Trap Happy (1946)

 

 
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. 

                                                                       Resources Used

Of Mice and Magic: A History of the American Animated Cartoon by Leonard Maltin

https://tomandjerry.fandom.com/wiki/Trap_Happy

https://lantern.mediahist.org/

The Milky Waif (1946)

 

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.

Resources Used

https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/a-tom-jerry-storybook-1949/

https://tomandjerry.fandom.com/wiki/The_Milky_Waif

https://lantern.mediahist.org/

Springtime For Thomas (1946)

 

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 (1945)

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's The 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.

https://tomandjerry.fandom.com/wiki/Quiet_Please!