerry in War of the Whiskers. Monster Jerry (as he is called in this game) is the final boss for multiple of the characters. If you beat him with the eagle (from Flirty Birdy), you can unlock him as a playable character.
Tom and Jerry would return to the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story in an episode of Hanna-Barbera's TV cartoon series, The Tom and Jerry Show entitled See Dr. Jackal and Hide (1975). In that episode Tom and Jerry work as assistants in Dr. Jackal's lab and are terrified when Dr. Jackal turns into a monster.
Resources Used
Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons by Leonard Maltin
The Cat Concerto was the fourth Tom and Jerry film to win the Oscar for best animated short film. It was also the fourth consecutive win for the series as Tom and Jerry cartoons had won the Oscar the previous three years as well. Its competition was Chopin's Musical Moments (1946, Walter Lantz, starring Woody Woodpecker and Andy Panda), John Henry and the Inky Poo (1946, a George Pal Puppetoon), Squatters Rights (1946, Disney, starring Mickey Mouse, Pluto, Chip and Dale) and Walky Talky Hawky (1946, Warner Brothers, the first Foghorn Leghorn). One thing you may notice about all these films is that they were released in 1946, while this Tom and Jerry cartoon was released in 1947. However, while it was released to movie theaters in 1947, it was finished submitted to the Acadamy and screened for the Acadamy in 1946.
In this film, Jerry is taking a nap inside of a piano. Unfortunately for him Tom is giving a major concert on the same piano. When Tom's playing interrupts Jerry's sleep, Jerry does everything he can to ruin Tom's concert.
This is one of the most popular Tom and Jerry films and it is easy to see why. It is a pure delight.
One element that really makes this cartoon stand out is the music. Many people have had classic cartoons as their introduction to classic music and a film like this is a wonderful introduction. This cartoon uses Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2 (as well as an excerpt from On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe (from the MGM feature film, The Harvey Girls (1946)). The performance is simply fantastic. This piece was used in many cartoons; however, this (to my untrained ears) is the best sounding version of it in any cartoon. Joe Barbera would later remember, "The idea of having the cat play the piano was fascinating to me. So, we decided to go ahead with The Cat Concerto and do the Second Hungarian Rhapsody. We happened to have under contract one of the best pianists in the United States at the time, a famous concert pianist. His name eludes me at the moment, but he loved doing it." The pianist was Calvin Jackson, who had also worked on some live action MGM feature films such as Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) and Anchors Aweigh (1945, which featured a live action Gene Kelly dancing with an animated Jerry) as an assistant director of music.
For an example of some of the times this piece appeared in cartoons, watch the video below.
While the humor may not be as rapid fire here as it is in other Tom and Jerry films of this time period, there are some truly great gags here. While many of these are rather typical Tom and Jerry gags, each one is delivered near perfectly. This is one of the best examples of setting cartoon violence to classical music, for the simple reason of how perfectly timed to the music every single gag is. This not only makes it easy to appreciate the artistry of the cartoon, but it also makes the gags much funnier. Jerry trying to catch Tom's fingers with scissors or replacing piano keys with a mouse trap are honestly not that funny in and of themselves. However, with how perfectly timed to the music these gags are, the result is truly funny. There are also some truly wonderful simple throwaway gags here. One of the best includes one of Tom's fingers stretching very far out to hit a key on the other side of the piano. That gag simply makes me laugh every single time.
This cartoon is also a perfect example of great character animation. This is one of the very few times that Tom can seem more like a human character than a cat. Not only is his role as a concert pianist, decidedly a human role but the way he moves is also very much like a real pianist. For the film's beginning with Tom walking out with an air of nonchalance and self-confidence, to the graceful way he plays the piano before his fight with Jerry, Tom perfectly embodies the role of great concert pianist. Yet there is still much of the Tom we know in the animation of when he battles Jerry. These two sides to Tom's personality here are (through the animation) combined masterfully in a way that seems truly effortless. The result is not only impressive but makes the humor much funnier.
This film also sparked a major controversy that lasts to this day in the cartoon fandom. This is that it is incredibly similar to the Bugs Bunny cartoon, Rhapsody Rabbit (1946), directed by Friz Freleng. In the film Bugs is giving a piano concert (playing the same piece used in this cartoon) and gets into a fight with a mouse. It is still if one of these cartoons borrowed from the other or whether it was a coincidence. There are parts of both cartoons that seem almost out of place in each respective series. Bugs Bunny seems like a more natural fit as a concert pianist as he feels like a more natural fit in a DeFacto human role. However, it feels more natural for Tom to face off against a mouse than it does for Bugs Bunny. Joseph Barbera would later state in an interview, “It was at a screening for the Oscar nominees. We [the Tom and Jerry short] played first. When it came on, people were laughing like hell, and when the lights came on, Freleng was mad as hell. Then it [the Bugs short] played, and the action was similar: Bugs walked up in the tailcoat, flipped it up, sat down, warmed up the hands, looking arrogant, all exactly the same. In ours, Tom, the cat, disturbs the mouse, and in his, Bugs, the rabbit, disturbs the mouse. Ours ended up as one of the five [Oscar] finalists, and people had the feeling that he [Freleng] was ripping off our cartoon, but he said, ‘No, no, no, I never saw your goddamned lousy cartoon!’ I really believe that [it was a coincidence]. Freleng had a sense of humor, we just thought the same, and our gags were the same. 'What’s a rabbit doing with a mouse?” Friz Freleng would later state, “When they drew the rotation out of a hat, my cartoon was run after theirs, unfortunately for me. And the audience thought I stole from them. They got a nomination for it, and I didn’t. But I felt that was one of the outstanding things I had done. I enjoyed doing it.” It is worth noting that the chances of either cartoon directly copying the other seems unlikely, due to their productions overlapping (though Rhapsody Rabbit began production first). Perhaps though it is this similarity, that caused Rhapsody Rabbit not to make it to the 5 Oscar finalists. Still, both of them are truly excellent cartoons. There is also that despite similar stories and the same music, the gags are completely different. If one studio was stealing from the other, it would only make sense for them to have stolen gags as well. Also, it is worth noting that the mouse's role is quite different too. Jerry simply wants some sleep, while the unnamed mouse in the Bugs cartoon wants to play piano himself. It is also worth noting that they were not the only cartoons released around this time that involved cartoon characters as classical music pianists. Most famously was the Walter Lantz cartoon, Musical Moments from Chopin, which featured Woody Woodpecker and Andy Panda as dueling pianists.
The Cat Concerto was the only Tom and Jerry film to make it into Jerry Beck's book, The 50 Greatest Cartoons, where it landed at #42. The list in this book was compiled from a survey asking over 1,000 animation experts. However, Mouse Cleaning (1948)was listed among the "Other Great Cartoons" at the end of the book. Rhapsody Rabbit was not included in the list of 50 but does also appear in the "Other Great Cartoons."
-Michael J. Ruhland
Resources Used
Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons by Leonard Maltin
Though rarely mentioned among the best Tom and Jerry films, Part Time Pal has long been a favorite of mine.
In this film Mammy Two Shoes tells Tom that he must keep Jerry from getting into the icebox. When Jerry tries to get in, Tom gives him a big chase. However, during this chase Tom falls into a barrel of alcoholic cider. Tom comes out very drunk and as a drunk he is best friends with Jerry and wants to perform various practical jokes on Mammy Two Shoes.
In his autobiography Joseph Barbera states the Charlie Chaplin was one of his heroes. The plot of Tom being best friends with Jerry only when drunk is reminiscent of the relationship between the little tramp and the drunken millionaire in Chaplin's City Lights (1931). However, City Lights was not the first time such a plot was used so it could be just a coincidence.
There is a lot to love about this cartoon. The very premise itself is wonderful and lots of great gags come out of it. I especially love the gag with the chicken and the gag with the pie, both of which put a big smile on my face. Like in many of the best Tom and Jerry films, the most delightful part of this cartoon though comes not just from the gags but the execution. This whole film is full of simply wonderful character animation. I simply love the animation of Tom being drunk. While the character is still clearly Tom, everything about the way he moves, his facial expressions and his reactions to everything going on around him, are completely different than when he is sober. Much of this character animation is far from subtle and quite goofy, but it never gets to the point where Tom feels any less real as a character. This drunken Tom is just as expressive and believable as sober Tom is. Through this character animation, you can often see just what is going through his drunken mind without the need of any dialogue. Jerry's reactions to the drunken Tom wanting to be his friend and his enjoyment spending time with drunken Tom is a sheer masterpiece of character animation as well.
Because of Mammy Two Shoes being a black stereotype parts of this film have been edited for TV showings. Instead of Lillian Randolph's voice of Mammy, the character's voice had been dubbed over in many TV airings. As well as the dubbing, some of the lines where changed. For instance, instead of stating, "Well, slap my face, if this ain't a mess," she says "Well, I'll be darned, this is such a mess." Interestingly the line "Thomas! Why- why you, crazy cat!" has been muted on many TV airings. This is strange as the line is not very stereotypical. This is also one of the few cartoons where we actually see part of Mammy's head. We only see the back of it through and she has part of her head covered.
Clips from this film would be used in the later Tom and Jerry cartoon, Shutter Bugged Cat (1967). Tom's drunken line "1 for the money (hic), 2 for the show (hic), 3 to make ready (hic), and 4 to go!" would be used in an episode of TV's The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show entitled Most Wanted Cat (1980).
The fact the Cat Fishin' often gets overlooked among the many great Tom and Jerry films of this era is a testament to how great of a time period it was for the cat and mouse duo. This is a wonderful cartoon.
This film begins with Tom sneaking into a private area (with many "No Trespassing" signs) to go fishing. This even means sneaking past a vicious Spike the bulldog. When he gets to the area to fish, he opens his tackle box to reveal that Jerry is his bait. However, Tom gets himself in more trouble than he bargained for when he comes up against a very vicious and large fish.
This is a fantastic cartoon. The whole film is filled with a great comic energy that never lets up. The film moves at a fast pace, often giving us one gag after another. This energy is simply infectious, and it is hard not to have a lot of fun watching it. Equally infectious is Scott Bradley's musical score here, which is just as energetic and fun as the action it is accompanying. In the climactic scene, Scott Bradley even gives us a wonderfully energetic rendition of The Trolly Song (written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane) from the MGM feature film Meet Me in St. Louis (1944). This wonderful rendition (which especially appeals to me as Meet Me in St. Louis is one of my favorite movies) is also perfectly used in the film adding to the fast-paced energy of the action. It doesn't hurt that as well as the great comic energy, many of the gags are excellent here as well. The two best gags revolve around Tom and Spike the bulldog. These two gags involve Tom hiding from Spike on top of his fishing pole and Tom accidently giving Spike a bump on the head and trying to rectify the mistake. Like many of the best Tom and Jerry gags, these jokes work so well, just as much because of the execution as the gags themselves. These may be two of my all-time favorite Tom and Jerry gags and the always make me laugh. However even the jokes that don't make me laugh out loud, still make me smile. Because of this I simply have a great time anytime I watch this film.
The big fish has been named Flappy by some fans, but the filmmakers never used this name themselves. This is the only of the classic short films to include this character. However, the character would reappear much later in a small role in an episode of TV's Tom and Jerry Tales entitled Over the River and Boo the Woods (2007). Clips from Cat Fishin' would later be reused in the later Tom and Jerry films, Life with Tom (1953) and Smarty Cat (1955).
The following is a review from Boxoffice Magazine. "Excellent. The laughs are fast and furious as Tom Cat decides to do a little fishing in a private lake. He eludes the ferocious bulldog guarding the property and starts casting, with Jerry Mouse on the end as live bait. Jerry tangles with a large fish, but escapes being eaten alive. When the bulldog steps in no holds are barred, and Tom gets the worst of the fray." /
Solid Serenade is one of the most iconic Tom and Jerry films. Tom playing the big bass fiddle, while singing Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby is an image that is etched in the minds of cartoon fans and always will be.
In this short film Tom sets out to serenade his girlfriend Toodles Galore to do so he sneaks past Spike the bulldog (called Killer in this cartoon). His musical serenade unfortunately keeps Jerry awake at night. Because of this Jerry tries to stop Tom's singing (and bass playing), which naturally leads to a big chase between the two with the bulldog getting involved.
This cartoon is simply wonderful. Like all the Tom and Jerry shorts of this era, what makes the film work so well is not just the gags but the delivery. The gags are mostly standard cartoon gags, but it hard to think of them being pulled off better. Some of the biggest laughs come not from these gags themselves but from the facial expressions and timing. Tom hitting Spike on the head with a brick goes from being a standard cartoon gag to a truly funny one, because of the expressions on both Tom and Spike's faces as well as the gradual way Spike falls to the ground. The timing of Jerry throwing the pie (with an iron in it) at Tom is simply perfect, even waiting for the exact right moment in the song. The ending gag itself is fantastic but it would not be anywhere near as funny without the big goofy look on Spike's face.
A huge reason why this film is so endearing to me, and many other cartoon fans is the song, Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby. This jazz classic has now become immortalized because of this cartoon. However, it was not created for this film. The song dates back to just a few years before the cartoon. In 1943 jazz singer and bandleader Louis Jordan (with His Tympani Five) recorded this song (which Jordan himself co-wrote with Billy Austin) and had a #1 hit with it. It would soon afterwards be recorded by the likes of Bing Crosby, Glenn Miller and The Andrew Sisters. In this cartoon it was sung by Ira “Buck” Woods, an African Amercian singer and trumpeter who appeared in small parts in a few feature films, most prominently in Reunion in France (1942), which features Joan Crawford and John Wayne. His rendition of this song is simply fantastic and there is no wonder that this cartoon and this performance would bring immortality to this song.
Tom doesn't only sing in this cartoon but he also talks. His wooing of Toodles (in a Charles Boyer type of voice) is lifted from an earlier cartoon, The Zoot Cat (1944).
The animation for this film was divided mostly by giving animators lengthy sequences. The opening scene is animated Ray Patterson as was the scene in which Spike chases Tom after putting the more vicious dentures in his mouth. Ken Muse animates the whole scene of Tom serenading Toodles with the exception of the tiny insert of Jerry getting the pie set to throw at Tom (which is animated by Ed Barge). Ed Barge animates Tom and Jerry's chase in the kitchen. Michael Lah (who had replaced Irv Spence who moved to John Sutherland Productions) animates the funniest scenes in the film, including the aforementioned scene in which Tom hits Spike on the head with a brick. He also animates Tom throwing the stick and telling Spike to fetch it, Tom sneaking in kisses from Toodles as he is avoiding Spike and Tom accidentally romancing Spike instead of Toodles. The ending of the film starting from when Tom thinks he has trapped Jerry in the doghouse is all animated by Pete Burness. Pete Burness and Ray Patterson would be uncredited for this cartoon.
Clips from this film would later be reused in the Tom and Jerry cartoons, Jerry's Diary (1949), Smitten Kitten (1952) and Smarty Cat (1955). The gag of the jazz music making Jerry bounce out of bed and around his bedroom was somewhat reused in one of Hanna-Barbera's TV cartoons, The Flintstones episode, The Swimming Pool (1960) as the music at a pool party causing a neighbor to do pretty much the same thing.
About the Tom and Jerry films, film historian and critic Leonard Maltin said, "A series of outstanding shorts that exemplify the Hollywood cartoon at its best. This writing-directing team (William Hanna and Joseph Barbera) may hold a record for producing consistently superior cartoons year after year." While there were some misses later on, in the 1940's it seemed like Tom and Jerry could do no wrong. During this time period, every Tom and Jerry film hit the mark near perfectly. The only other theatrical cartoon series I can think of that had this level of consistency of great cartoons was Chuck Jones' Coyote and Roadrunner films. However even with the amount of great Tom and Jerry cartoons made during this era, Trap Happy manages to truly stand out.
Like all of the best Tom and Jerry films, this cartoon has a very simplistic storyline. Tom is trying to catch Jerry and is constantly failing. So, Tom calls in a mouse exterminator to help him. The mouse exterminator ends up being Butch (the black cat) who doesn't end up being much help.
This may be my favorite Tom and Jerry short film. One of my favorite things about it is that it is exactly what you think of when you hear Tom and Jerry. There are no plot complications or anything to deviate from simple cat chasing mouse fun. This cartoon moves at a very quick speed offering gag after gag after gag. Yet there is impressively not one gag in the entire film that misses. Each gag works perfectly. Some of these gags are some of the most memorable moments in Tom and Jerry history. Tom calling the exterminator on the phone, Jerry playing Butch and Tom's fingers as a musical instrument, the magnetic cheese gag and of course the wonderful ending all stick in your mind well after the cartoon ends. Like many of the best Tom and Jerry cartoons, the execution is often just as great as the gags. This is especially seen in the opening scenes with Tom chasing Jerry before he calls Butch. The gags in these scenes are not as imaginative as what would come later in the film. However, the animation and timing are perfect and make it hard to watch these scenes without a smile on your face.
Michael Lah (an MGM animator who had for Bill and Joe and then for Tex Avery) once stated "Tex had a crazy way of pacing things, and it had started to rub off on Bill and Joe. Then it became a race. Each picture that would come out, from one unit or the other, was faster. Pretty soon it got to the point where the only guys who could understand it were the guys who had worked on it." This is one of the fastest paced Tom and Jerry cartoons. However, the pacing is never too fast to follow or enjoy. In fact, as well as the gags themselves there are some wonderful little character moments in here. The expressions on the character's faces and how they can perfectly convey just what is going on in their minds (without much dialogue) are a major part of why this cartoon is so great. The fact that the filmmakers can fit this into such a fast paced and gag filled cartoon without ever sacrificing its wonderful comic energy is very impressive. Also adding to the pure comic energy in this film is Scott Bradely's very fun and infectious score. This score is not only a joy to listen to but it always compliments and enhances the action on screen.
The following is an exhibitor's review from The Motion Picture Herald, "TRAP HAPPY: Tom and Jerry Cartoons— Tops. This series is one of the best. This one is above average for the series. -Fred J. Hutchings, Community Theatre, Leader, Sask. Can."
The credited animators on this film are Kenneth Muse, Michael Lah and Ed Barge. A much later Tom and Jerry cartoon would reuse a clip from this short. In an episode of TV's, The Tom and Jerry Show entitled The Last Laugh (2014), a character can be seen watching this cartoon on a movie screen.
Heard on the soundtrack of this film is Ja-Da, a jazz standard. This song was written in 1918 by jazz pianist, Bob Carleton and was his biggest hit as a composer. In 1918 the same year it was written it was recorded by both Original New Orleans Jazz Band and Arthur Fields. Alice Faye sang it in the feature film, Rose of Washington Square (1939). This song was recorded by many artists over the years including Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons and Louis Armstrong. The Firehouse Five Plus Two (a jazz band consisting of Disney animators) even recorded the song on their 1962 album, At Disneyland. Below are the two aforementioned 1918 recordings.
Resources Used
Of Mice and Magic: A History of the American Animated Cartoon by Leonard Maltin
This film marks the first animated appearance of Nibbles the mouse. However, Jerry's little gray friend (and sometime nephew) had existed before this cartoon. He had in fact appeared with Tom and Jerry in comic books. He made his debut in 1942 in the comic book, Our Gang #1. The comic book was named after the popular child comedy team, Our Gang (also known as The Little Rascals). It featured various comics featuring many of MGM's short subject stars, both live action and cartoon. This included Tom and Jerry. Our Gang #1 featured Tom and Jerry's first appearance in comic books and included in their first story was this little gray dipper wearing mouse. Rather than being called Nibbles, in this comic he was called Tuffy. Even after being named Nibbles in his first animated film, the character would continue to be called Tuffy. Later TV cartoons and direct to video movies, you also used the name Tuffy for this character.
In this film, a basket is left outside Jerry's door. When Jerry opens the basket, Nibbles is inside and there is a note that asks Jerry to take care of this little mouse. The note also lets Jerry know that this little mouse is also always hungry. Jerry tries to feed Nibbles from Tom's milk, but Tom doesn't take too kindly to this. Jerry must defend himself and Nibbles from Tom.
There is a lot to love about this cartoon. This is a fast-moving film and once it gets going it is truly one gag after another. Most of these gags are simply wonderful. One of my favorites is one of the simplest. Jerry is running towards his mousehole. Tom simply grabs the mousehole and moves it to a different part of the wall, causing Jerry to run into the wall. This is a very simply gag, but the timing, the impossibility of the gag and Tom's facial expression all cause me to laugh every time. The timing in this cartoon is also perfect and can often make gags that shouldn't be that funny still work. Nibbles hitting Tom on the tail with a hammer isn't a funny gag in itself. However, the delivery is simply perfect. One of the funniest moments is the ending, which I will not give away here. Nibbles is also a really fun character in this cartoon. I personally prefer this childish and silent version of the character over the talking version that comes later. Nibbles also works great here because the contrast between his cuteness and his violence is simply a lot of fun.
There is one scene of this film, which even some seasoned Tom and Jerry fans might not have seen. This scene involves Jerry and Nibbles disguising themselves using blackface. During this scene Jerry is voiced by Lillian Randolph, the voice of Tom's owner Mammy Two Shoes. This scene is not only cut out in nearly all TV airings, but it is even cut in Tom and Jerry Spotlight DVDs.
The following is a review from The Film Daily, "Jerry, aided and abetted by a homeless mouse he has adopted, makes life twice as difficult for Tom the Cat. Trying to appease the homeless one's hunger, they run all sorts of risks but always manage to outwit be-whiskered and bewildered Tom. Most enjoyable it makes the best of many situations. Detailed, it has a certain touch which distinguish the best." The following is an exhibitor's review from the Motion Picture Herald, "THE MILKY WAIF: Tom and Jerry Cartoons— The Tom and Jerry cartoons are tops with us. Our audience cry for more. W.F. Caudell, South Miami Theatre, South Miami, Flo." This film was reissued to theaters in 1953.
This cartoon's storyline was later used as the basis for part of a 1949 Tom and Jerry storybook. You can take a closer look at that here.
Heard on the soundtrack for this film is a song called I’ll See You in My Dreams. This song was written by Isham Jones in 1925 and recorded by him the same year. Artists who recorded it over the years included Paul Whiteman, Tommy Dorsey, Django Reinhardt, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Martin, Vaughn Monro, Buddy Clark, Merle Travis, Bing Crosby and Pat Boone. Below is Isham Jones' 1925 recording of the song.
This film marked the first time Tom and Butch (the black cat) would fight over a female cat. The female cat is a tall white cat, that would be Tom's love interest in multiple cartoons. This character is often referred to as Toodles Galore. She is in fact referred to Toodles in this film, but the last name is not used. She would appear in only a handful of theatrical shorts and afterwards would not reappear again until 2006 in the TV series, Tom and Jerry Tales. This is her first appearance in a Tom and Jerry film; however, some people claim she is the same girl cat used in the Hugh Harman directed MGM cartoon, The Alley Cat (1941). This is of course up for debate. As well as appearing in film and TV, Toodles would also have a level based around her in the 2000 video game, Tom and Jerry in House Trap. That level would be called Oodles for Toodles and be the last level in the game.
As this film starts Jerry is trying to get Tom to chase him but Tom is too busy staring at Toodles out the window. When he starts approaching her, the two begin a romance. Jerry decides to break up this romance by writing a love letter signed "Toodles" and giving it to Butch. When Butch moves in on Tom's new girlfriend, the two cats begin a big slapstick fight.
There is so much to love about this cartoon. I am especially fond of the opening. It perfectly describes the relationship between Tom and Jerry. As in The Lonesome Mouse (1943), the two may constantly fight but they get a certain exhilaration and sense of purpose out of their rivalry. Without Tom chasing him around, Jerry feels simply lost. This is a great little character moment that adds a bit more to these characters than the ones we usually see in chase cartoons.
When we get to the actual slapstick fight between Butch and Tom is simply wonderful. This again shows how by this point, William Hanna had perfectly mastered the art of comedy timing. The jokes here come fast and furious, yet none of them feel rushed and each gives you just enough time between anticipating the gag and the perfect punch line. These may be typical cartoon gags but the execution is so perfect that they seem completely fresh. Because of this there is not a single gag that doesn't work here. This makes for a laugh out loud funny film.
This film features a green devil version of Jerry that tells him to ruin Tom's romance. This character would later appear in another Tom and Jerry cartoon, Smitten Kitten (1952), which even reuses some footage from Springtime For Thomas. This character would later appear in a 2014 episode of The Tom and Jerry Show called Pranks For Nothing. This character would even be a playable character in the 2019 mobile game, Tom and Jerry Chase. He also appears (though he isn't playable) in the 2000 Gameboy Color Game, Tom and Jerry in Mouse Attacks!
Quiet Please was the third Tom and Jerry cartoon to win the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film. It's competition that year included Disney's Donald's Crime, George Pal's Jasper in the Beanstalk, Warner Brother's Life with Feathers, Terry Toon's Mighty Mouse in Gypsy Life, Walter Lantz's Poet and Peasant and Columbia's Rippling Romance. While there are some great films in that list, Quiet Please is still a great cartoon and deserves its win completely.
This film has a very basic premise. Tom and Jerry's fighting has been keeping Spike the Bulldog awake. Spike catches Tom (but not Jerry) and tells Tom not to disturb his sleep or he will skin Tom alive. Jerry sees this as his opportunity to get the upper hand of his foe.
This basic premise is not dissimilar to that of Tom and Jerry's first cartoon, Puss Gets the Boot (1940). In that short Tom's owner tells him that if he breaks one more thing in the house, she will kick him out. Naturally in that film Jerry too saw this as a way to get back at Tom. Yet a comparison of the two films shows a very different approach. The earlier cartoon not only moves at a slower pace, but it also has less gags. This film has a gag nearly every moment of screen time. The earlier short had a longer space between the gags. Yet the type of gags featured are also quite different. The earlier film had gags that had more of a grounding in reality and were less exaggerated. However, the exaggeration here is present in nearly every gag. Little happens in this later film that is even remotely in the realm of possibility. Yet the characters have become so real and distinct to us that there is never a moment where we doubt the reality of these characters. Without the strong characterizations that had been created by this time, these exaggerated gags wouldn't have worked near as well here.
As well as a very well-constructed cartoon, this film is also laugh out loud funny. Every gag works perfectly. Even with a gag a minute here, there is not a single one that misses the mark. So many of these gags are with good reason etched in the mind of cartoon lovers everywhere and for good reason. Yet the delivery is even funnier than the gags sometimes. Tom playing Spike as a musical instrument after giving him knock out drops, wouldn't be anywhere near as funny without the look of sheer delight on Tom's face. Equally hilarious is the goofy voice given to Tom as he states, "one custard pie let me have it." The delivery of this line makes a rather routine cartoon gag into something very memorable and hilarious. One of the funniest moments is not even a gag. It is the moment after Spike states that he will skin Tom alive, and Jerry looks on with pure eager delight. The sheer joy he takes in the thought of Tom being skinned alive is simply hilarious.
A scene from this film was recreated in the opening for the 1975 Tom and Jerry TV show. This scene features Tom chasing Jerry and coming to a stop when he sees Spike sleeping. The gag of Jerry making a drawing of Tom and writing "Stinky" underneath was reused in an episode of TV'sThe Tom and Jerry Comedy Show, called New Mouse in the House (1980).
The credited animators on this film include Irven Spence, Kenneth Muse, Ray Patterson and Ed Barge. This is one of the funniest Tom and Jerry cartoons to feature Spike the bulldog.
Resources Used
Of Mice and Magic: A History of the American Animated Cartoon by Leonard Maltin.
Like pervious shorts in this series, this film pits Tom up against an opponent for capturing Jerry. However, unlike those previous shorts, Tom's opponent here is not another cat but an eagle. Like Tom this eagle is also interested in eating Jerry. As this film starts Tom captures Jerry between two slices of bread. However, before he can eat the mouse, an eagle swoops down and steals Tom's mouse sandwich. This causes a big fight between Tom and the Eagle over Jerry. Eventually though Tom comes upon the idea to disguise himself as a female eagle to capture Jerry back. However, the eagle gets too excited by this, and it causes Tom more trouble than he expected.
This film often tends to get overlooked among many other Tom and Jerry cartoons of this time period. In a way this is understandable because during this period the Tom and Jerry series was turning out gem after gem. If this cartoon does not measure up to the others of this time period, that is only a testament to how great the other films of this period are. This may not be the best Tom and Jerry cartoon of this period but it is a perfectly solid film. This film has some very good gags. It may not be great gag after great gag, the way the best Tom and Jerry shorts are but the great gags are fantastic. The best of which include the eagle trying to kiss Tom. He misses and completely destroys what he ends up kissing with the strength of his beak. These gags are very over the top, yet they are done in a completely unassuming manner (there are no big takes or even characters reacting to these gags) and that just makes them all the funnier. This film also moves by at a very fast speed that keeps the comic momentum going through the full cartoon and never lets up. This makes it a cartoon that is hard not to enjoy. The eagle is also a very fun character and a perfect foil to Tom. The mixture of viciousness and goofiness is simply wonderful and a lot of fun.
The eagle would later appear in an episode of TV's Tom and Jerry Tales called Bend It Like Thomas (2007). He would also be an unlockable character in the 2003 video game, Tom and Jerry in War of the Whiskers. This film would essentially be remade as an episode of TV's Tom and Jerry Kids entitled Hawkeye Tom (1993).
The credited animators on this film would be Irven Spence, Kenneth Muse and Ray Patterson, all of whom had worked on previous Tom and Jerry cartoons.
Below are some posters for the cartoon when it originally came to movie theaters. Notice how on the first one, the eagle and Tom have switched their color schemes.
After the departure from the already set in place formula with the previous short, this film returns Tom and Jerry back to what they are best known for. This is of course beating each other up in violently over the top ways. This film places the action on the golf course. Tom is having a rough day of golf as he is swinging at the ball and continuously missing it and getting more and more frustrated at this (this scene was animated by Irv Spence and historian Devon Baxter has observed that perhaps this is autobiographical as Irv Spence loved golf and in his self-caricatures often depicted himself getting very frustrated when he played poorly). After many shots he finally gets the ball in the hole, only to find it being thrown out. Tom soon finds out that this happened because Jerry is living in the hole. Tom being the poor sport he is does not take kindly to this and gets his revenge by using Jerry as a golf tee. Jerry gets tired of this, and a big golf course fight occurs between the two.
This cartoon shows Tom and Jerry at their best. Every gag simply works perfectly. In fact, the film is funny before our main characters even show up. The short opens with a pan of a golf course that has been completely mangled by Tom's incompetence at the sport. As soon as we see Tom on screen, we already are laughing because we have all had days like this (even if we don't play golf). The film only gets funnier when Jerry appears. Often times in these shorts we find ourselves rooting for either Tom or Jerry, but here, we sympathize and relate to both of them. We have all had bad days like Tom and when someone makes our day even worse, we all want to react exactly like Tom does. On the other hand, we all would want to react like Jerry if someone did to us what Tom does to him. This relatability makes this film all the funnier. It doesn't hurt that not only are the gags and set up well done, but the execution is darn near perfect. William Hanna has by this time become a true master of timing and though this is a fast-moving cartoon, the timing never feels off even for one gag. The sheer energy of the timing is matched by Scott Bradley's wonderfully energetic and fun score. The animation is simply wonderful here. Every bit of animation perfectly captures what these characters are thinking at any given moment in this dialogue-less short. The animation is also completely over the top and the loudest laughs come not for the violence but from the pure cartoony-ness of their reactions to said violence.
It is no secret that by the time this film was made each of the Tom and Jerry animators have really come into their own. I have already mentioned Irv Spence's wonderful animation of the opening scene. It is simply wonderful how perfect the transition from pure anger to sheer joy when he finally hits the ball. Ken Muse accomplishes the exact reverse in the following scene when Tom has a sheer look of pride on his face as the ball is about to go into the hole. This transitions to look of shock as the ball comes out of the hole to a look of determination as he tries to get it back in there to a look for sheer anger when the ball comes out of the hole again. This is simply character animation at its finest. Ken Muse gets to continue his fine character animation as well as some good cartoon-y gags as Tom and Jerry first meet. His animation of Jerry after being hit by the ball, sells the joke perfectly. Pete Burness then takes the animation over as Tom uses Jerry as a tee and washes him in the ball cleaner. What is interesting about these scenes is that there is a bit where Tom hits the ball and it comes back at him. The parts involving Tom and Jerry are animated by Burness while the ball flying and hitting the rock is animated by Al Grandmain. The animation goes directly back to Burness when we cut back to Tom. Ray Patterson gets one of the best moments of character animation here. After animating Tom's fight with a woodpecker and him hitting the ball after it goes on Jerry's head, he animates a great little bit where Tom cheats by pushing the ball and Jerry into the hole and then writes down his score. Before Tom pushes the ball and Jerry into the hole, he takes a long look around to make sure that no one is watching him. As he pushes Jerry into the hole he has a look of nonchalant innocence of child thinking he has gotten away with something. He keeps this look on his face for a little bit after wards before it turns into a look of sheer happiness when he is about to write his score down, this soon turns into a commentative look of him taking some time to think with about what score to give himself. As soon as he decides what score to give himself a look of pride goes on his face. When Jerry shames Tom for cheating the cat has a look of a little kid who has just been caught being bad. In this short time, Ray Patterson, through his animation, perfectly captures just who Tom is and what his personality is. One of my favorite moments in this cartoon is the gag sequence involving the bees. What makes this moment so funny is not the gag itself which is regular cartoon stuff, but the final moment with the very cartoon-y and over the top reaction by Tom, animated perfectly by Ken Muse.
This film is about as good as a slapstick cartoon can get.
Resources Used
Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons by Leonard Maltin
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