Cat Fishin' (1947)

 

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." /

Resources Used

https://tomandjerry.fandom.com/wiki/Cat_Fishin%27

https://lantern.mediahist.org/