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.
