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!