Jerry's Cousin (1951)

 

This short film introduced one of the most popular supporting characters in the Tom and Jerry franchise. This is Jerry's cousin, Muscles Mouse. Though this is his only theatrical short, the character has gone on to become a fan favorite. He would later appear in multiple episodes of TV's The Tom and Jerry Show (the one from the 2010's, not the one from the 1970's) as well as the Tom and Jerry in New York episode, Stunt Double Trouble (2021). A mouse named Freddie appeared in the direct to video movie, Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring (2002). This mouse had the exact same design as Muscles. However, there is no mention of this character being Jerry's cousin and in fact he doesn't get along with Jerry. This has led to a debate as to whether or not this is the same character. That feature film would get a video game adaption (for the Game Boy Advance) in which Freddie would be a boss. 

In this short film Jerry is once again having trouble with Tom. Jerry sends a letter to Muscles asking him to help with Tom. When Muscles comes over, he soon makes short work of Tom. 

This is a delightful cartoon. The main reason this film works is that Muscles is a wonderful character. The idea of Tom meeting an incredible strong mouse is a perfect story idea that really helps this film stand out. The mixture of his pure tough guy "don't mess with me" attitude and his protectiveness of Jerry helps make Muscles a character who is immediately appealing. While there may be funnier Tom and Jerry cartoons, the gags here all work very well. Once again, these gags are typical cartoon gags that work especially well because of great character animation and William Hanna's perfect timing. One of the best examples of this is the most famous gag in the cartoon. This is when Tom calls a group of hit men (or hit cats) to take out Muscles (this scene would later go on to internet fame as a meme). The gag on its own would only be amusing. However, the animation of Tom looking shady as he calls them, and the silly George Raft inspired walk of the cats make it truly hilarious. This film also has a near perfect ending. 

William Hanna and Joseph Barbera made have had this film on their mind when they made the Pixie and Dixie TV cartoon Cousin Tex (1958). The cartoon (which aired as part of The Huckleberry Hound Show) had meeces Pixie and Dixie being visited by their cousin Tex, who makes short work of the cat Mr. Jinks in a similar way to how Muscles does to Tom. 

This cartoon was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. This year it was the only film from a different studio than UPA to be nominated. Its competition was only two cartoons. The other two films were Gerald McBoing Boing (1950) and the Mr. Magoo cartoon Trouble Indemnity (1950). The winner that year would be Gerald McBoing Boing, which is truly a wonderful cartoon. You can watch both of these UPA film below. 

This film was released to theaters on April 7th, 1951. It would be reissued to theaters on My 24, 1958. The credited animators on this cartoon are Ray Patterson, Ed Barge, Kenneth Muse and Irven Spence. It would also be included in the feature length compilation, Tom and Jerry Festival of Fun (1962). Though this movie featured no new animation, Jerry's Diary (1949) was used as a framing device to make it feel like a feature length movie instead of simply a selection of cartoons. The cartoons included in this movie were Old Rocking Chair Tom (1948), The Little Orphan (1949), Jerry’s Cousin (1951), Professor Tom (1948), Mouse Cleaning (1948), Yankee Doodle Mouse (1943), Mouse Trouble (1944), Nit-Witty Kitty (1951), Push-Button Kitty (1952) and Saturday Evening Puss (1950).

Here is your typical ugly movie poster for this cartoon. 

Motion Picture Daily, 1951

Resources Used

Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons by Lenoard Maltin. 

https://tomandjerry.fandom.com/wiki/Jerry%27s_Cousin 

https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/tom-and-jerry-festival-of-fun-1962/

https://lantern.mediahist.org/

Jerry and the Goldfish (1951)

 

In this short film, Jerry becomes good friends with a goldfish. Meanwhile Tom is listening to a radio cook show. When the show talks about a recipe involving fish, Tom gets very hungry and decides to cook the fish. Jerry must protect his little buddy. 

This is a wonderful short. Though this is another cartoon, where Jerry teams up with a friend against Tom, it feels like a pure example of what makes Tom and Jerry great. Besides the voice on this radio (provided by Daws Butler, who would later voice many characters on Hanna-Barbera's TV cartoons including Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound) and Tom's scream (provided by William Hanna), this cartoon plays without dialogue like a classic silent movie. The best Tom and Jerry cartoons are often the ones with the least dialogue and that is definitely true here. Because of this lack of dialogue this film is heavily carried by the character animation. Like always this is one of the best parts of this short. Some of the best character animation is early on in the film when Tom is listening to the radio. The way the expression on his face immediately changes is very funny as is his way of sneaking over to the fishbowl. There is a lot of great slapstick throughout this film. Jerry putting Tom (literally) through the wringer and the wonderful ending gag are just two of the comedy highlights here. Once again William Hanna's timing is simply perfect and even makes the simplest of gags work very well. 

The only real flaw, I find in this cartoon is that when it comes to the characters that Jerry befriended over the years, the fish is one of the least fun and interesting. However, since Tom and Jerry are so dynamic here that doesn't really hurt the cartoon. 

The animators on this film include Irven Spence, Ray Patterson, Ed Barge and Kenneth Muse. The cartoon would be reissued to theaters in 1958. In 1960, the radio scene was reanimated for television airings with the radio being replaced by a TV. This reanimated version would not appear in subsequent TV airings afterwards and today the original version appears on TV airings. Part of Scott Bradley's musical score would later be reused in Happy Go Ducky (1958). 

The following is a review from The Exhibitor magazine. "JERRY AND THE GOLDFISH. MGM - Cartoons. 7min. The little goldfish, a special pal of Jerry becomes the target for Tom, who wants to make a meal of him. Thus starts one of the fastest chases in any cartoon, with Tom, of course, never quite succeeding and the goldfish saved. The gags, treatment, etc., are well out of the ordinary class. This is one of the best in the series. EXCELLENT. (W -320). 

The plot of Jerry befriending a fish would later be used again in the Chuck Jones directed Tom and Jerry film, Filet Meow (1966). However, that cartoon was not a remake of this short. Besides the basic plot idea these cartoons have little in common. 

Here is a typically ugly movie poster for this film.

Casanova Cat (1951)

 

The first Tom and Jerry cartoon of 1951 is a gem that deserves to be more widely seen. 

In this short film, Tom is courting the lovely girl cat, Toodles. He brings her flowers and a pet mouse (Jerry). After Tom makes Jerry do various tricks for Toodles, the mouse decides to get revenge. Jerry writes a love letter to Butch (the black cat who appears in many of these cartoons) and signs it Toodles. When Butch comes up to Toodles' place, Tom and Butch fight over the lovely girl cat. 

This is a wonderful short. Tom and Butch fighting over a girl may have been done before and since, but this film makes the premise feel new and fresh. Every gag here is excellent. The gag with the flagpole is especially excellent. Though it may not be an original gag, the delivery of it is simply perfect. It moves at a fast pace that doesn't give you too much time to anticipate the gag but not too fast to where it loses its effect. The character animation on Butch in this scene is simply perfect as the pure confidence as he gives a suave smile makes the punch line even funnier. Speaking of character animation, the early scenes with Tom, Jerry and Toodles are also excellent. Without a single word these characters perfectly display all we need to know about them. We can see Tom's infatuation with Toodles and how hard he is working to impress her. We can see Jerry's growing frustration with Tom. We can also see Toodles being charmed by Tom's flirtations. With this the story and characters are set up quickly and effectively, allowing the film to spend the rest of its run time on slapstick gags. This shows how well William Hanna and Joseph Barbera understood not only slapstick comedy but also filmmaking. 

The reason this cartoon is so little seen today is because of a brief scene where Tom makes Jerry dance in blackface. This scene has kept the film from appearing on the Tom and Jerry Spotlight DVDs. However, the film has appeared occasional on the TV channels ME-TV and Boomerang with this scene edited out. It is unfortunate that this one gag has kept one of the great Tom and Jerry cartoons from being better known. 

The credited animators on this film are Irven Spence, Ray Patterson, Ed Barge and Kenneth Muse. This cartoon would be reissued to movie theaters in 1958. 

This is the final theatrical cartoon for Tom's girlfriend Toodles. However of clips her cartoons (including her) are reused in the cheater shorts, Smitten Kitten (1952) and Smarty Cat (1955). The Tom and Jerry Wiki lists her as being the same female cat in the Chuck Jones Tom and Jerry cartoon, Love Me, Love My Mouse (1966), but I personally disagree. Later she would have cameos in the direct to video movies, Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz (2016) and Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (2017). She would also appear in episodes of the TV shows, Tom and Jerry Tales, The Tom and Jerry Show (the 2014 version) and Tom and Jerry in New York as well as the video games Tom and Jerry in House Trap, Tom and Jerry Infurnal Escape, Tom and Jerry Tales and Tom and Jerry Chase. 

Motion Picture Daily, 1951


Below is the movie poster for this film. Tom doesn't look too bad, but Jerry looks awful. 

Cue Ball Cat (1950)

 

The first year of the 1950's showed Tom and Jerry films still at the consistant high quality that they had maintianed in the 1940's. The duo's last cartoon of 1950, surely continued this trend. 

This short film, like all the best Tom and Jerry cartoons, has a very simple storyline. Jerry is sleeping under a pool table. When Tom unknowingly hits him with a pool ball, a big fight begins between the two. 

This is an excellent cartoon. Out of this very simple premise, the filmmakers were able to get a true wealth of gags. Not only are the gags here very funny, but they are also very clever. In fact, this film might have some of the cleverest Tom and Jerry gags ever. A lot of these clever gags revolve around the use of objects around the pool hall. These is especially true for how the cue balls take on a life of their own. Tom's impossible tricks with the cue balls are just the beginning of these great gags. I love how the group of cue balls follow Jerry like a train, a gag that becomes even funnier with the use of train sound effects. I also love that these cue balls after wards form almost into a body sticking out of one of the holes, and that the number in the center of the top one turns into to eyes to give Jerry a mean look. As well as these gags this cartoon is also loaded with the violent slapstick one associates with Tom and Jerry. Once again, these violent gags work so well not because of the gags themselves but because of the delivery. William Hanna's timing and the character animation are both pitch perfect here and can make even the weakest gags work. I also love how this is a pure Tom and Jerry cartoon. There are no side characters and not dialogue. Instead all we have is Tom and Jerry and a wealth of slapstick gags. Often that is simply all you need. 

The credited animators on this film are Irven Spence, Ed Barge, Kenneth Muse and Ray Patterson. The cartoon was reissued to movie theaters in 1956. 

A clip from this cartoon is seen in the horror movie, Night of the Lepus (1972), where it can be seen on the screen at a dive in movie theater. Clips were also used in a 

Below is the movie poster for this film. I love the goofy look on Tom's face. 

Still the movie poster looks better than the cover for this Walton Super 8 release. Walton Super 8s were a series of films released for home viewing before home video. Besides Tom and Jerry, this London based company released many films starring Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy. 

The Framed Cat (1950)

 

The Framed Cat is an underrated gem of the Tom and Jerry series. 

In this short film, Tom steals a piece of chicken and frames Jerry for eating it. To get revenge Jerry frames Tom for stealing Spike the bulldog's bone. 

This is a pure delight of a cartoon. Everything about this film works perfectly. It does just what a great 7-minute short should. That is to take a very simple story and tell it in the most entertaining way possible. That is definitely the case here as there is not one dull moment. I feel that anyone who is interested in becoming an animator should study the Tom and Jerry films and this is a perfect example of why. These characters perfectly express themselves and everything going on in their mind with minimal dialogue. There are many moments of great character animation here, but the highlight is the scene with the magnet and the bone. This is not only the funniest part of a film full of great gags but it also an example of character animation at its finest. What is so funny about this scene is not the gag itself, but the character animation. Tom's complete confusion as to why the bone keeps coming back to him and Spike's growing frustration are what make this scene funny. The timing on this scene is also perfect. During this time period William Hanna's sense of comedic timing was at its peak. The magnet making Tom turn around every time Spike moves the bone is a hilarious gag that would have fallen flat without great timing. 

In this film, Spike is missing white part on his chest, which appears in every other cartoon with the character. Instead in this film his whole body below his head is entirely gray. This is also a rare cartoon where Tom and Spike live in the same house. 

The credited animators on this cartoon are Ed Barge, Kenneth Muse, Irven Spence and Ray Patterson.

Below is the movie poster for this film. It is definitely better looking than many of the earlier movie posters for these cartoons. 

The Hollywood Bowl (1950)

 

In the vein of The Cat Concerto (1947) before it, this film once again features Tom trying to put on a concert and Jerry wanting to be a part of it. Tom has a big concert at the Hollywood Bowl as the conductor. Jerry wants to conduct alongside Tom, but Tom does not take to kindly to this. Tom tries his best to get Jerry out of his way, but the mouse proves to be incredibly stubborn. 

This is a delightful cartoon. While it may be similar to The Cat Concerto, it never copies the previous cartoon, not even to use one of the same gags. While this may not be the funniest Tom and Jerry short, the humor is still a lot of fun. The gags here mostly make one smile rather than laugh out loud but there is no problem with that. The one exception to that though is the climactic scene where members of Tom's orchestra start disappearing. The climax is truly hilarious. The character animation here is simply wonderful. Once again these characters come to life in a way even most live action movie characters don't. This is a completely dialogue less short but just from how they move and their facial expressions, we know everything about who these characters are and what they are thinking. The scenes with both of them conducting are character animation at its best. 

IMDB's trivia section states, "One of the very few times composer Scott Bradley used the full MGM Orchestra for the soundtrack, since the subject demanded it. He typically scored the MGM cartoons for a 20-piece ensemble, claiming 'You don't need more than 20 players for cartoon music.'" While it is important not to take anything IMDB says as absolute fact, this film definitely a larger and more orchestral score than the average Tom and Jerry cartoon. All the music Scott Bradley did for the Tom and Jerry films was fantastic but this short truly is a standout in this respect. The music here (including some great classical pieces) is simply wonderful. 

The credited animators on this cartoon are Kenneth Muse, Ed Barge, Ray Patterson and Irven Spence. 

In the original release of this cartoon the opening titles were superimposed over a starry blue sky. However in the reissue the opening titles were over a simple blue background. Most TV airings of this film feature the reissue opening. 

Original 

Reissue

Below is the movie poster for this film. While not perfect, it is a great deal better than most of the MGM cartoon posters of this time. 

Safety Second (1950)

 

For me and I am sure for many other cartoon fans, Safety Second is a Fourth of July tradition. 

In this short film, Jerry tells his little friend Nibbles not to play with fireworks but instead to keep the Fourth of July, "Safe and Sane." Nibbles of course does not listen to this at all. This soon leads to a big firework fight between Tom and the two mice, when Tom decides to play with fireworks as well. 

This is simply a delightful film. It has everything one might want from a chase cartoon. The idea of a slapstick cartoon revolving around fireworks makes you wonder why more slapstick cartoon series have entries about the Fourt of July. The sheer amount of milage this film gets out of fireworks gags is simply fantastic. Because these gags are so well timed and delivered the film never feels too repetitive and never stops being a lot of fun to watch. The character animation also adds a lot to this film. Again, it makes these pantomime characters feel more real and alive to us than many live action movie characters. This is especially true when it comes to the interactions between Jerry and Nibbles. The animation not only completely captures who these characters are but what their relationship with each other is. 

Unlike many theatrical cartoons, this film was actually released around the holiday, it revolves around. It first went to movie theaters on July 1, 1950. The credited animators on this film are Ray Patterson, Ed Barge, Kenneth Muse, Irven Spence and Al Grandmain. This is the first Tom and Jerry film to feature "Made in Hollywood U.S.A." at the end of the cartoon. It continued to appear on all the Hanna-Barbera theatrical Tom and Jerry shorts. 

Below is the movie poster for this film. 

Jerry and the Lion (1950)

 

This is one of the many Tom and Jerry films where Jerry befriends another animal. In this cartoon, the other animal is a lion. Though this is the only theatrical short film to feature this lion, he would later appear in more Tom and Jerry media. He would appear in multiple episodes of TV's The Tom and Jerry Show (the 2014 version), as well as an episode of HBO Max's Tom and Jerry in New York entitled Mousequerade (2021). He would also be an unlockable character in the 2002 video game, Tom and Jerry in War of the Whiskers. The Tom and Jerry Wiki lists this as being the same lion who would appear in The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show episode, Under the Big Top (1980) and Tom and Jerry Tales episode, You're Lion (2008). 

In this short film, Tom hears about a ferocious lion that escaped from a circus. A terrified Tom locks and bars all the doors while holding a gun to protect himself. The lion does find its way into the house and befriends Jerry. He tells Jerry to help him from not being sent back to the circus. Jerry must help get his new friend back to Africa, while keeping him a secret from Tom. 

This is a simply wonderful cartoon. While it may not have as many great gags as some of the earlier Tom and Jerry films, the gags that work here are fantastic. The gag involving the umbrella is one of my favorite Tom and Jerry gags ever. The timing on this gag is perfect and it takes you by surprise the first time you watch it. This whole film also benefits from some great character animation. Once again the animation truly brings these characters to life. You can always tell just what Tom and Jerry are thinking without them having to say a word. Often times the looks on Tom's face (or even the lion's) make the gags even funnier. The lion is also a great character who works very well with our friends Tom and Jerry. 

The credited animators on this film are Irven Spence, Ed Barge, Kenneth Muse and Ray Patterson. The cartoon would be reissued to theaters in 1957. 

Below is the movie poster for this film. While this is better than many of these movie posters, it is still far from perfect and the characters are definitely off-model. 

Texas Tom (1950)

 

The above image of Tom of Tom serenading a lovely cowgirl cat is one that is rightfully ingrained in the minds of classic cartoon fans. That is because the scene it comes from is true classic Tom and Jerry at its best. In fact, the whole cartoon is a delight.  

The film begins with Tom and Jerry having their typical slapstick fight, this time out west. Suddenly a big car drives by and drops off a beautiful cowgirl cat and Tom is immediately smitten. Tom serenades her by lip-syncing to a record he makes Jerry play. This naturally makes Jerry very angry, and he does all he can to spoil Tom's chances at romance. 

This is a top-notch film in every respect. This is another fast-moving cartoon that brings us gag after gag. The pure energy this film moves with, makes it hard not to have a good time watching. On top of this, every single joke lands here. This is only helped by William Hanna's timing again being absolutely perfect. The whole film is again full of great character animation. The scene with Tom serenading the cowgirl cat is not only great because of the gags, but also because of the great animation. The look on Tom's face as he tries to keep the lip-syncing ruse up when Jerry messes of the speed of the record is even funnier than the gags themselves. This animation as well as being funny also makes Tom more real to us as well. We can see what is going through his mind as he tries to figure out how to continue to lip-sync to this. 

This cartoon is also a pure delight for fans of cowboy music (like me). A couple of Cowboy songs are used on the soundtrack, and both are a lot of fun. If You're Ever Down in Texas Look Me Up is a great novelty song written by Terry Shand and 'By' Dunham. Phil Harris had a hit off this song in 1946, which you can listen to below. In this cartoon Ken Darby sang the song. 

I Tipped My Hat and Slowly Rode Away, a novelty song written by Larry Markes and Dick Charles is used in the film's opening. This duo wrote such songs as Mad About Him, Sad About Him, How Can I Be Glad Without Him Blues, Along the Navajo Trail, It Takes a Long, Long Train with a Red Caboose to Carry My Blues Away and May You Always. In this cartoon the song is sung by The Kings Men, who had previously recorded the song in 1947 for an episode of the Fibber McGee and Molly radio show. You can listen to that below. 

The cowgirl cat, who Tom falls for would later appear in an episode of TV's The Tom and Jerry Show entitled Day of the Jackalope (2014). She would later be a playable character in the 2019 online game Tom and Jerry Chase. That game would give her the name Tara. 

The credited animators on this film are Ed Barge, Kenneth Muse, Ray Patterson and Irven Spence. Clips for this cartoon would later be used in the Tom and Jerry cartoons, Smitten Kitten (1952) and Cruise Cat (1952). Tom's cowboy outfit from this film was later used in the 2003 video game, Tom and Jerry in War of the Whiskers.

Below is the movie poster for this film. This is much better than the average Tom and Jerry movie poster of this time. 

Saturday Evening Puss (1950)

 

Saturday Evening Puss is only the second Tom and Jerry film of the 1950's and proves that in this new decade the cat and mouse duo were still at the top of their game. 

In this short film, Tom's owner leaves for a bridge game. Tom then decides to throw a party with all his cat friends. The party involves loud music, which makes it impossible for Jerry to go to sleep. Jerry tries to tell them to stop the party, but Tom and his friends simply brush the mouse off. Jerry decides that this means he has to get revenge on the various cats. 

This is a top-notch cartoon in every way. The whole film is full of a great sense of energy that never lets up. From start to finish, this cartoon moves by at a fast pace that makes it still a lot of fun no matter how many times you watched it. Throughout this fast-paced film, there is gag after gag after gag. Most of these gags are simply wonderful and there are a lot of great laughs to be had here. Not one gag in the entire film misses. Each gag is also made better by how simply perfect William Hanna's timing was in this film. While there have been many great cartoon makers, few had the incredible sense of timing that William Hanna did, and this film is a perfect showcase for his talent. The music is also simply wonderful. For a cartoon where the story revolves around music, this is very important. Luckily the music is just as fast paced and fun as the action on screen. Not only does the music enhance the action on the screen, but I would still enjoy just simply listening to this music if it wasn't attached to the cartoon. The ending of this film is especially perfect as it twists our expectations of how a Tom and Jerry cartoon should end. 

-This film features Tom's owner, who is known to many Tom and Jerry fans as Mammy Two Shoes. As many Tom and Jerry fans know, you rarely see her face on screen. This cartoon is one of the rare exceptions as you can briefly see her face as she is running home towards the end. However, in the Tom and Jerry comics and story books, her face was shown much more often than in the cartoons. Mammy Two Shoes being a bit of a black stereotype has been censored in various TV airings of these cartoons. This film features the strangest version of that. Often times in the 1960's June Foray would provide a different voice for the character and the character would have her skin color re-colored. The censorship of this film took a very different approach, where Mammy is replaced by a white teenage bobbysoxer girl. Instead of going to a bridge game, she was going to a dance hop. A VHS version of this cartoon had an odd mistake, with the animation from the censored version and the audio of the original. 

The credited animators on this film are Ed Barge, Irven Spence, Kenneth Muse and Ray Patterson. However, the Tom and Jerry Wiki states, "Despite the credit, Ray Patterson does no animation on this short." The cartoon would be reissued to theaters in 1957. It would also be included in the feature length compilation, Tom and Jerry Festival of Fun (1962). Though this movie featured no new animation, Jerry's Diary (1949) was used as a framing device to make it feel like a feature length movie instead of simply a selection of cartoons. The cartoons included in this movie were Old Rocking Chair Tom (1948), The Little Orphan (1949), Jerry’s Cousin (1951), Professor Tom (1948), Mouse Cleaning (1948), Yankee Doodle Mouse (1943), Mouse Trouble (1944), Nit-Witty Kitty (1951), Push-Button Kitty (1952) and Saturday Evening Puss.

Below is the movie poster for this film. 

Resources Used

https://tomandjerry.fandom.com/wiki/Saturday_Evening_Puss#Trivia

https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/tom-and-jerry-festival-of-fun-1962/

https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/party-animals-and-other-species-part-5-leftovers/

Little Quacker (1950)

 

Little Quacker was the first Tom and Jerry film of the 1950's. It is also the film debut of Quacker, the small duck with a baby like voice (provided by Red Coffey). The character would appear in 7 theatrical cartoon shorts. However, the character would stay fresh in the minds of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. They would create a very similar character named Yakky Doodle for the various Hanna-Barbera TV series. Yakky Doodle would even receive his own segment on The Yogi Bear Show. Quacker, himself would even appear in one episode of Hanna-Barbera's later TV series, The Tom and Jerry Show. This episode was entitled The Lost Duckling (1975). Quacker would later appear in such Tom and Jerry video games as 2003's Tom and Jerry in War of the Whiskers (where he is an unlockable character) and 2000's Tom and Jerry in Fists of Furry. In both of those games, he is simply called Duckling. He would also as early as the mid-1950's as a regularly appearing character in the Tom and Jerry comic books. 

As this short film begins, a mother duck leaves her nest and egg behind for a moment. Tom then takes the egg and goes to cook it. When Tom cracks the egg the little duckling comes out. Tom then decides to cook the little duckling inside. Jerry sets out to save Quacker from Tom. 

This is probably the best Tom and Jerry cartoon to feature Little Quacker. While some of the later films with this character would try to be too cutesy for this series, this cartoon never falls into that trap. Instead, this is simply a pure classic Tom and Jerry cartoon. The film is full of great slapstick gags and the cuteness of Quacker never gets in the way of this being first and foremost a funny cartoon. There are plenty of slapstick gags throughout and many of them are quite funny. Like we have come to expect from these cartoons, William Hanna's timing is perfect here. Quacker is also very well utilized here. His presence helps make this film a nice departure from the usual Tom and Jerry formula, while still keeping what makes this series work. Watching Jerry and Quacker team up against Tom, leads to a lot of fun moments here. Quacker also has great chemistry with Jerry and the two play well off each other. Also, Quacker is not given too much dialogue here. This is important as too much dialogue from a supporting character can distract from our non-speaking main characters. This cartoon also has a great ending. 

The credited animators on this film are Ed Barge, Kenneth Muse, Ray Patterson and Irven Spence. The cartoon would be reissued to theaters in 1957. The cartoon would also later be adapted in the 1953 children's book, Tom and Jerry Meet Little Quack. 

Below is a typically ugly movie poster for this film. 

Tennis Chumps (1949)

 

This short film marks the last Tom and Jerry cartoon of the 1940’s. Though it may not be the best-known Tom and Jerry cartoon, it is a solid fun film that makes for a perfect ending for the cat and mouse duo’s best decade. 

In this short film Tom and Butch are having a tennis match. Tom makes Jerry carry all of his equipment. This is a job Jerry is not too fond of and he does everything he can to sabotage Tom's game. 

This is a wonderful cartoon. The whole film moves at a fast pace and provides gag after gag. Despite this there is not one weak gag in the whole film. Many of the gags are even laugh out funny. The amount of truly clever slapstick gags this cartoon was able to get from tennis alone is absolutely remarkable. Not only are the gags wonderful but the delivery is perfect. William Hanna's timing has never been better than it is here. Every gag is timed perfectly. Also helping is some incredible animation. Though this is a fast-paced film that constantly jumps from one gag to another, it still makes room for some fantastic character animation. This character animation makes all three characters seem perfectly real to us and let us know what is going through their minds at all times. To be able to do this, while keeping the cartoon moving at a breakneck speed is an incredible feat. That fact that the filmmakers are able to do this and make it seem so natural and effortless shows the pure mastery that was behind the best Tom and Jerry cartoons. Scott Bradley's score here is also wonderful, especially a lively rendition of All God's Chillun Got Rhythm. This film shows Tom and Jerry at their best and is a perfect coda to the duo's greatest decade/

The credited animators on this cartoon are Ray Patterson, Irven Spence, Ed Barge and Kenneth Muse. The film would be reissued to theaters in 1957 and again in 1965. 

In 2006, Turner Broadcasting edited 1,700 cartoons in their library for when they aired in the UK. This was after the Office of Communications received a complaint about two Tom and Jerry cartoons (Tennis Chumps (1949) and Texas Tom (1950)). Their complaints about these cartoons were that the films included scenes with characters smoking and there for it was deemed inappropriate to air these cartoons on TV channels heavily aimed at children. Turner Broadcasting issued the following statement, “Turner recognizes that it is not suitable for cartoons aimed at children to portray smoking in a cool context and has additionally pledged to review the entire Hanna-Barbera catalog to remove scenes that appear to glamorize or encourage smoking.” Personally, I grew up watching these cartoons on TV and have never smoked in my life.  

Below is the movie poster for this cartoon. Though not perfect it is much better than many of the movie posters for this series. 

Resources Used

https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/animation-anecdotes-234/

https://lantern.mediahist.org/

Jerry's Diary (1949)

 

Every cartoon fan is familiar with what is called a cheater cartoon. This is to say a cartoon that is mostly made up of clips from previous entries in the series. Jerry's Diary is the first cheater cartoon in the Tom and Jerry series. This short film includes clips from The Yankee Doodle Mouse (1943), Mouse Trouble (1944), Tee for Two (1945) and Solid Serenade (1946).

This short film starts with Tom outside Jerry's hole about to get revenge on his foe. However, Tom then overhears a radio announcer saying that it "Be Kind to Animals Week." Tom is swayed by the words of the radio announcer and decides that he is going to be kind to Jerry. He comes back with gifts for Jerry and knocks on the wall to get Jerry's attention. However, Tom finds that Jerry is not home. He also discovers that Jerry's diary is out. Tom gives into temptation and reads the diary. After reading of the previous fights between the two, Tom gets angrier and angrier. 

This film works in the most important aspect for a cheater cartoon. That is to say that the new footage is a lot of fun. The basic storyline is clever and well executed. There are some good gags in this new footage and some great character animation. I love the character animation that takes place when Tom is listening to the radio announcer. You can see him thinking and taking this all in. This is animated in a way that makes Tom feel completely real to us without him saying a word. Equally great is Tom going from feeling kind and generous to devious when he sees Jerry's diary. This is again captured in great character animation that truly captures who Tom is as a character. The ending gag is predictable but still funny and satisfying. 

However, this film does suffer from the same flaws as many other cheater cartoons. The clips are often too short, and the gags often work better in the context of the original cartoons. To me this type of cheater often works better in a longer format (where we get to see a larger portion of the older clips instead of isolated gags), then in the short 6-to-7-minute format. Still, it works well enough here.

Even with this being a cheater cartoon, a clip of the new footage made for this film would later appear in a later cheater cartoon, Matinee Mouse (1966). The credited animators on Jerry's Diary are Kenneth Muse and Ed Barge. This film was reissued to theaters in 1958. 

Here is an ugly movie poster for this film. Jerry is incredibly off-model. 

Love That Pup (1949)

 

Love That Pup was a very important cartoon in the Tom and Jerry filmography. It redefined the character of Spike the bulldog and even introduced his son Tyke. In earlier shorts Spike had a tough deep gruff voice (provided by Billy Bletcher) and his personality was little more than being a tough bulldog who hated Tom. In this short film, Spike's gruff voice was replaced by one that resembled comedian Jimmy Durante. This made the character more comedic and likable, even if he picked on our friend Tom. William Hanna and Joseph Barbera would revisit the idea of a cartoon dog with a Jimmy Durante inspired voice in the TV era with Doggie Daddy (from the Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy segments of The Quick Draw McGraw Show). Giving Spike a son also helped show his softer and more likable side, while not taking away from his meaner and gruffer side. His son Spike would appear in 7 more theatrical Tom and Jerry shorts. Spike and Tyke would later get a short-lived series of theatrical cartoon shorts centered around them. This series however only lasted for two films (Give and Tyke (1957), Scat Cats (1957)). However, the father and son duo would have some starring cartoons in TV's Tom and Jerry Kids. Though Tyke did not speak in the theatrical cartoon shorts, he did speak in Tom and Jerry Kids, where his voice was provided by Patric Zimmerman. Though Tyke does not have many video game appearances, he is an unlockable character in 2003's Tom and Jerry in War of the Whiskers.

In this short film Tom is chasing Jerry and while doing so, lifts up Tyke to see if Jerry is hiding underneath him. Spike gets very angry at this and tells Tom that if he catches Tom bugging his son, one more time, he will skin him alive. Naturally Jerry overhears this and decides to use this to his advantage framing Tom to make it look like he is bugging Tyke.

There is a lot to enjoy about this cartoon. For one thing this new version of Spike is a lot more fun than the previous version and it is fun to watch his confrontations with Tom. William Hanna's timing here is also simply perfect, and each gag is expertly delivered. This makes even the most predictable gags a lot of fun. There are also some solid gags here, such as Tom's dance with Spike's teeth. The character animation here is wonderful, once again it really makes Tom feel real to us, an makes him sympathetic throughout the film. Tom's over the top reactions are also fantastic and pure cartoony fun. Scott Bradley's music is also especially great here, especially his use of The Worry Song from the feature film, Anchors Aweigh (1945), which featured a cameo by Tom and Jerry. 

The credited animators on this film were Ed Barge, Ray Patterson, Irven Spence and Kenneth Muse. This cartoon would later be remade as Tops with Pops (1957). That shot for shot remake, would even use the same audio from this film. The big difference between the two films is that Tops with Pops would be in Cinemascope and be adapted for that wider format. 

Below is the movie poster for this film. Like nearly all the Tom and Jerry movie posters, both Tom and Jerry are incredibly off model. Jerry is much too big, and I don't even know how to describe what is going on with Tom. 

The Cat and the Mermouse (1949)

 

As this short film begins Tom is enjoying some nice sunbathing on the beach, when Jerry walks on top of the cat on his way to go fishing. This of course begins their usual chase. After some slapstick gags, Tom winds up underwater. There he finds Jerry has become a mermouse and the chase continues underwater. 

This is a delightful cartoon. The underwater setting helps it stand out from other Tom and Jerry cartoons, as the film uses this setting perfectly. The setting leads to some especially clever gags. Jerry pretending to be a seahorse and the swordfish growling like a dog, never fail to put a smile on my face. Even the gags before the duo find themselves undersea, are wonderful here. Once again William Hanna's timing shows him at the top of his game here. The underwater setting also allows for some great visuals. I stand by my belief that the MGM cartoons were some of the best-looking cartoons of the era (only the Disney shorts really provided competition in this department). The underwater scenes here are truly a visual treat. The background art here is truly breathtaking (this is something that I believe is true about the Hanna-Barbera cartoons not only during this time period but in their limited animation TV days too (look at some of the Scooby-Doo backgrounds some time)). The background art is luscious and detailed and makes this underwater environment seem so much more real than the underwater scenes in other studio's cartoons. This is not the only visual treat here. The character animation is wonderful and Tom and Jerry feel like real breathing characters, rather than moving drawings. You can always tell just what is going through these characters' minds by just watching how they move. The only real problem with this film is that the ending can be seen coming from a mile away.

This is not the last underwater adventure Tom and Jerry would have. The cartoon duo would later appear alongside Ester Williams in a wonderful scene in the feature film, Dangerous When Wet (1953). Ester Williams was a great swimmer and her movies would often feature sequences with her underwater. This is one of the best of those sequences and the combination of live action and animation is wonderful. Though that movie was directed by Charles Walters, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera directed Tom and Jerry and the other animated characters that appear in this dream sequence. 

The credited animators on The Cat and the Mermouse were Ed Barge, Irven Spence, Kenneth Muse, Ray Patterson and Al Grandmain. This film would be reissued to theaters in 1957. 

Interestingly various statements in movie magazines hint at a Tom and Jerry cartoon with a similar title being a combination of animation and live action. A 1947 issue of The Film Daily states, "Forerunner of a new series of MGM cartoons is in production. New cartoon, featuring Tom and Jerry, has been titled 'The Catfish and the Mermouse.' Film 'tis said marks the first time underwater sequences are used for a cartoon. Companions of the team will be live fish." An issue of box-office magazine (dated August 9, 1947) states, "Metro’s “The Catfish and the Mermouse,” the forerunner of a new series of cartoons in which live action and animation are combined, has just gone into production." If anyone reading this knows more about this, I would love to hear. 

Below is the movie poster for this short film. While the coloring is off, it is much better than the average poster for this series.

Heavenly Puss (1949)

 

Heavenly Puss is probably one of the best remembered and most beloved of the Tom and Jerry films. It certainly is one that has stayed in the minds of cartoon fans. 

In this film Tom is chasing Jerry around the house, when he is crushed by the piano. He finds himself at the pearly gates. However, the cat permitting passage to Heaven says that Tom can't enter because he spent his whole life persecuting Jerry. However, Tom will get another chance. He will get an hour back on Earth and if during that hour he can get Jerry to sign a certificate of forgiveness, he can go to Heaven. However, if Jerry does not sign Tom will end up in the other place (and be tormented by a Devil dog, who looks an awful lot like Spike). 

This may not be the funniest Tom and Jerry cartoon, but it is one of the cleverest. The storyline is a very clever twist on the usual Tom and Jerry formula. Despite Jerry also being in this film, this is fully Tom's cartoon. Throughout this film we really care and feel sympathy for Tom. Tom is not just a series of moving drawings here but a real living and breathing character. This is especially true as the time gets closer to running out. We feel his panic and want nothing more than to see him go to Heaven. This is due both to excellent storytelling and masterful character animation. The scene where Tom is pantomiming everything that has happened to Jerry is about as good as character animation gets. It both gets across everything Tom is trying to say to Jerry while also making us feel his sense of panic. Even Jerry gets some excellent character animation, with him sneaking around at the start of the film. This film also has a prefect and very funny ending. 

My only real complaint about this film is that it lacks the sheer number of great gags that populate some of the other Tom and Jerry cartoons of this era. However, the cleverness and charm overcome this easy. 

The credited animators here are Ed Barge, Irv Spence, Kenneth Muse and Ray Patterson. Each of them get their time to shine. Irv Spence animates the scene where Tom is crushed by the piano. Ed Barge handles most of the animation of the cat that grants passage to Heaven as well as the scene with the small kittens. Ray Patterson animates the scenes with the evil version of Spike the bulldog.   

This evil version of Spike here would later appear in the 2002 video game, Tom and Jerry in War of the Whiskers as an alternative costume for Spike. This version of Spike would also be used as the main antagonist of the 2003 video game, Tom and Jerry in Infurnal Escape. This film marks the last time Spike would be voiced by Billy Bletcher. Billy Blecther was a small man with a deep voice, who worked heavily doing cartoon voices, mostly as villains. He did the voice of the Big Bad Wolf in Disney's The Three Little Pigs (1933), he played Papa Bear in Chuck Jones' three bears cartoons and was Peg Leg Pete in some of the Mickey Mouse films. Before doing cartoon voices he had acted in various live action silent comedies. He would however sometimes appear in live action films during the talkie era, such as some Three Stooges shorts and Laurel and Hardy's Babes in Toyland (1934). After Heavenly Puss, Spike would be voiced by Daws Butler, who would give the character a less evil, and more Jimmy Durante inspired voice. 

The cat that grants passage to Heaven would later be a playable character in the 2019 mobile game, Tom and Jerry Chase. In that game he would be called Cooper. 

The three kittens Fluff, Muff and Puff would appear in only one more Tom and Jerry short film, Triplet Trouble (1952). However, they would later appear in TV's The Tom and Jerry Show (2014) and the direct to video movie, Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale (2007). 

William Hanna and Joseph Barbera would later make a semi-remake of this film with the Pixie and Dixie cartoon (from The Huckleberry Hound Show), Heavens to Jinksy (1959). Clips from Heavenly Puss would later be reused in the Tom and Jerry cartoon, Shutter Bugged Cat (1967). 

Below is the movie poster for this cartoon. The drawing of Jerry is especially ugly here.  

 

Resources Used

DVD audio commentary by Jerry Beck.

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

https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/go-to-hades-part-2/

Hatch Up Your Troubles (1949)

 

This is yet another Tom and Jerry film to be nominated for an Oscar. Its competition this year was For Sent-imental Reasons (1949, Warner Brothers), The Magic Fluke (1949, UPA) and Toy Tinkers (1949, Disney). The winner was For Scent-imental Reasons which is still considered today as one of the best Pepe Le Pew cartoons. While I like all the cartoons nominated, I admit to having a special fondness for Toy Tinkers which is possibly my favorite film that pits Donald Duck against Chip and Dale. 

In this film, an egg rolls out of its nest, while mama woodpecker is away. The egg rolls into Jerry's home, home and hatches there. Since the first thing the baby woodpecker sees is Jerry, he assumes that Jerry is his mama. Jerry tries to return the little woodpecker to his nest, but the little woodpecker just wants to follow Jerry. Unfortunately for the little woodpecker, when he pecks on Tom's chair and breaks it, he has an angry cat after him. Jerry then tries to protect the woodpecker from Tom. 

This is one of the rare instances of a 1940's Tom and Jerry short that actively tries for sentimentality and cuteness. This would become more common in the Tom and Jerry films of the 1950's but the 40's shorts tended to focus more on over-the-top slapstick violence. However unlike some of the later attempts to mix sentimentality in the Tom and Jerry formula, this film is works very well. One of the reasons for this is that the woodpecker is cute without feeling consciously cute. This is to say that it doesn't feel like the filmmakers are trying too hard to make the character cute. I think we have all seen cartoon characters, that feel like they are trying so hard to be cute that they come off as annoying. That is not the case here as the cuteness feels completely natural. The film also works very well because the humor is not sacrificed for the sake of cuteness. The slapstick involving Tom and Jerry is simply excellent. There may not be as many slapstick gags as in some previous cartoons, but the gags are just as funny and wonderful here. The gags also can be as over the top and violent as we have come to except without getting in the way of the sentimental story. These two components are mixed expertly. The result is a film that is sentimental and cute, while remaining a true Tom and Jerry short. 

This film would be remade using the same animation and soundtrack as The Egg and Jerry (1956). The difference between the two was that The Egg and Jerry was made for the wider CinemaScope process.  

The credited animators on this film are Ed Barge, Irven Spence, Kenneth Muse and Ray Patterson.

Below is a movie poster for this cartoon. It is surprisingly much better than the average movie poster for this series. 

Resources Used

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

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

The Little Orphan (1949)

 

This marked the fifth Tom and Jerry cartoon to win the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film. Its competition this year was Mickey and the Seal (1948, Disney), Mouse Wreckers (1949, Warner Brothers) (that short would later be remade as the Tom and Jerry cartoon, Year of the Mouse (1965)), Robin Hoodlum (1948, UPA) and Tea for Two Hundred (1948). While I enjoy all the other cartoons listed, I feel that this year the best film won.  

In this film, Jerry volunteers to take care of little Nibbles over the Thanksgiving holiday. The only problem is that Nibbles is always hungry. When Tom's owner lays out a wonderful spread for Thanksgiving dinner on the table, little Nibbles can't help himself and treats himself to all of the great food. Tom spots Nibbles and Jerry on the Thanksgiving table and a massive slapstick fight takes place. 

This is simply a wonderful cartoon. It has everything that I love about Tom and Jerry. The gags come fast and furious with a comic energy that is simply a lot of fun. Each gag is timed perfectly as well. No gag either goes by too quickly or too slowly. Instead each of them is timed to get the greatest laugh possible. The gags themselves are all great. There are a lot of the gags in which one character will completely change shape (for instance after eating a big orange, Nibbles becomes the same shape as the orange). These were my favorite Tom and Jerry gags as a kid and I still love them today. The film also benefits from some truly wonderful character animation. Because of this Tom, Jerry and Nibbles all feel completely real here. Scott Bradley's music is also as wonderful as ever. 

Watching this short today, you may notice an awkward cut after the candle lands on Tom's tail. There was a blackface scene here that has been cut out of many TV airings and DVD releases. Unfortunately, this little cut is very noticeable even if you don't know there was a blackface gag. This short would be remade as another Tom and Jerry cartoon, Feeding the Kiddie (1957). The later short would be in Cinemascope. A clip from The Little Orphan would later be reused in the Tom and Jerry film, Life with Tom (1952). 





 

                                                      Motion Picture Daily, 1949

Below is the movie poster for this film. Notice the miscoloring of Nibbles here. 

Resources Used

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

https://lantern.mediahist.org/

Polka Dot Puss (1949)

 

An underrated Tom and Jerry short.

In this film Tom's owner wants him to sleep outside. Because of bad weather, Tom fakes a cold to stay inside for the night. This gives Jerry an idea. Jerry makes Tom believe that he has the measles. Jerry then uses various uncomfortable methods to "cure" Tom. 

While this may no be in my list of the best Tom and Jerry films, it is a really fun cartoon. What does keep it from being one of the best Tom and Jerrys is that it does not have the number of great gags that you might see in other Tom and Jerry films of this era. The main problem here is that the start of the film is all set up and little real gags. However, the gags pick up when the story really gets underway. there are still some pretty good gags here, including some of Jerry's methods to cure Tom. The story itself is quite clever and gives it a unique feel among Tom and Jerry cartoons. This is because it twists the usual formula in a clever way. It is not your typical chase cartoon, but it still fully gives us the fun Tom and Jerry rivalry that we all love. This film also benefits from some wonderful character animation, especially when Tom figures out what is going on. The film also has a wonderful little twist at the end that works perfectly. 

This film would be reissued to theaters in 1956 and again in 1966. 

This may not be among one of the best Tom and Jerry's but it is still a delightful cartoon that deserves more attention. 

Below is the movie poster for this film. Once again, it is not exactly the most attractive poster.